how did I get referrals at big tech

recently a post of mine gained a lot of attention based on the number of referrals I got. And I did get referrals for 20+ companies' roles like Apple, Uber, Meta, Google etc. , and to be honest, a few of them were from my actual connections like friends, friends of friends, or my cousins, but a lot of them were from cold DMs on LinkedIn.

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Note: This is what has worked out for me in getting referrals, it might work out for you or not, but would suggest to try your luck in every way possible in this job market :)

so, how do you approach people you don't know on LinkedIn and ask them to do you a favour?

honestly, not everyone will respond to you. Not everyone will give you a referral after agreeing to give one (yes, that happens 😭), so when you approach people, you have to keep it to the point. Don't waste their time, and don't waste yours either.

Here are the steps:

1. Find a role you are actually a good fit for.

You can tailor your resume to match the keywords in the job description. Make sure the important keywords are easy to spot, so when a recruiter / hiring manager sees your resume, they can quickly understand that you would be a good fit for the role.

2. Search for people from that team

Go to LinkedIn, and search the team name + the company name. For example, “Google Google Ads”, “Microsoft Azure” etc.

Send connection requests to people from that team. Try sending connection requests to at least 10 people. Not everyone will accept, so reaching out to more people increases your chances of getting at least one response.

If you have Premium, you can send them a short message with the connection request, like:

Hi [Name], I came across a role on your team that I was really interested in and was wondering if you'd be open to referring me. I believe I'm a good fit and would be happy to share my resume, job ID and link once you accept !

3. Message them

Once the person has accepted your LinkedIn request, make sure you provide them with all the information they would need in the first message itself.

Basically, make it as easy as possible for them to give you a referral.

This is the message I used:

Hi [Name],

Thank you so much for accepting my request!! I was wondering if you'd be open to referring me for the [role] position at [company], if you think I'll be a good fit.

I've attached my resume below, happy to answer any questions. Either way, thank you so much for taking the time to consider it!

Job Link: Job ID: Resume:

You can also list out the reasons why you would be a good fit for the role, like a similar tech stack, open source contributions, or prior experience.

But make sure to keep them in bullet points and concise. No one wants to read a long paragraph.

4. Their response

Now, they might see your message and not respond, or they might not have even seen it. Just keep sending requests and reaching out to people until someone says yes. Don't get discouraged if the first few don't respond.

But if they respond, yayy!! 🥳

If you've texted them on a weekend, they might either ask you to remind them on Monday / another working day, or they might give you the referral on the same day.

If they do ask you to remind them, make sure you are punctual. Keep a reminder for yourself on your phone to text / email the employee and message them when you said you would.

You can send something like:

“Hi [Name], thank you for being open to referring me. Just reminding you as you had mentioned on [day]!”

5. Should I follow up?

Sometimes, employees can agree to refer you and still forget about it, and that's completely normal ! After you've asked for the referral, wait at least 24-36 hours before following up, and keep it short as well, like:

“Hi [Name], thank you for being open to referring me. Do let me know if more information is required from my side.”

This puts you back in their mind and also doesn't sound like you're bugging them too much.

One more thing I’ve tried:

Sometimes, instead of asking for a referral right away, I’ve first spoken to employees about their role, the team, or what it’s like working at the company. After having a small conversation, I’d ask if they’d be open to referring me. It feels much more natural than immediately going “Hi, can you refer me?” to someone you’ve never spoken to before.

That said, I’ve also gotten referrals by simply asking directly, so I don't think you have to build a connection first. It really depends on the person and the situation.

Now, either by this point you've already got the referral, or the employee didn't even accept your connection request.

And that's okay. Even I didn't receive all the referrals I reached out for.

few more tips:

1. make sure your LinkedIn profile doesn't look empty: If you're cold DMing someone, they're probably going to click on your profile before deciding whether to respond. Make sure your experience, projects, skills, GitHub etc. are updated. You don't need to have a crazy profile, but give them something to look at.

2. be professional:

You don't know the person you're messaging, so don't be overly casual or treat them like they're obligated to help you. Be polite, keep your message short, and respect their time.

Also, don't spam them. If they don't respond, leave it and move on. You can reach out to other people instead.

1. don't take rejection personally

Some people won't respond, some won't be comfortable referring someone they don't know, and some might simply be too busy. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your profile or resume.

You only need a few people or even one person, to say yes.

Just make sure you've at least applied for the role, with or without the referral.

Good luck :)