Networking and Getting Referral on LinkedIn

Hi,
If you have no other option then I would recommand the "growth hacker" method :) :

- Find somoene in common to introduce you : your success rate in getting connected will be much higher

- if you don't find anybody, try to add people directly on linkedin. When asking for connection with this person you have the opportunity to write down a short msg

- add several person from the same firm. If one of them accept you, the other will be more likely to accept once they see you have someone in common

Best

Benjamin

Hi Anonymous,

That’s a good question, as if you improve the initial part of the funnel you can get definitely increase the number of offers you can receive. I would suggest the following to improve your chances:

1. Don’t use LinkedIn for messages. Far better to use email directly to their Inbox. There are several tools that can help you to extract professional emails from a LinkedIn account
2. Focus on university alumni. They are normally the most responsive.
3. Your message comes a bit too pushy in the body. Would soft it, dividing the central part in two parts. In the first you can refer to your interest in his/her profile. In the second you ask for a time to talk.
4. Acknowledge at the end you understand he/she may not have time to talk to you. This will actually increase conversion
5. You should always send a followup after 1 week from the first message. If there are no replies there, move to the next contact.

If you send the right email through the right channel, you should get around 30% conversions in replies, including followups. If you don’t get that it means you are doing something wrong in the process.

Best,
Francesco

Your outreach letter looks good. My further advice would be:

- Don't give up, continue to expand your reach out to other current employees steadily but slowly (you do not want to become known as the "spammer" who reached out to all the consultant class over 48 hours

- Expand your reach to employees who recently left, they might act as a referral to former colleagues who still work for the consultancy you are interested in

- Pay attention not to reach out to same person twice to avoid to come across as agressive

- Use websites besides Linkedin that focus on networking and referrals (university alumni website, evisors, etc)

- Contact me privately with details of office you are interested to, I might be able to help

Hope it helps,

Andrea 

Hi,

Your e-mail is good, although Linkedin will have the low conversion rates. Here are some other ways to get a referral:

Here are some tips on how you can do that:

1) Leverage your own network - find friends or friends of friends who can practice cases with you or make you a reference.

2) Attend company events. Consulting companies do a lot of events both for graduates and experienced hires. Find the social network groups related to consulting or websites, subscribe to newsletters and stay tuned. Also, check if they have events in your University since you are a PHD.

While some of the events will be open to everyone, others will require a resume and a cover letter, so make sure to prep.

3) Talk to people on the events and send Thank You notes. After each event, there is a Q&A session where you can talk to consultants 1 on 1 or in a group. Ask for contact info or send a thank you note after the event ("I just wanted to thank you for visiting our University... It was especially interesting to hear about... Would be happy to keep in touch and apply in the nearest future.). Alternatively, you may use linkedin for that. If you are an experienced hire I strongly suggest to ask for a 1 on 1 meeting in a thank you note.

4) 1 on 1 meetings via Linkedin. All people like giving an advice. So don't hesitate to ask consultants for a career advice. Tell your story and ask how consulting fits into it. 

5) Mock interview Depending on where you are in your prep process you may ask a consultant for a mock interview. Consultants are very much opened to help even if it is a cold call e-mail. The main problem is a lack of time on their side. So don't be afraid to remind about yourself if the consultant has already committed but finds it hard to find the time

6) Talking to partners If you are an experienced hire I suggest to talk directly to the partners in your industry or the partner responsible for experienced hires (in consulting partners also have additional roles). Get an intro from the HR or from your friends working there. Partners care a lot about experienced hires with relevant industry expertise. Chances to get referral are much lower though. They also will not be interested in giving mock interviews.

7) If you are an MBA graduate Just talk to your section mates and ask for a reference or a mock interview - they will be happy to help. Make sure you attend all the consulting events.

Good luck!

Hi Anonymous,

Personally I don't like the direct approach, especially if it is a clear benefit only for the other person. I would suggest meeting MBB consultants at networking events. I'm not sure about your city, but they usually hold career events in most major cities where they are based. Have you had a look for those on their websites?

Good luck!

Hi,

Linkedin will have very low conversion rates and this is the least favorable method. However, the overall approach may be the following:

1. Find something in common with the person - same grad University, same career path, etc
2. Reach the person on LinkedIn and describe in a short message why you've chosen him (smth in common) tell him that you are applying for MBB and ask for a short call
3. Prepare and ask interesting questions about the company and the preparation
4. Keep fingers crossed. Maybe the consultant will kindly propose you to help further
5. If so, follow up with the e-mail. I use the following template to follow up:

"Hi..., I just wanted to thank you again for today’s call. I’ve learnt a lot about ... and I'm excited by... You’ve mentioned you could help with... I would appreciate a chance to meet with you to... I would also be happy to be a resource for you, now or in the future for any expertise in.."

Here are some other ways to get a referral:

1) Leverage your own network - find friends or friends of friends who can practice cases with you or make you a reference.

2) Attend company events. Consulting companies do a lot of events both for graduates and experienced hires. Find the social network groups related to consulting or websites, subscribe to newsletters and stay tuned. Also, check if they have events in your University since you are a PHD.

While some of the events will be open to everyone, others will require a resume and a cover letter, so make sure to prep.

3) Talk to people on the events and send Thank You notes. After each event, there is a Q&A session where you can talk to consultants 1 on 1 or in a group. Ask for contact info or send a thank you note after the event ("I just wanted to thank you for visiting our University... It was especially interesting to hear about... Would be happy to keep in touch and apply in the nearest future.). Alternatively, you may use linkedin for that. If you are an experienced hire I strongly suggest to ask for a 1 on 1 meeting in a thank you note.

4) 1 on 1 meetings via Linkedin. All people like giving an advice. So don't hesitate to ask consultants for a career advice. Tell your story and ask how consulting fits into it. 

5) Mock interview Depending on where you are in your prep process you may ask a consultant for a mock interview. Consultants are very much opened to help even if it is a cold call e-mail. The main problem is a lack of time on their side. So don't be afraid to remind about yourself if the consultant has already committed but finds it hard to find the time

6) Talking to partners If you are an experienced hire I suggest to talk directly to the partners in your industry or the partner responsible for experienced hires (in consulting partners also have additional roles). Get an intro from the HR or from your friends working there. Partners care a lot about experienced hires with relevant industry expertise. Chances to get referral are much lower though. They also will not be interested in giving mock interviews.

7) If you are an MBA graduate Just talk to your section mates and ask for a reference or a mock interview - they will be happy to help. Make sure you attend all the consulting events.

Good luck!

I believe your question has been asked several times already in this forum. There is a very neat search function in this forum with which you could easily find several great answers to the very same question. How about you start with the key words "LinkedIn" + "referral"?

Hi A,

I would definitely recommend e-mail. But I also agree with Vlad that by preparing your e-mail use some common background or referral event/ situation.

Best,

André

Hi there,

Don’t ask directly about a referral. I would recommend youto reach out on LinkedIn and try to get a call.

Try to find something in common and mention it correctly. Learning a LinkedIn profile will help you with this. 
 

Do you need any further help?

All the best, 

GB