<p>I recently applied to a what seems like an amazing opportunity at a large company. My application status says under review but I would like an internal referral to boost it. I looked up people on linkedin and found the email address of a guy who works at the same department I applied to in a senior level position. I was going to email him and ask him to do an internal referral for me. I have very good credentials and I was going to tell him I found his contact on linkedin. I want to know if this is unprofessional? Would it ruin or boost my chances?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t do this if you don’t know who the person is.</p>
<p>Hmm…I don’t know that I would ask someone you don’t know for a referral, especially if you don’t have any mutual friends who could introduce you first. I think doing that would be more likely to weird the person out and hurt your chances. It’s bold, but you don’t want to be “that applicant.”</p>
<p>If you want to reach out, at all, I think it’s best to contact through company email address and ask for an informational interview to talk about what it’s like to work in the department… </p>
<p>LinkedIn is still kind of a new thing for most people.</p>
<p>The email address I have is his company email address. I just want to get out of the computer system that I seemed to stuck in by reaching out to an actual person. So it is more desperate than ambitious to do this?</p>
<p>It would certainly come off as desperate. Some people get monetary incentives for referrals, but your tactic is a bit tasteless. Do not email him asking for a referral; instead, email him and ask a bit about the company and the department. Ask thoughtful questions that you wouldn’t be able to answer with a Google search. Make a good impression, chat back and forth a bit, then ask if he believes you might be a good fit based on what you are looking for. He may offer to refer you at that point.</p>
<p>Many people - and particularly senior management - will not recommend an individual they do not know. What if you were hired and didn’t work out? That would reflect poorly on him, too, for recommending you. It can tarnish his credibility. You need to give him a reason to want to learn more about your first.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t ask for an internal referral from a stranger. It seems completely inappropriate and unnecessary, and I would either ignore it or (depending on how close I was to the hiring process) pass the word on that some weird person who I didn’t know asked for a referral. I certainly would not recommend you, and I may even recommend against them hiring you.</p>
<p>OMG really, well I am certainly glad I asked here before going ahead and doing it!</p>