HireMe Newsletter
Posts
How to *successfully* ask for a referral

How to successfully ask for a referral

(this is how to not get ghosted after asking for a referral)

Harshvi Shah
June 09, 2025

Your Referral Pipeline:

1. Start with Strategic Outreach

I connect with 20–25 employees at the company I’m targeting.
I do this via:

LinkedIn (search people on the team I want to join + location)
Cold email (if I can find their work email through a platform called RocketReach)
Tip: Reach out to alumni from your school or similar background (this makes someone more likely to respond to your message)

Tip: Prioritize people in roles slightly above the one you’re applying for because they often have influence and context to refer.

2. Set Up a Quick Call

Once they accept, I ask for a 10–15 minute chat to learn about:

Their experience at the company
What their day-to-day looks like
What they think makes someone successful on their team

Here’s the kind of message I send:

“Hi [Name], thanks for connecting! I’m really interested in [Company], and I’d love to hear more about your experience and role at [Company]. Would you be open to a quick 10–15 minute chat this week or next?”

3. Use the Call to Build Real Connection

On the call, I:

Ask thoughtful questions about their career path
Share a bit of my background, skills, and goals
Subtly position myself as someone who’s aligned with the company’s mission or the open role

4. Ask for the Referral

After the call, I send this follow-up message (with my resume attached if I haven’t already):

Referral Message Template:

Hi [Name],

Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me earlier, I really enjoyed learning more about your experience at [Company] and your insights on the [Team/Department/Role and mention something specific which stood out to you about the role/company].

Our conversation reaffirmed my interest in [Company], and I’m excited to share that I’ve applied for the [Insert Role] role. The company’s mission to [Insert Company Mission or Value] really aligns with my own passion for driving meaningful change in the healthcare space.

I was wondering if you’d feel comfortable referring me for the role? I’ve attached my resume below for context, and I’d be happy to share anything additional if helpful.

Really appreciate your support and regardless, I’m grateful for our chat and hope to stay in touch!

Warm regards,
[Your Name]
[Attach Resume]

Who’s hiring?

Technology:

Role	Location	Company	Qualifications
Associate Consultant, Strategy and Technology	Gurgaon, Haryana	Konrad	Previous experience in consulting, user experience and/or software development is an asset
Associate Consultant, Analytics	India	Metlife	Report creation, management of own portfolio of clients
Central Risk Services \| Quantitative Developer	London, New York	Citadel	Expertise in engineering platform solutions using Java and C++ or Python, strong computer science fundamentals and deep software development
Software Engineer (New Grad Program)	New York, San Francisco	Sigma	Applicants must be a recent graduate (within the last 12 months) of a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree program in Computer Science or a related field
Software Engineer	New York City	The Farmer’s Dog	Knowledge of programming languages and software development standard processes

Consulting:

Role	Location	Company	Qualifications
Consultant, Strategy Consulting	New York City	Ambit	Undergrad or master’s degree in life sci, business, engineering or other analytical programs. 2+ years of exp. in life sci consulting or MBA or PhD with a demonstrated interest in the biopharma industry
Associate Consultant	United States	BCG	Undergraduate and non-MBA Masters students from all fields of study and backgrounds with graduation dates between December 2025 – July 2026
Consultant	United Kingdom	McKinsey	Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering or similar with a strong record of academic achievement
Business Development Strategy Analyst	London, United Kingdom	Delectus Partners	Experience in strategy or management consulting, knowledge of the UK investment sector.
Consulting Associate	Bangalore, India	Huron	Bachelor's degree required, proficient in Microsoft office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)

Finance:

Role	Location	Company	Qualifications
Business Analyst Trainee	India	Lead India	Bachelor’s degree (or final year student) in Business, Economics, Management, Engineering, or a related field, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, proficiency in MS Excel and PowerPoint
Graduate Analyst - Savills Earth Capital Advisors	London, United Kingdom	Savills	Work with the full SECA team to support in the execution of opportunities, as well as firm-wide marketing activities.
Research Associate	Mumbai, Maharashtra	Kotak Securities	Support the research analysts in the analysis of industry groups and individual companies in an assigned sector. Review and interpret balance sheets, cash flow statements, income statements, calculate financial ratios.
Investment Banking Program Associate - Healthcare	New York, Charlotte, San Francisco	Wells Fargo	2+ years of Investment Banking Program experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
Financial Risk Analyst - Entry Level	Texas	Integrity Quest Consulting	Proficient use of MS Excel (with a strong emphasis on financial modeling) and database applications; and familiarity with VBA, SQL and MS Query

Hey you! Yes, you reading this all the way to the end, I’d love to know what you thought of this week’s edition. Was it helpful? What kind of other content do you want us to share?

Seriously though, reply to this email (even if it’s just an emoji or “more like this pls!”).

I read every single response and it genuinely helps me make this better for you. So don’t be shy, let’s build this together ❤️

P.S. If you just wanna say hi, that’s cool too. Connect with us on LinkedIn:

- Harshvi, Raj and Rong

How to *successfully* ask for a referral