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Modern Day Referral Etiquette

I was talking to a copywriter friend the other day and the topic of business referrals came up. She was telling me a story about how she recently received a message on LinkedIn that said “Good morning Courtney. I am looking for a copywriter to help me with some press releases and George Lukas referred you to me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

My first impression was that this was good news. Who wouldn’t be happy with getting a referral for a new business opportunity? But as I listened to the experiences Courtney has had in the past with these types of referrals, it really made me wonder how valuable recommendations and referrals are in business today.

Let me explain.

Courtney shared with me, first, that she had never even worked with George Lukas – the gentleman who referred her—and so, George had no real insight into the way Courtney worked with clients. He had simply searched through his LinkedIn connections to find someone who he felt fit the bill and sent her name out as a referral. In these situations, in the past, Courtney has found these referrals to be frustrating and counterproductive, both to her and to the person who was given the referral because it’s more of a shot-in-the-dark that the connection is a good fit. And it has no reflection on the quality of work that Courtney provides in her specific niche.

Obviously, George thought he was being a nice guy – helping out both of the parties by connecting them—but without having worked with Courtney, he couldn’t really give an honest assessment of whether she was the “right” person for the job.

This leads me to the question: Are personal recommendations losing their value because we can so liberally extend “skill” endorsements to people we have never even worked with?

If employers use LinkedIn endorsements as a gauge, are they really able to find candidates that fit the bill? Or is it now more of a popularity contest? Those with the most LinkedIn endorsements win?

Although I know that company recruiters are looking at LinkedIn as a source for job applicants, I have to believe that they, like me, take LinkedIn endorsements with a grain of salt.

If you really want to stand out from your competitors, take the time to seek out honest-to-goodness business referrals. Reach out to coworkers, former supervisors, or clients you have worked with and ask for a recommendation. A letter of recommendation, that shares specific information about your unique skills, is still the best way to get your foot in the door for a job interview, or land a new project.

I still use the recommendation I received from my kindergarten teacher when pitching an etiquette seminar to a new client: “Margaret Page is a very enthusiastic little girl. She’s a very good listener…and loves to chat. And chat. And chat. Margaret will make a wonderful speaker one day. :)”

Seriously, when asking for a personal recommendation, on LinkedIn for example, follow these tips:

1. Seek out at least 10 people on LinkedIn you have worked with who can recommend you.
2. Don’t wait too long. As soon as you leave a company, reach out for recommendations as soon as possible. This way your experience working with that individual is fresh in their mind.
3. Be specific. Ask the person to recommend you for something specific that you have worked on together, like a big project. If you don’t, you might end up with a generic recommendation like “Margaret was a delightful person to work with.”
4. Say “thank you.” When you receive a recommendation on LinkedIn, you are prompted to return the favor. Only reciprocate the gesture if you really are comfortable recommending the person. Either way, be sure to send a note of thanks after you receive any recommendations, LinkedIn or otherwise.

We would love to get your thoughts on recommendations. If you’re a hiring manager or a recruiter, do you read recommendations on LinkedIn? How much value do you place on recommendations and referrals today?

Posted by Margaret in Business Etiquette and tagged referral etiquette, linkedin recommendations.