Question: How To Ask A Friend For A Job

Posted by David Gallant | March 30, 2009 .

Answer: DONT.

There are significant pressures added when you inquire for a job through a friend. Both your names are on the line because the friend is no longer supporting just their own self, and since you are the new applicant, you will have to keep up to your resume

The purpose of social media is to increase your network of contacts and have employers find you through friends, not you finding them. Social networks raise transparency about personalities and skills, which has never been available before. If you convince a friend to ‘put your name in the running’ for a new job, you are just forcing the system to work in your favor, which many not happen.

I would compare this to a phone call marketer versus a social network advertisement box: one is forced, the other is voluntary. The key is to manage your New School Resume to become visible to your friend’s company in order to get yourself in, instead of using the person as a tool.

The beauty of social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin are that virtual hierarchy’s can be created to show connections. Harness these connections to raise your awareness with the target company, instead of directly asking them to offer an interview.