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I saw a posting for a position that I’m really interested recently. I don’t know anyone who works at the firm. There are a handful (15-20) people from my school who work there. How should I go about asking for a referral. From everything I’ve read on this forum, you should always use a referral over self-apply if possible.

Should I be reaching out to partners or associates? Is it awkward to cold email someone asking for a referral? Anyone have an example of something they’ve used before?

Anonymous User wrote:I saw a posting for a position that I’m really interested recently. I don’t know anyone who works at the firm. There are a handful (15-20) people from my school who work there. How should I go about asking for a referral. From everything I’ve read on this forum, you should always use a referral over self-apply if possible.

Should I be reaching out to partners or associates? Is it awkward to cold email someone asking for a referral? Anyone have an example of something they’ve used before?

So this is a weird spot. Stating the obvious, the ideal play of course is to have the contact at the firm before the position is posted so that it’s not ridiculously transparent. Given the facts as you’ve presented them, it’s relevant that at some firms (mine included) give money to associates for successful referrals and do not give the equivalent to partners. In your situation, I would pick the person to whom I’ve spoken the most. Assuming you’ve never spoken to any of these people, I would pick the most junior associate on your LinkedIn connection list, excluding firsts and maybe seconds as well.

objctnyrhnr wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I saw a posting for a position that I’m really interested recently. I don’t know anyone who works at the firm. There are a handful (15-20) people from my school who work there. How should I go about asking for a referral. From everything I’ve read on this forum, you should always use a referral over self-apply if possible.

Should I be reaching out to partners or associates? Is it awkward to cold email someone asking for a referral? Anyone have an example of something they’ve used before?

So this is a weird spot. Stating the obvious, the ideal play of course is to have the contact at the firm before the position is posted so that it’s not ridiculously transparent. Given the facts as you’ve presented them, it’s relevant that at some firms (mine included) give money to associates for successful referrals and do not give the equivalent to partners. In your situation, I would pick the person to whom I’ve spoken the most. Assuming you’ve never spoken to any of these people, I would pick the most junior associate on your LinkedIn connection list, excluding firsts and maybe seconds as well.

What if none of them are on my LinkedIn connections? They’re all 2nd degree

This is pretty standard. Just ask one of your classmates to make an intro to the junior they know, assuming you have solid connections.