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Partner Call - How to get a referral?

networking Referral
New answer on Feb 28, 2021
3 Answers
2.5 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Jul 04, 2019

Hi everyone,

I'm a digital professional (3 years experience) from a targeted school and I managed to schedule a call with a partner at a Tier 2 firm.

My goal is to get a referral following this call but I have no clue on how to proceed.

Do you have any advice? What can I do to make him want to refer me? How can I impress him?

Thank you in advance!

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Best answer
Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 06, 2019
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous,

you should prepare three main things before the call:

  • Your own pitch, highlighting who you are in 3-4 key sentences. Previous /experience with relevant brands/companies would be great to show you are qualified
  • 3-4 questions, focused on the personal experiences of the person (and not on the company only). Ideally you should try to learn as much as possible about the contact before. You can also discover relevant information with the first questions. Your goal here is to have a conversation and not a Q&A session.
  • Closing question for referral. You should ask (in an indirect way to avoid to be too pushy) a referral at the end of the call. If you correctly introduce yourself, do a good job with the questions before and have something in common (eg former alumni, common connections…), you can increase by a relevant amount the likelihood of a referral. If you don’t ask, they may not volunteer to offer one.

Before the call, it would be useful to review your CV and Cover, to be sure they are updated and structured properly for your application, so that you can forward them without delays if needed.

Please feel free to PM me in case you need more support to optimize your prep for the call.

Best,

Francesco

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Vlad
Expert
replied on Jul 04, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

1) Don't have an expectation of the referral. I think that's something that is hard to control

2) Referrals are not that critical for Tier 2 so I believe you can pass the screening even without it

3) First, tell the partner your story. Demonstrate the skills relevant for their consulting practice

4) Secondly, ask for advice:

  • Is your candidacy a right fit?
  • What you can do to make it the right fit?
  • What's the screening / interview process?
  • How should you prepare for the interviews?
  • Does he see you in his team?

Best

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Anonymous A on Jul 04, 2019

Thanks for your answer! I will try to have a more genuine call then

Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 28, 2021
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360 coach(Ex-McKinsey + Certified Coach + Active recruiter)

Hi there,

Don’t ask directly about a referral. Try to find something in common and mention it correctly. Learning a LinkedIn profile will help you with this.

Do you need any further help?

All the best,

GB

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Francesco gave the best answer

Francesco

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