Professional networking and referrals through LinkedIn

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Choose a specific purpose

A professional contact is more useful when you know what you want to learn: duties in a particular role, team structure, transition requirements or the application process. Do not begin with “find me a job”. The official networking guide ↗ recommends small, realistic requests.

Create a list of employers and people with relevant experience: employees in the target function, former colleagues, alumni or people from a professional event. Large numbers of random connections do not replace meaningful contact.

Prepare your profile and introduction

Check your headline, experience, location and a clear account of your goal. The LinkedIn guide ↗ helps present skills and achievements. Someone should quickly understand why their particular experience interests you.

Keep the first message short: who you are, the connection and one question. For example, ask which skills matter most when moving into a particular team. Do not immediately attach a long relocation story, personal documents and ten requests. If suggesting a call, propose a short duration and be happy to receive a written reply instead.

Informational conversations and referrals

Prepare a few questions that the website cannot already answer. Ask about actual responsibilities, success criteria and common candidate mistakes. Do not request confidential assessment material or information about other applicants.

A referral is an internal recommendation under the employer's rules, rather than a route around selection. It is more appropriate when there is a suitable vacancy and the person understands your experience. Provide the link, vacancy reference, a short explanation of your match and a current CV. Make refusal easy: an employee is not obliged to recommend a stranger and cannot guarantee an interview.

Continue the relationship

Thank the person and explain what action you took following their advice. If there is no response, one brief follow-up after a reasonable interval can be appropriate; then continue your search. Do not send the same insistent message to every employee at a company.

Maintain contact through relevant professional information, a project outcome or an offer of help within your expertise. Continue ordinary applications because networking does not replace them. Do not buy a “guaranteed referral”; verify the vacancy and the employer's official application route.