Are you tired of hearing me talk about finding your “Inside Champion” when you’re hunting for your next job?

Sorry, I can’t stop mentioning it because it is incredibly important. Job seekers say, “Yeah, yeah. I get it.” but then they skip that step and try to come into a company cold.

Why? Because it’s faster and easier. But, it certainly isn’t better, and most people end up not getting the job.

According to the 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey, 78% of recruiters rank referrals as the best source for quality hires. Referred applicants are 15 times more likely to be hired than those who apply via a job board.

15 times!

"We know that if you apply for a job at LinkedIn and get referred, you're nine times more likely to get that job than a non-referred candidate." — Meg Garlinghouse, Head of Social Impact at LinkedIn (source)

So, if you’re 9-15x more likely to get hired when someone refers you to the hiring manager, why would you not invest time in finding your champion? Yes, it is a great deal…