When To Send Thank You Gifts To A Referral

Thank you gifts are a great way to show how grateful you are for an action someone took for you. Giving a thoughtful one is much more important than spending a certain dollar amount, especially since the latter could work against you. You don't want the recipient feel indebted to you, because they've already put their reputation on the line for you. When someone is referring you for a job, it's important to respect the time and effort that person spent for you, trusting you enough to suggest your candidacy as a great fit. Giving the right thank you gift is crucial, but the timing of the gift is equally important. Don't make the mistake of giving gifts too early, because it might make the person referring you feel uncomfortable if you end up with the job. Plenty of people use networking to find a job, with referrals making up a large portion of hired employees. While you're pursuing a job that you've been referred for, it can get pretty complicated. Between phone screens, in-person interviews, Skype calls and skills demonstrations, there are many phases of the process.

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How should the person referring you be involved? When should you send a thank you gift to the person who referred you? Regardless of whether you eventually get the job, you should let the person who referred you know as you're going through each major step via email. You don't need to tell them every single detail, but it's common courtesy to notify them when you have an interview, and to let them know how you did once it happens. When you find out whether or not you got the job, you should give them a heads up as well. Remain respectful and concise to make it easier on both of you. If you babble on about too much, you'll be wasting both your time and theirs. If you didn't get the job, just remember that there are other opportunities for you out there. They might even come thanks to the same person referring you this time. If you're one of the 80% of people who landed their job because of a referral, congratulations! Make sure that you communicate with the person who referred you soon to let them know the good news. Now you can send a hand-written thank you and/or a small gift to show your appreciation.

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