求职有捷进:善用熟人关系

Your friends and business contacts may feel extra motivated to help you find work nowadays as businesses boost employee incentives for successful referrals.

Ringo Nishioka epitomizes the new mantra of job hunting: Who you know and what you know count more than ever.

The jobless executive landed the top human-resources spot for WhitePages Inc. in March, thanks to an introduction by a business-intelligence analyst there. Lotus Kam told executives that Mr. Nishioka shone in the same role when they worked together at another Seattle start-up. She will collect a $2,500 referral bonus after he reaches his three-month anniversary Thursday.

A third of the 27 people joining WhitePages since January came through such referrals. Mr. Nishioka and colleagues now teach associates throughout the company how to search for prospects in their LinkedIn networking accounts. 'Top talent knows top talent,' he says.

As hiring picks up, more companies are revamping their employee-referral programs. The trend offers fresh avenues -- and fresh challenges -- for frustrated job seekers.

Some businesses sweetened the bonus pot. WhitePages boosted referral payments from $500 this winter. Prudential Financial Inc. recently quintupled actuary referral awards to $5,000. Accenture PLC, which wants to recruit about 50,000 individuals in the year ending Aug. 31, also makes charitable donations of 600 euros (about $730) on behalf of each referring employee in the Netherlands as part of a pilot project.

Other employers aggressively tap online social media. Internal recruiters connect with workers' LinkedIn accounts so they can pinpoint promising contacts and arrange introductions. Companies pursuing this approach include units of Microsoft Corp. and Inverness Medical Innovations Inc., officials say.

A special new tool lets workers at Concur Technologies Inc. in Redmond, Wash., list openings immediately on their LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Staff referrals generated 48% of the 150 hires so far this year at the maker of online expense-management software.

'Employee referrals through social networking have changed the hiring game,' says Shelly Holt, its director of global recruiting.

The trick to finding someone at a desired workplace to champion your candidacy and help you thrive: creative outreach.

Banker Gladys Sandoval, looking to switch employers, opened an account she didn't need at a major bank she was hoping to work at near her Queens, N.Y., home. When she expressed interest in a branch manager's job, the manager serving Ms. Sandoval introduced her to his boss. She got hired and he soon pocketed a $1,000 referral bonus.

LinkedIn, with more than 65 million members, offers several ways to forge inside ties. It automatically scans the network for anyone who may know you -- as long as your LinkedIn profile contains extensive work and educational details.

LinkedIn also has roughly 500,000 specialized groups, organized by categories such as occupations, industries, alumni associations and products, that can be mined for connections. In joining a LinkedIn group that attracts participants from a targeted business, you should offer expertise about hot topics, says Eric Beauford, head of business development for Cachinko LLC, which assists businesses with employee referrals.

If you win a promised referral from a company insider, help that contact help you. Describe your recent accomplishments, their relevance to the vacancy and how you would overcome qualifications gaps. Lumedx Corp. insists staffers 'provide tangible, valid points about why this [referral] is a good person,' says Josh Jozwik, a technical recruiter for the specialized information-services concern in Oakland, Calif.

Employees risk damage to their reputations and the loss of a bonus from referring failed hires. A company often must be formally notified about such referrals by both the staffer and the applicant. Your internal connection may help you prepare for job interviews, too.