“whatever your hand finds doing, do it well” – Power of Referrals #MMBA5

The adage, “whatever your hand finds doing, do it well,” should perhaps include the addendum, “because you don’t know who’s watching.” This phrase has resonated profoundly in my career, underscoring the formidable influence of referrals.

My entry into the professional world following the completion of NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) catapulted me into a managerial role. This position, for which I had no prior experiential qualifications, was obvious on my CV in glaring inexperience. Yet, I was entrusted with this role thanks to a referral from a senior colleague in the accounting realm. What set me apart were my confidence, problem-solving prowess, and my readiness to accept a remuneration beneath the market rate for such a post.

Had I threaded the traditional channels of job application, I might not have even circumvented the initial HR filtering process, let alone secured an interview. However, with a referral, I definitely sidestepped these initial barriers and was thrust directly into the interview. This opportunity materialized only because I had left a memorable imprint on the senior colleague who vouched for me. During my NYSC tenure, I had the privilege of working under his guidance as an internal auditor while he held the esteemed position of Head of Audit.

My subsequent post-NYSC occupation similarly unfolded as a managerial role, but the trajectory to this opportunity was anything but conventional. I had crossed paths with the CEO of the company while meticulously reconciling his account with the firm I was then employed by. In the course of this reconciliation, I had the occasion to visit his office to deliberate on the account discrepancies. He was keen on being closely involved, given that my company was his largest distributor.

A year after our impactful interaction, he extended an invitation to me, offering a managerial position within his company. Upon joining this new company, he revealed the motivation behind his decision. He candidly remarked, “If you recollect our first encounter, you pointed out an error in my payments to your company. Your keen attention to detail left an unforgettable mark, and you’ve lingered in my thoughts ever since.”

In this second instance, it was my meticulous attention to detail that served as the crux of the referral. Once more, it enabled me to bypass the preliminary screening process orchestrated by the HR department and directly engage in the interview.

The moral of these stories is evident: the potency of referrals should never be underestimated. These personal endorsements possess the ability to unlock doors that would otherwise remain firmly closed. In my case, referrals permitted me to cross over the initial impediments of job applications and to interact directly with decision-makers who promptly recognized the value I brought to the table.

In summation, these episodes have solidified my unwavering faith in the might of referrals. While qualifications and experience certainly bear weight, the personal bonds we forge and the lasting impressions we engrave can be equally, if not more, momentous in sculpting the trajectories of our careers. So, keep in mind that when you execute your tasks with precision, you never truly know who’s observing and where it may lead you.