The Power of “You Should Talk to Her”

A recent Scott Galloway post on reference hiring got us thinking about the power of having someone put your name forward when the right opportunity comes up.

“I will hire someone on the spot if someone I trust says I must hire them.”

Yes. A thousand times over to this comment from Prof G, Scott Galloway.

He added: “More than anything, good people can help you find other good people.”

We couldn’t agree more. Most people looking for their next opportunity spend their time looking for the opening: a job posting, a board position, a project, or a person they need to meet. But some of the best opportunities start before you even know they exist, when someone mentions your name in a conversation you’re not part of.

You should talk to her. I know someone who would be great for this. Let me introduce you.

That’s a pretty powerful thing to have happening on your behalf.

It also doesn’t happen because you collected a lot of contacts. It happens because people know you, know what you’re good at and trust you enough to put their own credibility behind a recommendation.

A big reason SHE’S GOT NEXT exists is to help more women build those kinds of relationships. We want more people in the network to know what other members do, what they’re great at, what they’re looking for and where they might be able to help. Because when the right opportunity comes along, someone needs to think of your name.

We’ve always believed athletes are the people you want on your team. Not simply because they competed, but because sport gives you a pretty good window into how someone operates: whether they show up, do the work, support the people around them and can be counted on when things get hard.

Those qualities tend to travel pretty well beyond sport.

The best network may not be the one with the most people in it. It might be the one where enough people know you well enough to say, when you’re not in the room, “You should talk to her.”

Listen to Prof G on reference hiring →