— Online submission

— Online submission + cold message to hiring manager/recruiter

— Apply through a referral

When I decided to leave academia, I was repeatedly told by industry friends that I should always get a referral instead of blindly applying online. And so I did. I reached out to friends of friends on LinkedIn and did my best to get as many referrals as possible. Here is what I’ve learned through this process: Not all referrals are created equal. Getting a referral from a director is really worth it. Getting a referral from a junior makes literally no difference. So if you are an extrovert and enjoy talking with people and making connections, by all means get as many referrals as you can. But if you are like me, a bit of an introvert, and you feel anxious every time you ask a friend for a referral, just don’t bother. Go on and apply online, message the hiring managers when you can, and that will work just fine as well.

The figure below shows some personal statistics of my very first year after leaving academia. I have submitted applications to 47 (big) tech companies; For 13 of these companies, I had a referral; For 16 of these companies, I reached out to recruiters/hiring managers that I didn’t know. For 18 companies, I just applied online without contacting anyone.