What is considered referral

I know this is a silly question, but I'm still confused about the referral process. As a sophomore student who is still building connections, I usually end the call by asking "do you know of anyone else who might be willing to talk with me", and then they will send me an email with a list of banker contacts. Does this considered referral? I thought referral means passing one's resume to HR. But why talking to more bankers in the group considered referral? Is it because I'll be interviewed by those bankers?

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So you ask if they know any bankers that might be willing to talk to you… and they respond by giving you a list of bankers that might be willing to talk to you? I’m not sure what your confusion is, they’re doing exactly what you asked.

Just asking for a list of people to talk to isn’t enough to make someone formally refer you to a job opening. A referral is when they upload your resume to their internal HR portal and/or send your resume directly to the university recruiter. That requires them being impressed you, them liking you, their firm having a current or near term job opening, etc. If that’s what you want, you need to ask for it in a polite and respectful way if and when you leave a positive impression and the time is right. 

 

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