The Employee Resource Group Entry Point
Your shared identity is a warm door into any big company.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 85%
The Employee Resource Group Entry Point uses shared identity as a warm door into big companies. Javier identifies which ERG he belongs to — by ethnicity, race, or gender — finds that group's page on the company website, and reaches out to the members listed there, with the shared background as instant common ground. Because people feel more inclined to help those from a similar community, the response rate is high. He notes that ERG leaders wield outsized influence: they present to executives and ask for budgets regardless of their formal seniority, so they're especially valuable contacts.
Origin
Javier used this exact method at Google, going to the Asian Googler Network page, finding fellow Asian employees, and reaching out with shared ethnicity as common ground. He teaches it specifically to underrepresented communities who face a historically harder job market.
Core principles
- 01Shared identity — ethnicity, race, gender — is a powerful and honest form of common ground.
- 02Employee resource groups publish their members, giving you a targeted list of warm contacts.
- 03People feel more inclined to help others from a similar background.
- 04ERG leaders have outsized pull because they present to executives and control budgets despite their level.
How to run it
- 1
Identify your ERG
Determine which employee resource group at the target company you personally identify with.
- 2
Find the group's page
Look on the company's website for that ERG's page and the people listed on it.
- 3
Reach out on shared identity
Message members using your shared ethnicity, race, or background as the common ground.
Pro tip People generally feel more inclined to help others from a similar background.
- 4
Target the leaders
Prioritize ERG leaders, who tend to know top executives and carry influence beyond their formal level.
Pro tip ERG leaders often present to the CEO and CMO and ask for budgets, giving them real pull inside the company.
In the wild
At Google, Javier went to the Asian Googler Network page, found everyone who was Asian, and reached out with their shared ethnicity as common ground; he points to Black Googler Network and HOLA (the Hispanic group) as parallels.
→ He built a network of receptive contacts inside Google who were inclined to help someone from their community.
Common mistakes
Overlooking ERGs as an entry point
Job seekers miss that ERG member pages are a published, targeted list of warm contacts who share their identity.
Underrating ERG leaders' influence
ERG leaders present to executives and control budgets, so treating them as low-level contacts undervalues their pull.
Is it for you?
Best for
Members of underrepresented communities networking into large companies with established ERGs.
Not ideal for
Small companies without ERGs, or people uncomfortable leading with identity-based common ground.
From the transcript
“identify employee resource groups the reason why you identify employee research groups is exactly what i did to network with people at google”
“your common ground is that you're both the same ethnicity and race which means that you can be able to help one another”
From the episode
Jonathan Javier: Networking Hacks to Land a Job in the Pandemic
Jonathan Javier