My S got his job without anyone other than an employee (son’s college friend’s mom) who is high up in his company offering advise during his Interview process, which took several months with several interviews along the way (over the phone, in person, etc.) But after he was hired my cousin, who is president of a company which does a lot of business with his company - volunteered that she was going to call the CEO - who she knows very well - and tell her that her “nephew” (which is what we all call out 1st cousin’s kids) is now working at the company. She said, "it never hurts for someone high up to “know” of a certain employee. Another college friend’s parents have a friend who is also in his company in a very high position. They mentioned it and the person asked for his name and info.
I didn’t even mention to my cousin he was applying, and I knew she had to know people, but I just never saw her during the months he was interviewing. I am sure she would have offered to call and put in a word for him, if I had told her.
Since your son’s GF is already in the interview process, I might not mention anything, but, if she does get the job, I would certainly say something to you friend.
Welcome to the real world, sorghum and igloo! What’s wrong with it? The hiring managers are perfectly capable of evaluating the applicant. It’s just helpful to have the endorsement- even if it is from a friend or social contact. That’s simply the way it works in the business world.
We are hiring for a lower level position in my department and a resume was submitted by someone who is also a casual friend of someone else in our company. We interviewed her because she had fairly relevant experience, but had some downsides on her resume, too. Our co-worker said she was a great person and so that nudged us to interview her. At this point, based on the interview, she is our leading candidate.
Submitting resumes from coworkers does not count. Most companies prefer to hire from people they know. But I think calling to help is not something I recommend unless it’s asked by the person.
“We are hiring for a lower level position in my department and a resume was submitted by someone who is also a casual friend of someone else in our company. We interviewed her because she had fairly relevant experience, but had some downsides on her resume, too. Our co-worker said she was a great person and so that nudged us to interview her. At this point, based on the interview, she is our leading candidate.”
That doesn’t really count. Many companies even offer a referral bonus. The bonus at my company is crazy right now, in the 5-7k range depending on the job role. If I could find 10 people to work at my company I’d be all set with D’s college expenses for a year!
I understand that, but my point was that even though her resume had been submitted, the nudge of someone knowing her and endorsing her led us to actually interview her. We put stock in what a real person said!
You’re damn straight that if I knew a college president well enough that a phone call from me would help my loved one get in, I’d do it. I’m with MOWC. Welcome to the real world.
Cronyism is when an unqualified applicant is pushed onto a hiring manager and he has no choice but to take that person when he’d rather not but his hands are tied. That’s not even remotely what’s being described here.
The two co-presidents of my (small, 20-employee) company have had their kids intern at our company during the time the kids were in college. Why not? They’re smart, good kids, they do great work and this will look good on their resumes. I’ve got zero problem with it. That’s the perk you get for being the president.
“There is a difference between professional networking (I know a great guy who wants to leave company X), and fixing things for family and personal friends.”
During the time my kids were seniors in college, any time my spouse had a patient who worked in the industries my kids were interested in - he asked if they had any opportunities. Some of them did and were happy to pass on my kids’ resumes, make a phone call on their behalf, etc. to get them in the door. I don’t see a thing wrong with that. I call that being smart and working your network.
One of my kids was interviewing with Company A in City B. I happen to know (from a previous professional life) someone who is now president of a major division of Company A - this division is headquartered in my city. We’re LinkedIn and FB friends. I called him, mentioned that my kid was interviewing for such-and-such position, and he offered to talk to my kid to give advice and coaching as to what Company A looked for. He may have put in a good word - I don’t really know. The job panned out for other reasons, but I don’t see any ethical problem at all. I would have been happy to do something similar for his kids if I’d had the opportunity.
Or implicit understanding that you’d help their kids out at your company in return. Sure people do, you do and I may do, too. The real world. As if being the real world justifies everything. In the real world, people also kill their neighbors. Shall we accept it as good thing? You can do it and I can call you pushy or slightly lacking in the ethics department.
This is a timely thread, because a good friend of mine was just offered, and accepted, her dream job. A friend of hers put in a good word for her to bring her resume to forefront. Was that the only reason she was invited for an interview? We will never know. But they loved her, and hired her.
A relative of mine recently applied for a position I thought she was highly qualified for. I contacted a friend of mine who works for the same company,briefly outlined her qualifications, and asked him to put in a good word for her. She was called for an interview! Turns out my friend never had a chance to speak to the appropriate person on her behalf, so she was invited on her own accord.
If you know someone is qualified for a job and recommend that person, that’s different. This won’t be an issue in a vibrant economy. When economy gets sour, pushy people come out and recommend their relations. That’s nothing new. Happens all the time in the third world. They push unqualified, slightly less qualified, almost qualified, or equally qualified. Different shades of gray, but they are all gray.
I was at a sporting event, talking to a man who is head of an architectural firm. My son’s close friend was deciding between arch or civil engineering. I love this young man and think he’s capable. I introduced them, and this man was so impressed he took the young man for lunch, etc.
Would I call some random person for an “in”? Would I recommend someone I didn’t think was terrific?
I’ve been blessed when my superiors made a call on my behalf. When my grad school prof put my name out for a job at Wellesley, I still had to go through 3 months of interviews. I suspect other candidates had also been recommended. I don’t understand why referrals are unethical. In these circumstances, no one gets a kickback or anything.
Those are professional recommendations, your work relations recommending you. I think that’s valuable for both employers and employees. That’s a civic duty. Recommending your relations is different. You know their homelife but not their work life which can be quite different. Even if you knew their work life, your judgement may be tainted. Haven’t we all seen how parents praise their loser kids in HS? In my D’s HS, there were many parents who thought their kids were nothing short of genius. Made a big stink when the local Ivy didn’t take them. This particular Ivy took about 20% from the HS and somehow left out geniuses.
“Sometimes the resume get stuck in nowhere in some companies, so that’s one reason why it’s helpful to hand in a resume for your friend.”
DrGoogle, you are correct - not just sometimes, but quite often. Screening of resumes is no longer done manually at large companies. It is outsourced to search engines and talent acquisition firms who also rely on search engines or low-paid foreign workers to scout resumes for key words. Then the hiring manager gets a handful of such pre-screned resumes and wonders why the heck there are no good candidates applying. The reality is the technically inept HR used the wrong bunch of words in their keyword search. For example, the person who does the screening might have zero idea that synthesis of purines and pyrimidines is very much related to “heterocyclic chemistry.”