Photo credit: forbes.com
I wrote earlier about family resenting you for your career success. How about when it’s time to recommend a family member? Is it advisable, or should you rather run in the other direction? The same way using family members as references is usually questionable, and questioned, by hiring managers due to the bias involved, recommending family members can also have many a downside.
From affecting relationships with family members to jeopardizing your reputation at work, recommending family members can certainly present challenges. Hence the need to have a clear, honest conversation at work, and with your family member, beforehand. Also understand the decision process involved is out of your hands. Tread carefully, and be honest from the start.
Would you recommend a family member at work?
The Corporate Sis.
Generally, I would not recommend a family member because I don’t know about their work ethic. I may know that they are a good cousin or they are loving and caring but do I know if they are punctual, are they a good communicator, do they follow through on work commitments. If I can answer those questions then I usually won’t recommend.
Hi Zena! Absolutely, I agree, and since family relationships are inevitably biased and sensitive, it can be a mine field. It happened to an acquaintance of mine who recommended a family member at her job, who performed terribly and ended up damaging her relationship at work, in addition to getting mad at her for losing the job. It can be pretty sticky!
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