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A friend of mine suggested I apply for a job where he works. I have been invited to the final interview. I am unemployed and need a job. But there are some concerns I have about this one. The position itself is very basic and not inline with my career objective. However the organization is large, unionized and affiliated with the government. I'm wondering there's an internal job pool and at what point I might get access to it? I would like it if my friend gave me an honest account of how enjoyable it is to work there, or if it's more of a toxic environment. He is new and very concerned about anyone he works with hearing he said something negative about the job or workplace. I would not intentionally say something that could jeopardize his job. They are hiring more of the same position that he is doing, so in theory he should have the information.

What questions should I ask my friend who works there? How should I approach the conversation to have him be honest and let him know I will treat what he says as confidential?

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    Assuming you are not independently wealthy, it really doesn't matter. Take the job. Sure it may be toxic but use it as a steppingstone to your actual career objectives.
    – Pete B.
    Commented Jun 25 at 12:10
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    1.) Unionized, government aligned = as secure of a job as it gets. 2.) Your friend is new there. They really can't tell if it is toxic (unless it is really horrible). 3.) You need a job. 4.) It is usually easier to get a new job if you've have a job if you don't like it there. 5.) Hard to see a downside.
    – DogBoy37
    Commented Jun 25 at 14:22
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    Would you friend really suggest that you apply to work at somewhere toxic? It seems kind of odd behaviour
    – matt freake
    Commented Jun 25 at 15:51
  • @mattfreake it's in the realm of possibility, especially considering bonuses are given for employee referrals. Also, while it might not be overtly toxic, it could just be a really bad fit for me.
    – PoliteShark
    Commented Jun 26 at 5:22
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    @PoliteShark a good question to ask is what percentage (approx) gets transitioned to permanent. Obviousily the higher the better.
    – DogBoy37
    Commented Jun 26 at 14:30

3 Answers 3

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I hate to break it to you, but there aren't magic words you can say to someone that means they will suddenly trust you and tell you things that could put them/their job at risk.

If you've been a good and trustworthy friend to them up until now, you can just say "hey, in confidence, would you tell me what the job's really like?".

If you haven't been a good and trustworthy friend, well, there you go.

Alternatively, as you say:

I am unemployed and need a job.

maybe you should just take this job anyway, and if it does turn out to be bad look for another one.

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  • Would you say it's a red flag if my friend wont tell me anything about the job he suggested to me?
    – PoliteShark
    Commented Jun 26 at 5:23
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If you want to ask your friend about the corporate culture, or about what they might have heard about that project's culture, or about whether they think you are a good candidate for this position, just ask them. They may not be able to tell you anything useful, but there's no harm in asking.

If you want to ask them how to nail the interview, they probably don't know and couldn't tell you if they did

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It is hard to say for sure, but probably it is lesser advantageous for you if you mention your friend there. But you can ask your friend! If you already know, who will interview, you can ask your friend and ask everything from him what is important for you!

Guys working in such places want to see a long-term commitment from you, and they will prefer your CV to what you say to them. "Long-term" means maybe 5 years for you, for them it means "until retirement". There are hundreds of similar minor differences between your terminology and theirs.

They tend to know that they can be used as a "temporarily shelter" for life cryses or for random bad times on the job market, and they are not happy with it.

With other words, do not hope that you will get this job easily only because it is easier. You still have to fight, and now you need to fight on a front you are lesser familiar.

The best what you can do in your favor, that is some improvement of your CV to their focus, and also what you say.

The most important thing of such places is that the work... uhmm, well the work sucks. Yes, there is no better to say. You will also need to continously and stable fulfill a lot of regulations, many of them seem meaningless for you, but no one will ask your opinion. That will take years until you will be able to bend them on the ways they are not so rigid, and you have no plan to work still there.

With what you can play in your CV, is how much detail do you give from your previous workplaces. Obviously you want to prefer the previous times where you worked for the government, or for a company working for the government. Give much more details about these.

You must be team worker. So, talk a lot about, what "we did" and at most a secondary level, what "I did".

Try to see this work, as if you would see the work more close to central parts of the Big Human System would be a career step forward in your system. That will be believable for them, because also that is what they do.

Needless to say, never mention that they pay lesser as usual. For you, the job is important - being a trustable screw inside the machine -, your salary is just happens and that is it.

I think roughly that is what maximizes your chances.

However, again what unemployed people tend to forget, until you do not have the signed work contract in your hands, you are not employed and thus you are applying for jobs.

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