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As of today, I have concluded an internship of 4 months. The company I had my internship at, asked me to continue working there part time. This obviously is a great opportunity, and I accepted the job.

During the conversation, they mentioned that they can use any help, and are almost 'desperate' for more developers.

A friend of mine (Also a student) is currently looking for a part time job, as well. From experience, he is a better programmer than me, and I think he could be a great addition to the team. Would it be acceptable to ask if he can come for an interview?

I'm afraid of seeming like I'm just inviting my friends to work with me. I just know he's a good programmer and could help out a lot.
Is this something I shouldn't meddle with, and just let him call the company? I think this would result in the same outcome, since he will probably mention that he's my friend, and told him the company is looking for more developers.

What would be the best way to bring this up? Should I just mention that I have a friend who is looking for a part time job as well, or should I refrain from saying anything and let my friend do the talking? I'm afraid of looking unprofessional either way.

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  • Does your friend want to work there? Encourage him to apply first and see if he does so.
    – Brandin
    Jan 31, 2017 at 14:00
  • @Brandin I haven't told anyone about this yet. I just know he's looking for a part time job, and that the company is looking for more developers. Figured it would be a good fit, but I'm unsure how to handle this in a good way..
    – AnonymousPerson
    Jan 31, 2017 at 14:03
  • Tell him to apply first. If he takes the first action, maybe you can help.
    – Brandin
    Jan 31, 2017 at 14:43
  • What gazzz0x2z said. Find out the process, save emails, and follow it to every letter. You might get a nice bonus out of it. My current employer is paying 2500 to 5k Per head.
    – Pete B.
    Jan 31, 2017 at 18:18
  • Companies usually love internal referrals. They may even offer an incentive package if your friend/referral gets hired and completes a certain time of commitment.
    – Joel Etherton
    Apr 19, 2020 at 18:36

4 Answers 4

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Ask HR wether they have a cooptation system. It's rather common, in companies who need a lot of developpers. You might even get little money for that.

Also ask your friend wether he's interested, and if yes, only then, connect both.

EDIT after comment : Be sure to respect the internal process for connecting both. CVs runnning in mails between different people are not a good thing. A CV placed in the right spot through the right process is a huge gain of time for everyone.

The more you risk is that your friend is seen as unfit, ans his CV does not pass through. Not a real problem.

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  • So this wouldn't be an issue at all? I figured it could be seen negatively when I just invite friends over to work here.
    – AnonymousPerson
    Jan 31, 2017 at 14:09
  • @AnonymousPerson : no, as long as you respect the process. I'll improve my answer in that sense
    – gazzz0x2z
    Jan 31, 2017 at 14:12
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    @AnonymousPerson If you push either side into it, you look unprofessional and/or nepotistic. If you ask both sides first, you look like a professional. In the real world "professional connections" are a huge part of how things get done. You just have to approach it the right way.
    – Kaz
    Jan 31, 2017 at 14:13
  • @Kaz I see what you mean! I wasn't going to push anyone, I'll just inform both sides of the opportunity. gazzz0x2z: I'll leave the question open for a little longer, to see if I can get multiple angles on this, thanks!
    – AnonymousPerson
    Jan 31, 2017 at 14:16
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    @AnonymousPerson If it helps put you in the right mindsight: think of yourself as a recruiter/headhunter introducing 2 clients who might be a mutually beneficial fit for each other.
    – Kaz
    Jan 31, 2017 at 14:20
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From experience I can tell that most companies like when you recommend them to friends and vice versa. I got my first full time employment like that.

Just be sure how much weight you want to put into this. Are you sure you want to vouch for your friend's skill? Because this could mean that you have to take a certain responsibility for his actions.

If you just match recruitment and your friend and let the process run from there you should be safe. Just be open about your connection. As I said - many companies even like hiring people that know each other because this can give the team spirit a nice little lift.

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If you think less highly of your friend but are trying to do them a favor at the expense of the company - thats another matter. But all "win-win" arrangements are fair game.

Also, the management has responsibility to vet your friend and make hiring decisions, not you.

I have been "on the recruiting end" in exactly this scenario: One of my existing students refered a friend from his study. And I hired this friend with great success.

If you genuinely think they would be a good fit, go ahead and connect them. Then your part is done and you are off the hook.

If you think of it that way, you are merely providing more options to your manager, which is a good thing.

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Three years later I can offer a different perspective from my other answer: I'm now in the position to hire people for my own company.

Starting with our first employee back in May 2017 we got almost all of our current staff via recommendation in one way or another. Of course we also got some normal job applicants - close to none of which we hired.

Therefore we prefer when applicants can show an in-house recommendation. That way we can be sure that the person has the social and - less important - technical skills we are looking for.

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  • To the person with the downvote: Please leave a comment why you don't like the answer! Otherwise I cannot improve it.
    – Christoph Grimmer
    May 7, 2020 at 14:15

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