

Because my friend works here… - gingerjoos
http://blog.compile.com/post/79248969509/because-my-friend-works-here

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Fuxy
Why does this require a blog post I though this was obvious to everybody.

A recommendation from a friend will outweigh any bullshit a founder will spew
at you.

Actually selling at that point is counter productive since if you are trying
to sell too hard he will get suspicious.

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contactmatts
If someone is _solely_ working at company because their friends work there, it
can be a fragile engagement. What if one or more of their friends leave, or
worse, are fired?

(Notice the emphasis on solely; obviously having your friends working at a
company is a plus, but should not be your complete basis for working
somewhere)

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Fuxy
Of course it's fragile attachment to friends and family in a company can be
more motivating then any speech a founder can give.

You are a lot more motivated to give it your all when you know a friend or
family member is relying on you then some random strangers you happen to work
with.

You can't have a united, motivated team that you can chop up however you like
without consequences.

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loumf
This jibes with an anecdote in "Peopleware". A client staffed new projects by
posting them internally where anyone could apply. The authors studied how
projects were chosen by applicants, because the client was worried that
important (but non-interesting) projects, would not get staffed.

Being friends with an existing team member was more predictive of choice than
project interest, and for many of the reasons the OP's article cited (job
satisfaction and trust)

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conductr
It's hard to put faith in what someone during an interview is saying. It's a
sales pitch on both sides of the table. This guy already had the inside scoop
on what "a day in the job" was like and he was already sold.

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shaileshc
Hi contactmatts,

I am the author of the post. You raise a valid point.

Just having your friends work there shouldn't be the only reason, but them
working there and being happy is a good proxy for the work and the company.

Re: friends leaving, if you review the research in the post, it suggests that
like refer like, i.e. your best performers will recommend others at a similar
level. It's also symbiotic in that the presence of friends makes them stay
longer.

Of course nothing is guaranteed. This approach just reduces the odds of
disappointment on both sides.

Shailesh

~~~
blueblob
I don't want to detract from what you are saying but you have a few typos in
the article.

at one point you have "star-up" and in the very last sentence, "complement"
should be "compliment."

~~~
shaileshc
Thanks much! Fixed.

