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Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

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Re: Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

#11

Post by schwartzworld »

cashmonster wrote: post #8
schwartzworld wrote: post #6

Yes. My job has a competitive referral bonus, so I am aggressive about finding people to refer. Most don't get hired, but those that do are a win-win.

Heads up: if you do this to unwitting friends, that’s gross. A lot of technically-minded optimizers don’t realize that. (If you don’t care, feel free to ignore. That’s grosser though).

Why is it gross? Anybody I help get hired is going to have a great job with good money and wlb.

And I'm not sure what you mean by unwitting in this context. I'm not tricking them into giving away a kidney. All jobs have referral bonuses. Does it somehow become grosser because this is the only job where the bonus has been big enough for me to care?

Please explain your rationale.

Re: Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

#12

Post by schwartzworld »

allig256 wrote: post #10
schwartzworld wrote: post #6

Yes. My job has a competitive referral bonus, so I am aggressive about finding people to refer. Most don't get hired, but those that do are a win-win.

Would you ever split that referral bonus? Amongst my friend group it's pretty common to 50/50 it.

With who? The person I referred? Why would I do that?

Re: Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

#13

Post by gwnywg »

Long time ago the company I helped build hired my friend. I took him in as I knew him very well and knew how hard working person he was. He was hired as junior, he made good 2 years with us and then I helped him to hone his interview skills so he could move to next place (I was leaving too due to unrelated reasons). He is now senior and very successful.

Re: Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

#14

Post by Jemaclus »

I have a side business and a friend of mine had been struggling with minimum wage jobs since we both graduated college. I'm fairly successful in the tech world, and I've always thought the world of this guy, so when I had the opportunity to hire him for my side biz, I did it instantly. He struggled a bit at the beginning because he wasn't used to having autonomy. When you're an entry-level person, you expect a to-do list every day, but I started mentoring him into being self-directed. These days, he's kicking butt.

I'm hoping in a year or so he'll have enough confidence to apply for a "real" job, and that this gets him off the ground. I'd lose him for my company, but I can deal with that. I'd rather he get further into the industry and make a gazillion dollars, and that won't be possible with me.

Sometimes I think it's just a matter of giving people a step up, even if it's not to the top floor.

Re: Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

#16

Post by allig256 »

schwartzworld wrote: post #12
allig256 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you ever split that referral bonus? Amongst my friend group it's pretty common to 50/50 it.

With who? The person I referred? Why would I do that?

Yes, with the person you referred. Who else?

Re: Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

#17

Post by leandot »

Jemaclus wrote: post #14

I have a side business and a friend of mine had been struggling with minimum wage jobs since we both graduated college. I'm fairly successful in the tech world, and I've always thought the world of this guy, so when I had the opportunity to hire him for my side biz, I did it instantly. He struggled a bit at the beginning because he wasn't used to having autonomy. When you're an entry-level person, you expect a to-do…

Thanks for sharing that story, mine is similar but with a close relative of mine. He went through dark times but now is a very capable data engineer. It indeed took a lot of mentoring and to-do lists.

Re: Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

#18

Post by schwartzworld »

allig256 wrote: post #16
schwartzworld wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With who? The person I referred? Why would I do that?

Yes, with the person you referred. Who else?

In that case no. Why would you do that?

Re: Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

#19

Post by toast0 »

cashmonster wrote: post #8
schwartzworld wrote: post #6

Yes. My job has a competitive referral bonus, so I am aggressive about finding people to refer. Most don't get hired, but those that do are a win-win.

Heads up: if you do this to unwitting friends, that’s gross. A lot of technically-minded optimizers don’t realize that. (If you don’t care, feel free to ignore. That’s grosser though).

How do you get someone through a hiring process unwittingly?

"Hey, can I see your resume, I just want to have one to look at?"

"Oh hey, my boss wants to talk to you, and maybe a couple more people too, can you show up at the office all day?"

"Don't worry, it's not a big deal, but can you maybe drive me to and from work every day, and to save gas, maybe you should stay at the office; you better tell your employer you won't be making it in anymore"

"Oh, can I have your bank account info to pay you for gas?"

"Hey, since you're here, can you work on this list of todos?"

"Oh oops, I deposited a salary instead of gas money"

Re: Have you successfully got friends, former coworkers, or loved ones a tech job?

#20

Post by allig256 »

schwartzworld wrote: post #18
allig256 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, with the person you referred. Who else?

In that case no. Why would you do that?

The candidate is certainly putting in more work than you are for that money, no?

It feels like a kind thing to do when you’re being given money for little more than an email. It’s a win-win for both parties.

Conversely, I wouldn’t expect a signing bonus for the new hire to be shared, so take that as you will.

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