4 ms·

Nepotism can be your friend. Meet people through meetups, open source projects, conferences, non-profit volunteer work, etc. When people know and respect you

Nepotism can be your friend. Meet people through meetups, open source projects, conferences, non-profit volunteer work, etc. When people know and respect you already and you have an internal champion, the interview process often is much smoother. You'll be more confortable too when you know them. You might even bypass some of the process as well.

bshimmin 9y ago
I think the word "networking" (not usually a negative) would fit better than "nepotism" (almost always seen as a negative) here. Hiring your friends - ahead of other candidates who might be better qualified - might well be considered nepotism, but going out of your way to make friends with people in the hope that they might hire you probably isn't nepotism as most people would understand it.
- ccdev 9y ago
  Yeah, I agree on this use of the word. "Nepotism" implies getting the job through a connection regardless of anything else, but networking implies getting a job through a connection that is a source of trust of their qualifications.
- CoolGuySteve 9y ago
  The problem is that "networking" as a term has been diluted to mean "introduce yourself to powerful strangers" as opposed to "build a network of people in your industry that respect you". With a good network, you can find a job. With good networking, you have a nice Rolodex without much influence.
partycoder 9y ago
Referrals can be a good source of talent, but nepotism has a very destructive effect at a large since it denies opportunities to talent that deserves them.
mateo411 9y ago
Generally, nepotism refers to giving jobs or special treatment to people in your family. This is a good tactic but it requires having somebody else in your family working at a company that you are interested. This might not be possible. You are referring to networking. This is very important and can definitely help you land a job.

bshimmin 9y ago

I think the word "networking" (not usually a negative) would fit better than "nepotism" (almost always seen as a negative) here. Hiring your friends - ahead of other candidates who might be better qualified - might well be considered nepotism, but going out of your way to make friends with people in the hope that they might hire you probably isn't nepotism as most people would understand it.

ccdev 9y ago
Yeah, I agree on this use of the word. "Nepotism" implies getting the job through a connection regardless of anything else, but networking implies getting a job through a connection that is a source of trust of their qualifications.
CoolGuySteve 9y ago
The problem is that "networking" as a term has been diluted to mean "introduce yourself to powerful strangers" as opposed to "build a network of people in your industry that respect you". With a good network, you can find a job. With good networking, you have a nice Rolodex without much influence.

partycoder 9y ago

Referrals can be a good source of talent, but nepotism has a very destructive effect at a large since it denies opportunities to talent that deserves them.

mateo411 9y ago

Generally, nepotism refers to giving jobs or special treatment to people in your family. This is a good tactic but it requires having somebody else in your family working at a company that you are interested. This might not be possible. You are referring to networking. This is very important and can definitely help you land a job.