Ask HR: Should I Give My Boyfriend a Job Recommendation in Our Company?

By Susan Gitonga 

There’s a new opportunity in your company and the boss is looking to hire new staff to join your fast growing company, and your boyfriend happens to have the perfect qualifications.

You were lucky to get a job immediately after campus, but your boyfriend is still out here feeling the heat while tarmacking, and he has been looking for a job for 7 months now with no success. You know how badly he wants a job, so that he can pay off his HELB loan and cater for his bills, but you are in a dilemma as to whether you should recommend him for the job.

What will people think? Should you tell your boss that you are recommending your boyfriend? And if he gets the job in your company, shall it affect your relationship?

What should you do?

Here are the factors you need to consider before recommending your boyfriend

1.Can you work with him?

They say that you should never mix business and romance. That said you need to ask yourself whether you can comfortably work with your boyfriend. Can you be serious at your desk in the next room without getting distracted by his presence?

Just because you get along in other settings does not mean that you can work well together. Work is very serious, and if you know for sure that you can’t work well with him being around, then you need to let the opportunity go.

Also, when faced with conflict in the relationship, how do you handle it? If you are the type who go silent on each other for days, then working together is a totally bad idea.

On the other hand, if you are great friends and have been involved in past projects together that have been successful, it is okay to recommend him.

2. If the company was yours, would you hire him?

Put love aside for a minute. Thinking like a businessman, would you hire your boyfriend to work for you? If the answer is yes, then you can recommend him! If the answer is a big NO! Then recommending him will be a disaster for you and the company.

3. Your reputation

How people perceive you at work is quite important and you need to be mindful of what people will think when your boyfriend comes on board.

Also, remember that no job is permanent and your employer can fire you at any time. Before recommending someone you know such as a boyfriend, ensure that you are in good books with your employer. You must be a very trusted employee because being in the wrong books, then recommending your boyfriend for the job might just add more salt to the injury.

Therefore, be wise about your decision.  You need to tread with caution.

Read Also >>> I Quit My Dream Job For My Boyfriend

4. Your boyfriend’s work history

Since your reputation is on the line, you need to know your boyfriend’s work history to determine how well he can fit in the organization, alongside his work ethic.

Is he ambitious and self-driven or is he a joke? Recommend him because he will be an asset to the company, not because you’re in a relationship.

5. The organization’s culture

This is the most important factor to consider. Can your boyfriend adapt to the culture in your office such as the rules and code of conduct? If you work until Saturday, are you sure he can hack working on Saturdays as well?

You don’t want to recommend someone who will always ask for an off day every other Saturday.

Better still, you need to be sure that your company advocates for working with relatives, friends and spouses/partners.

Related Article >>> My Friends Earn Triple My Salary, Should I Quit?

6. Does your boyfriend fit the role the company is looking for?

Your boyfriend might be an extrovert and gets along well with people, but does he have the required skills and competencies for the job?

You should not recommend him for the sake of helping him to pay his bills. Rather, your boyfriend must have the passion, zeal and the required qualifications for the job to give.

Those are some of the things you need to factor in before recommending your boyfriend/girlfriend.

Have you ever worked with your partner, relative or friend? How was the experience and what would your advice be?

Leave a comment below.

Susan is a Communications Officer and Digital Marketing Officer at Career Point Kenya. Email: susan@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke