So most people have their high points and low points, most jobs have their high points and low points, but lately I've had a difficult time walking the line of trying to be a good friend, a good employee, and generally maintain my reputation by only making the highest quality matches. So I wanted to toss this out to the archinect community and ask, how do you generally handle this stuff? If you don't have general advice, guidelines, I'll toss out a few examples to respond to.
Scenario 1: Someone you like a great deal but you know their work isn't always top-notch, they put a lot of thought in and work very hard but the product usually doesn't quite make it to the quality level you associate with your company. They ask for a referral for an opening posted online. Do you give it? Does it make a difference if the opening is at another location of your firm or another department (meaning less direct trace back to you)?
Scenario 2: A friend of a friend's work gets passed on to you and looks pretty good, but you don't actually know the person at all. My tendency has been to pass it on but with a noncommittal representation, "This came across my desk, they look pretty good, thought you'd want to see."
Scenario 3: Someone with multiple connections to you, you're going to see them frequently, passes on their work and while it has some promising moments it also has some major flaws (read: disqualifying offenses). You know you cannot in good conscience recommend this person, but what do you tell them? Do you try to advise even knowing that it will make it clear that you have not passed on their work, and they will probably take offense? Or do you just keep your mouth shut and hit the delete key?
1) "I know X reasonably well; works hard but probably isn't used to our standards. Take a look for yourself and see what you think - my feeling is they'd need some guidance to find the right role."
2) same.
3) I'm not sure what a 'disqualifying offense' is...are you sure it was their screw- up and not their bosses' or coworkers'? or is it something more general?
Unless you're in a role that includes managing staff I might go with "Was asked to pass this along - haven't had any time to look at it." and then tell the person. "Passed it along. Also - if they call you in for an interview you might think about an explanation for 'X. Could be an issue for <hiring bossperson>'"
I tend to look at one's work as being far more than just a portfolio. I've seen plenty of stellar portfolios, but by people I could never take in front of a client. It depends largely on what our office is looking for in an employee (usually some combination of design ability, professional polish, and future potential). If you are not directly in a position to hire, I think you pass along the person's resume to someone who is and provide your candid feedback.
Jun 11, 13 4:34 pm ·
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How do you deal with referrals/recommendations?
So most people have their high points and low points, most jobs have their high points and low points, but lately I've had a difficult time walking the line of trying to be a good friend, a good employee, and generally maintain my reputation by only making the highest quality matches. So I wanted to toss this out to the archinect community and ask, how do you generally handle this stuff? If you don't have general advice, guidelines, I'll toss out a few examples to respond to.
Scenario 1: Someone you like a great deal but you know their work isn't always top-notch, they put a lot of thought in and work very hard but the product usually doesn't quite make it to the quality level you associate with your company. They ask for a referral for an opening posted online. Do you give it? Does it make a difference if the opening is at another location of your firm or another department (meaning less direct trace back to you)?
Scenario 2: A friend of a friend's work gets passed on to you and looks pretty good, but you don't actually know the person at all. My tendency has been to pass it on but with a noncommittal representation, "This came across my desk, they look pretty good, thought you'd want to see."
Scenario 3: Someone with multiple connections to you, you're going to see them frequently, passes on their work and while it has some promising moments it also has some major flaws (read: disqualifying offenses). You know you cannot in good conscience recommend this person, but what do you tell them? Do you try to advise even knowing that it will make it clear that you have not passed on their work, and they will probably take offense? Or do you just keep your mouth shut and hit the delete key?
1) "I know X reasonably well; works hard but probably isn't used to our standards. Take a look for yourself and see what you think - my feeling is they'd need some guidance to find the right role."
2) same.
3) I'm not sure what a 'disqualifying offense' is...are you sure it was their screw- up and not their bosses' or coworkers'? or is it something more general?
Unless you're in a role that includes managing staff I might go with "Was asked to pass this along - haven't had any time to look at it." and then tell the person. "Passed it along. Also - if they call you in for an interview you might think about an explanation for 'X. Could be an issue for <hiring bossperson>'"
I tend to look at one's work as being far more than just a portfolio. I've seen plenty of stellar portfolios, but by people I could never take in front of a client. It depends largely on what our office is looking for in an employee (usually some combination of design ability, professional polish, and future potential). If you are not directly in a position to hire, I think you pass along the person's resume to someone who is and provide your candid feedback.
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