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should I refer my friend?
I have a friend who is a really nice girl. And she's smart, she knows what she's talking about, and is looking for a job in HR.
However she doesn't have a great track record. I met her in 2009 and she was in HR at the bank I used to work at. She got a job at a financial firm in Wall Street and was fired after working there for about six months. She hasn't been able to find steady work since, though she had a contract position in September and was let go for "bullsh!t reasons" in October (or rather, they ended her contract).
When we worked together, she quickly established a reputation as a drinker, and the kind of drinker that drinks too much. I heard through the grapevine (read: friends of my cousin who worked with her at this firm, so it's all hearsay anyway) that at the Wall Street job, she would come in late, dress inappropriately (like pajamas to work), and when there were work happy hours, she would drink too much.
That being said, she asked if there were openings at our company, and there are. And I'd like to help her out, and I get a referral bonus (like a couple thousand bucks). When she does her work, she does it well, but she's got those bad habits that keep lingering that really keep her from sticking around (she hasn't held a job for more than 18 months). I don't want to be the person that refers a person, they get hired, and then it's like, "Who referred this joker?" I've already made a few referrals here and the hiring managers and HR have come back to me saying they were stellar candidates, I feel like I have a track record to preserve.
My inclination is to accept a resume but not pass it on.
Re: should I refer my friend?
FET - transferred two embryos (boy and girl) - Nov 2014 - BFP!
Normally this, but the OP has worked with this person in the past so really it's not true that she's unaware of her work performance. And this person just got fired from a job in October, so it's not a case of this all being in her past & her deserving a fresh start.
OP, I would try to avoid passing along her resume. If she asks again about openings, you can say "listings are on our website, etc" and keep it vague. If she directly asks you to pass along a resume I would do it but tell the HR manager that the person wasn't a rockstar when you worked with them but you are passing along a resume at the candidate's request so they can evaluate it themselves - at that point the hiring decision is on the HR team. I think honesty at your current job is worth more than a favor to someone you briefly knew in 2009, KWIM?
DS1 born June 2008 | m/c at 9w March 2011 | DS2 born April 2012
We worked closely together and are close friends so it isn't as if I'm totally unaware of her skills and problems. It's sad, because she really IS a smart girl and she is capable. But she hits the sauce way too often and too much.
I met her for happy hour after work yesterday and she told me on this last gig that ended in October, she got really drunk and did/said something that offended the contracting company and so they let her go. And that soon after that, she was drowning her sorrows at her favorite watering hole and blacked out from drinking and was subsequently kicked out of the bar.
So she's realized she's got bigger issues to deal with (on top of this her mom has breast cancer AND her cat got cancer). I told her that until she can handle herself, it might be best to table the job search. She needs to take care of herself first before she can be a viable candidate anywhere. That being said, I was very happy to hear that she's seeing a therapist and will be going home over the holidays to spend time with family.
So thankfully at this time, I won't need to pass along her resume. I'll re-visit in six months and see how things are, but I want her to take care of herself first (and selfishly, I don't want my name and reputation tainted with any work shenanigans, whether I am part of it or not).