Name-dropping when applying for internships?

January 21, 2007 4:41 AM

I'm applying for internships. Is it smart to "name-drop" if I have a family member that already works at a company I'm applying to?

For example, in my cover letter. Is there a subtle way that this should be done, or not at all?

I was thinking something along the lines of "I first discovered [company name] through my [family member] who is a director in [department] but have subsequently done research into [other departments], and I am highly interested in a position in one of these areas...." Would this be inappropriate?

On the other hand, there is a chance that recruiting people will find out about my family connection anyway, even if I don't mention it at all.

posted by whataboutben to work & money (7 comments total)

I think the way that you have mentioned it in your example above is perfectly acceptable - it's subtle and relevant too, as they may be wondering why you've chosen their company.
Also, they may be more likely to offer you an internship if they think that there's a specific reason you chose their company over others (your family connection and the fact you have previous knowledge of their company), rather than them just being one company out of many that you have written to.
posted by schmoo at 5:04 AM on January 21, 2007

The most effective way to capitalize off your family connection would be to ask your relative to put in a word for you via his/her internal connections. Ideally, he or she would submit your resume for you.

I wouldn't put it into your cover letter unless a few requirements have been fulfilled:

a) you've spoken with your relative about your interest in his company and you feel confident about his support (because the last thing you want is for the hiring manager to call up Uncle Bob and have him say "Ben who? Oh, you mean that idiot nephew of mine? What's he done now?")

b) you've done your research on your target company's attitude (not just their stated policies, but the off-the-books-but-just-as-important unspoken culture) about nepotism.
posted by jamaro at 5:08 AM on January 21, 2007

I would also make sure that it's okay that you work for the same company as your relative. I have heard some company's will not hire you for that. But it all depends.
posted by thetenthstory at 9:56 AM on January 21, 2007

It's a bit of a gamble unless you're reasonably well-informed about the internal workings of the company.

Internal politics are a reality in any company - are your relatives department and your target department getting along well?

Unwritten nepotism rules may vary at the department level. If the companies large enough you need to reliably learn specifically about your target department.

The people you initially deal with may have a personal lunch-buddy relationship with your relative, may know them only as a name, or may remember them as the person who made a fool of themselves at the last christmas party. No offence, stuff happens.

So, your relationship could: actively help get you on the short list, actively prevent your being considered at all, or have no effect.
posted by scheptech at 10:00 AM on January 21, 2007

I assume you've asked the relative in question? It's a corporate culture specific question. At my previous employer, having family that works there was considered a great plus - you already knew a bit about the culture and work ethic of the place, for example.

But at a place I worked as a teenager, in a small town, nearly everyone had a relative that already worked there. Pointing that out was just seen as pointless sucking up and the result of reading too many fancy resume books.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:00 PM on January 21, 2007

It depends on the size of the company of course, but at my company, the best way this has been acheived is by the resume and cover-letter being written without any mention of the friend/relative, but then the friend/relative brings it in and hands it to the hiring manager, and says something like "hey I heard you are hiring for X position, and I think my nephew/friend/daughter might be a good fit for that job, here's his/her resume." That way it doesn't look like the applicant is being a suckup and wielding their family connection, and instead the hiring manager can judge the recommendation's worth based on their opinion of the friend/relative. This keeps you, the applicant in a fairly neutral light.
posted by Joh at 12:40 PM on January 21, 2007

Um... I Think that putting it so bluntly, as in the name and the job of your family member is like asking for a hand out. You would be better with putting that you found out about this company from "a family member" then if you get to talking to them before or after the interview and they ask, then you know its OK.

The other place thats good to drop the family reference is in the interview. If they ask if you have any questions, you can say, "I talked to my "_____" about this company a lot and s/he cleared up most of my questions, but I would like to ask one thing.

This shows that you are really interested, and gives them the opportunity to ask about the person instead of you bragging about our connections.
posted by magikker at 1:29 PM on January 21, 2007