Hiring Family and Friends

When we post vacancies it is common for current staff to tell their friends and family about the job opening and perhaps recommend the friend or relative for the job.   CRS partner staff may do the same thing with their friends and relatives.  (CRS local partner staff may, in fact, apply for the position themselves. This brings up other issues which we address here).

It is perfectly fine for friends and relatives of current staff to apply for jobs with CRS. If the hiring officials decide, as a result of an independent hiring process, that the relative or friend is the best candidate we can find for the job, CRS will hire that person.

But there are three important rules regarding this:

  1. If a friend or relative of a current staff person applies for a job with CRS, the staff person must notify HR in writing (email is fine) as soon as he or she knows about the application. This step is required because of numbers 2 and 3 below.
  2. If the position in question will be supervised by the friend or relative of the applicant, CRS will not hire the applicant into the position.
    • Example of what CRS will do: The finance manager sees that there is a logistics position posted.  His cousin is looking for a logistics job.  He tells his cousin about the opening and his cousin applies. (The Finance Manager also must inform HR in writing that his cousin is applying for a job at CRS and cannot be involved in the hiring process. See number 1 above and 3 below).
    • Example of what CRS will not do:  The finance manager needs a new finance assistant to work under her.  The job vacancy is approved and posted.  The finance manager’s cousin has experience in finance and might be good at the finance assistant position.  The finance manager encourages her cousin to apply. But the applicant will be disappointed because CRS will not hire the cousin into a position in which he would be supervised by the person to whom he is related.
  3. If a friend or relative of a current staff person applies for a job with CRS, the staff person cannot be involved in any way with the hiring process for that position.   This is one reason we require notification in writing when a friend or relative applies for a position. Any staff person who has a friend or relative applying for a position cannot receive CVs, short list CVs, prepare or grade a test, participate in interviews, participate in decisions about title or salary, or be involved in any other step in the hiring process for that position.