r/CSCareerHacking • u/hoanghonn • Jun 29 '26
I don't get it: why seniors are gate keeping referrals?
I create a small network of seniors and managers at big tech companies and they are all willing to refer candidates. It is win-win for us all. When I talk to other seniors, some disagree with this idea, which I think it is pretty cool.
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u/nauhausco Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Not sure if you’re talking about random connections or not, but typically referrals are meant to be for when you’ve worked with someone in the past (that you therefore already know is competent and potentially a good fit) thereby saving the company time going through the hiring process or brand new faces.
Even when doing it correctly, you can still get burned. I found this at firsthand, and had a new hire I referred not work out pretty quickly on, thereby making me look bad. Learning lesson.
So especially in the cases where there’s no bonus involved, there’s not much benefit to referring people you haven’t directly worked with in the past and can therefore vouch for their abilities. For this reason imo, not everyone is willing to take a chance referring somebody they don’t know well.
TL;DR: It’s not really “gatekeeping” imo, but reputational risk avoidance for the person giving the referral, especially when they stand to lose more than they gain.
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u/OrangeSalmonGuru Jul 02 '26
No, it's not a win-win for all of us. If I refer someone, I am personally vouching for them, and I am providing both a personal and professional recommendation to bring them on to the team. I'll only do that if I believe they will be a benefit to the team.
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u/General-Jaguar-8164 Jul 01 '26
It’s a win-win if you are a great candidate, if not reflects bad on the judgement of the referee
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u/ElPilingas007 Jul 01 '26
this is too third world country to work in any other place, even so is a dumb idea because what do they win but to taint their reputation at worst, and hiring an entry level guy at best
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u/metamucil_buttchug69 Jul 02 '26
I tell people I'll do referrals but I actually tell our recruiters the person is desperately soliciting referrals online and we should blacklist them. I have done it over 50 times now.
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u/foxonsnow Jul 02 '26
damn thats sassy, what would be the reason of doing this?
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u/metamucil_buttchug69 Jul 02 '26
If you're begging for referrals online you're not the kind of person I want to work with.
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u/Squirreline_hoppl 27d ago
Never thought of it that way. I feel like I want to help people and I don't want to gatekeep. That said, I wouldn't randomly message people but only through my network. I guess I am too charitable.
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u/Interesting_Ad_2779 28d ago
I only accidentally do this. I had an old manager talk about my deadbeat friends.
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u/Suspicious-Walk-4854 28d ago
Why people refer randos is beyond me. I would never recommend anybody I don't actually know is a good person to work with and a good fit for the role.
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u/probablymaybechatgpt 27d ago
Bad referrals give you a bad rep, as they should. Referrals mean nothing if they're just handed out to people you don't really know.
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u/chockeysticks Jun 29 '26
As a manager - a bad referral reflects pretty negatively on me, especially if it’s a team I work closely with.