Why It’s Useful to Know Someone at the Company

Good employers covet staff who are loyal, experienced, and exhibit the qualities and traits they’re looking for

First and foremost, when an interviewer hears that you know someone who works for them, they’ll automatically equate this to you having insider information about the company, and many times this will be true! Whether via direct conversation, or from things you overhear, you may pick up bits of information on working practices, policies, and other good or bad things about the employer, and simply knowing these things will be equated by an interviewer as a big plus.
That’s for the simple reason that if you’ve taken the time and effort to make an application, then it’s a sign that you’re happy with what you know, which is the reason why knowing someone at the company is equated favourably with the commitment and hard work you’re willing to put in

A household that has two or more people working for the same organization will normally have strong personal ties to it. You may hear work talked about when you’re at home having dinner, and when important events happen, you’ll hear these being discussed in your household too. On top of this, households also depend on income to pay bills like rent and utilities, and that not only creates a degree of reliance, but a degree of loyalty too, and especially when it comes to family, this has the tendency to create a strong bond to that organisation, which is something that employers are keenly aware of…
…if its friends that you know who work there or alumni associations, the same principle applies, as this creates community and a stronger fellowship amongst your friends and colleagues…
As such, all of the above are very useful traits to an employer when they are looking to hire someone, hence why asking if you know someone who works for an organisation is a question you will often find asked on many application forms 

If applying for jobs with institutionalised organizations, such as the treasury, judiciary, civil service, postal service, educational institutions, defence or policing agencies, or any other similar type of governmental institution, knowing, or being recommended by a friend or family member, or mentioning alumni affiliations, is also a big plus.
As these organizations are institutionalized, they usually tend to keep people on longer as they are able to offer a better degree of job security. As such, these institutions usually prioritise hiring people they feel might stay with them over the longer term. From the perspective of these institutionalized bodies, having a family member who works for them not only first and foremost helps assure them that you are of reputable character, (which is important because of the positions of authority working for such institutions can often entail), but moreover, if someone you already know works there, because of the strong bond it creates, it increases the likelihood that you will stay longer too. This is why such institutions have a history of hiring legacy applicants such as family members or alumni affiliations

Lastly, if you’re lucky enough to know someone who works at the company, take full advantage of it!
We’ve already established that the majority of companies look favourably upon applicants who know someone who works for them. That’s why, where asked if you know someone who works at the company, try and have as much of a conversation as you can around this. A good way to do this is to start off by touching on what your friend or family member does for the organization, and/ or, even better, how they have developed or what they seem to have gained (as seen from your own perspective) since they started working there.
Be sure to incorporate the positive things you’ve heard about working there too, telling your interviewer why you liked it or what intrigued you most about working there. You should often find that your interviewer will want to further the conversation around this, which is great because it gives you an excellent chance to build up rapport, and you can further reinforce your eligibility by expressing your enthusiasm to want to work for them

Example
‘Yes I know someone who works at the company. My brother works in your customer service team and he absolutely loves it! I’ve heard so many great things from him about you and it’s really inspired me to want to work for you. I was particularly interested in the new DAAG system your company recently began using. In my old/ current job, I had to use 2 separate systems to help my customers resolve their enquiries, and it was really hard work at times, so I think working on one system to assist customers with their queries seems really efficient and would make life so much easier. He’s also told me about the volunteer days and night’s out he’s had with his team which sounds really fun too! Whenever I talk to him about work he always seems really relaxed and happy. Your company sounds like a really great place to build a career and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss this role with you today’.

What happens if you don’t know anyone in the organisation?
Don’t worry, in that case, you’ll just be like most of the other applicant’s interviewing for the role. But in regard to how you should approach this particular question, honesty is always the best policy! If you don’t know anyone at the company, it’s going to be anywhere from difficult to impossible to make up a story and convince the interviewer otherwise. While it is a bit of a missed opportunity to impress the interviewer with your inside connections, there is nothing you can do here other than tell the truth and prepare for the next question. On top of this, remember that occasionally the interviewer may wish to follow up with a person that you’ve referenced as a friend or family member, which is another reason why you should always be honest with the interviewer here…

Where knowing someone at the company can count against you
It’s important to remember that sometimes knowing someone who works at the company can count against you too. This is because there are some roles where this could cause a conflict of interest, such as some legal positions, finance roles, and certain types of managerial roles. Luckily though, in these situations you’ll be made aware of this long before you reach the interview stage. However, in these circumstances it becomes even more important to be upfront with your interviewer, as neglecting to do so could not only lead to instant dismal if your relation is later found out, but there is also the real possibility that the person you know could also get into trouble as well because of the legal ramifications involved

More often than not though, knowing someone who works for a company can be a really useful card to have up your sleeve going into an interview, and while in itself this won’t guarantee you the job, it does give you an advantage over other candidates. That’s why if you have been referred for a position by someone you know, or you have a friend or family member who works for that organization, you should capitalize on it as much as possible by relaying all of the great things they’ve told you about the organization, and then try to build a conversation with your interviewer around this

Lastly, remember that employing a friend or family member of someone who works at a company is normally seen as a good hiring practice, and such candidates are regarded as having the potential to be more loyal and reliable because they already have an established connection to the company through that friend or family member