EmploymentScape Chief Executive Officer, Harrison Barnes discusses the potential risks involved in using friends and acquaintances in your job search. Harrison explains that using acquaintances in your jobs search could pose problems both while searching for a job as well as after securing the job.

Harrison feels that it is natural to contact the people you know to see if they can help you with your job search. However, he believes that this causes more harm than doing any good. One of the issues with using friends in your job search is that you never know your friends as well as you think. A feeling of competitiveness, that you are unaware of, may hinder your job-search prospects.

From his experiences as a recruiter, Harrison gives plausible reasons why your friends or relatives may not help you with your job search. There is a high probability of them not wanting the two of you working in the same office. Or they simply might not want to take responsibility for what you might do if you were hired. There are chances that your friend honestly does not think as highly of your capabilities as you do.

Moreover, many organizations do not promote hiring friends and families of their employees in order to prevent resentment in all employment environments. Even if you manage to get a job with the help of your friend or family, there are various risks involved. You might unbalance the relationship with friends for various anticipated reasons.

In all respects, Harrison believes that you actually may be safer getting a job without the help of family or friends and working in an environment without family or friends.