During a job interview, can an employer ask if you know anyone that works there?

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During a job interview, can an employer ask if you know anyone that works there?

I have been asked by some companies that I have interviewed with if I knew anyone working there. These are not politicial jobs I am applying for, they are for chemical plant operations. The companies say it does not affect my chances but why ask if it doesn’t?

Asked on July 5, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, Louisiana

Answers:

M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

There could be many reasons that the company wishes to know.  They could simply want to track how you either found out about the job or the company.  There could be internal reasons why they want to know if you know anyone else there.  Have you ever thought to ask an employer the relevance of the question?  I know that in an interview a person does not wish to get on the bad side of the employer but there may be some reason that in a chemical plant employers want to know who knows who.  Maybe for security reasons. We live in a very different world these days. Good luck with the interviews.


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