How Should I Handle a Hiring Request Backed by a Political Recommendation?

Dear Seniors, We are a company of 250 employees, and I am looking after the HR department here. Recently, I received a call from a person regarding hiring her sister with a recommendation letter from a Member of Parliament. He came to the office, met me, and handed me a letter on the MP's letterhead stating that this person is personally known to the MP and requesting to hire his sister. She is a fresher, and we don't have any requirement for the same. Please guide me on what I should do in this case.

Thanks,
HRbuff

Eligibility and Verification Process

First and foremost, adhere to the eligibility criteria of the company—if the candidate is eligible, then consider her.

Next, verify the authenticity of the MP's letter—in the current time, don't be surprised if it's forged.

Then, have a teleconference with the candidate if you have a suitable position and follow the regular selection process.

In a nutshell, the MP's letter should only serve as an introduction—not to bypass the eligibility/recruitment norms of the company.

Finally, keep your boss informed.

Best Regards,
TS

There is always an efficient way to hire candidates that suit your organization, and I entirely agree with Mr. TS. In one case, we also fell under this circumstance; we efficiently made a call to find out if the letter was from the appropriate person, and to our surprise, we found it was a forgery.

The simplest approach is to follow company norms and standards for better maneuvering.

Good luck!

There's another small thing that you may wish to consider. In case the candidate does fit into the eligibility criteria and the MP's letter is indeed found to be a forged one, I would suggest that you still go ahead and put her into the recruitment process. Why should she pay the price for someone else's misadventure or fault? But it's up to you.

Regards,
TS

I really wonder why someone would wish to put in a heavy recommendation despite qualifying for one or more criteria. My thought is that either they know they would be paid less, or perhaps they believe a recommendation will keep them in higher regard?

Furthermore, everybody with minimum qualifications must undergo induction and learning. Why do they not see this from a broader perspective? Though I wonder if they think, "I can qualify without an interview!" as if it's a cakewalk.

I'm certain that our HR professionals nowadays are sitting like spikers, and it feels good to say that.

Cheers.

The reason I suggested putting the candidate through the recruitment process even if the MP's letter is found to be fake is this: I see a 50/50 chance that she may not even be aware that this has happened behind her back—which can be known only after the initial interaction with her. I have seen a few cases of this kind. If indeed true, I don't think she should be paying for others' over-enthusiasm or faults in the methods used to get a job for her. If she does know of this aspect of her job trials, then you are right.

Regards,
TS