Applying for a job: do I bring up the personal friendship or not? ....

[Anonymous]

I am applying for an internal position which is vacant because that person has been promoted. The person promoted is very close friends with someone else who is applying for the job and will surely plug, and perhaps even lie, for the friend as much as possible. The catch is I used to work with all of them and the promoted person is likely to diminish my work in efforts to plug her friend. (She has done it before.)

I have applied and am likely to get an interview. Is there anything I can say? I can't think of anything that doesn't make me look bad but I am just hoping for a fair shot. (Yet if I say I just want a fair shot, it may make the hiring managers think I'm implying they don't give fair shots.)

[Anonymous]

Nah, say nothing. Ive been a hiring manager and i tend to ignore people who are trying to get their friends a gig. It’s obvious and I’m smart enough to trust my team/panel to pick the best candidate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nah, say nothing. Ive been a hiring manager and i tend to ignore people who are trying to get their friends a gig. It’s obvious and I’m smart enough to trust my team/panel to pick the best candidate.

I agree with this. I sit in as an interviewer for jobs in my area - and candidates are often internal. i'm not particularly interested in people plugging candidates - in anything it annoys me.

OP's work dynamic seems like a bit of a mess - but i'd say this - if someone internally started to intervene to positively promote someone while criticizing another potential applicant it would set off all sorts of red flags.

[Anonymous]

Are you sure you want to work at a place, and potentially with, someone who "is likely to diminish [your] work"?

No, don't say anything about the "friend" or the other candidate (would just makebyou look bad). Talk about yourself and how you'd be perfect for the job because ________

[Anonymous]

No, you cannot mention it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure you want to work at a place, and potentially with, someone who "is likely to diminish [your] work"?

No, don't say anything about the "friend" or the other candidate (would just makebyou look bad). Talk about yourself and how you'd be perfect for the job because ________

It's a good, very large company. But you're right: the fact that this manager diminishes my work (and openly helps her friends) means that if I don't get this position, I will likely leave. She is not my manager but I've moved as far up as I can in my department.