A reader writes:
There’s about to be a job opening on my team, and I am lucky enough to know two people who could be interested and a great fit. Is it weird if I recommend both of them?
We have an internal form where we can recommend people (and get a bonus if they’re hired and stay on for a certain number of months), as well as an informal arrangement of sending a quick message to the hiring manager with the recommendation. I feel like filling out the form might be less weird than the message, but either way don’t want to come across strangely.
It’s not weird, even if you talk to the hiring manager about both of them in addition to using the form.
When you recommend someone, you’re usually not saying, “This is the absolute best person you could find for the job. There is no one better, and I’m confident of that without interviewing them or seeing any of the other candidates.”
You’re saying, “This is someone who I find capable (smart/has good judgment/etc.) and who I think might be well matched with what you’re looking for, and it would be worth your time to talk to them.”
It’s not weird to say that about two people. The assumption is that if the hiring manager interviews them, they’ll probe more closely into each candidate and determine who, among the whole pool, will be their strongest candidate … not that you’re saying you’ve already done that for them.
There is a point where it could get weird, I suppose — like if you were recommending 10 people for the same job. In most cases like that, you’d be expected to hone in more on who among that group you really considered the strongest. But two is nowhere near that point of weirdness.
