Montanans Thrive on Nepotism, But is This a Bad Thing?

 You know that saying it’s not what you know, it’s who you know?

Well, nothing could be truer in the Treasure State. Think about Montana’s history. Ranchers, oil rigs, railroads, miners, and cowboys all got jobs by knowing someone. It’s still true to this day for the majority of businesses and corporations in our lovely state. But is it a bad thing?

Nepotism is: "the practice of favoring one’s relatives or friends when making hiring or other decisions in the workplace."

A recent survey was conducted across the US about getting friends and family jobs. In this survey, 16% of people think nepotism is bad... while 42% said they’ve connected friends and family with job opportunities. And 35% of those polled said they have gotten a gig from knowing someone on the inside.  

I remember in broadcasting school; it was drilled into my head “You must meet as many people as you can in the media business while in school, NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK.”  

It served me at the time to meet as many broadcasters as possible, but these days- it is truly about how hard are you willing to work in the media industry. I didn’t know a single soul at Town Square Media before applying for the morning show. My co-host Michael didn’t either. But for every other radio job we’ve had- we had to know someone.

 Asking people who've lived in Billings their entire life about their jobs and how they got them

When I went around and asked friends in Billings at various companies how they got their current job, they all said they knew someone inside the company! Not so crazy. Montana has one of the lowest populations in the country, so this makes complete sense to me. We have to fill these jobs somehow! 

So why do some people think nepotism is bad? 

Well, some may think it’s a bunch of bull that family and friends get jobs that they might not be qualified for the position. About 24% believe they've missed out on an opportunity because another candidate used personal contacts to land the gig. 

I could see this argument only because humans work hard and want recognition. BUT- I think this means the 16% who don’t like it, need to have social skills to meet more people. ‍♀️ But that's just me.