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Helping a lodge member

Bro.BruceBenjamin

Premium Member
I went out on a limb and recommended a member of my lodge for job. Someone who I thought was trust worthy and completely honest, but I found it to be untrue. I took his application back to work today and it was completed correctly I double checked it myself. However there is a section on the application which asks have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (one box says yes the other no). The gentlemen checked no and I even questioned him and he said he has never been in any trouble.

Long story short one of his background checks came back less then favorable. I can not hire him because he lied on his application. If he would have listed the offense I could have hired him. My question is this would you go out on a limb for a member of your lodge and recommend them for a job?

:confused1:
 

Bro Mike

Registered User
I have recommended two people for jobs before I was a Mason. Both were hired and both ended up biting me in the rear-end later. So my own record would make me pause before speaking too quickly for a Masonic Brother to help him get a job. Maybe that caution will serve me well someday in the future.
 

LDSpears

Premium Member
Same here. I helped a close friend get a job once because he was a really good guy, a hard worker at home, and a real hard fisherman and hunter. However, he ended up not showing up to work, showing up late, and lazy when he did show up. I won't easily recommend anyone again, unless I have personally worked with them before and really know how they will do. If you don't know how they will do at work, and you decide to recommend them anyway, just be sure to let whoever you are recommending them to know that you don't know for sure how they will do, but you believe him to be a good person. That way if they don't work out, you can say that you only told them what you knew, and now you know how they really are. That is what I will do in the future.
 

Bro. Stewart P.M.

Lead Moderator Emeritus
Staff Member
I have learned through past experience to utilize caution when recomending anyone for employment.

To date I really havn't given much thought as to a "Brother" being an potential applicant. IMO, just as in Masonry one must exercise caution when reccomending anyone for a job or the Lodge unless I was 100% certain that he (or she) would comply fully with the obligations, rules, standards or traditions of the organization. I do not see my fellow Brothers as an exception. In fact I do not know of any Brothers close to me that even list Freemasonry on their application(s) or resume(s), including me.

Additionally IMO, family members and friends are the worst people in the world to work for or with. It severs relationships when things do not go right, and ends friendships. I know this to be true based on past experience.


Just my 2 cents.
 

Jamesb

Registered User
I will pass along resume's but you have to get the job yourself. If asked to recommend someone I have to know you for a while.
 

robert leachman

Registered User
When a PM told me another Brother had put him down as a reference, the PM told me he told the prospective employer that he could only tell him what type of man he was and nothing of his work habits

Seemed like a good answer to me
 

Timothy Fleischer

Registered User
Brothers,

I have hired and fired my own friends and family members during my years of owning a small town newspaper. I have been asked to recommend friends for awards and recognition. I have hired strangers.

My recommendation to my fellow brothers who are asked to recommend a brother for a job is this: If you have worked with them, then you can recommend as a professional reference. If you haven't worked with them, you can choose to recommend as a "personal" reference.

Tim
 

owls84

Moderator
Premium Member
All good advice but I could see this going a totally different direction. How can we as Masons allow men into our Lodge that we would not recommend for a job? It seems like at some point during the investigation the person should ask would I give this guy a reference and if the answer is no or I don't know then I don't see how he could make it past the south and west gates.

I know it does happen trust me. I know many card carrying Masons but it seems this story would cause that guard to go up a little more.
 

JTM

"Just in case"
Premium Member
I went out on a limb and recommended a member of my lodge for job. Someone who I thought was trust worthy and completely honest, but I found it to be untrue. I took his application back to work today and it was completed correctly I double checked it myself. However there is a section on the application which asks have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (one box says yes the other no). The gentlemen checked no and I even questioned him and he said he has never been in any trouble.

Long story short one of his background checks came back less then favorable. I can not hire him because he lied on his application. If he would have listed the offense I could have hired him. My question is this would you go out on a limb for a member of your lodge and recommend them for a job?

:confused1:
now... what about for his petition into the lodge? did he list it there? it might be time to review his history.

also, this happened to me in another fraternity (Lambda Chi Alpha, my college fraternity). dude asked me for help getting a job, same exact situation happened.
 

Hippie19950

Premium Member
Bro. Bruce,
In Texas, there is a process called Deferred Adjudication. Even if someone has been charged, arrested, and convicted, but is given Deferred Adjudication, it does not show as a conviction. They are also told that it is NOT a conviction by most Judges, Probation Officers, and Lawyers. The background usually shows the charge, but nothing else. This type of program, is actually probation, including fines, and costs. If completed on time and with no trouble, they are "good to go". I worked with a Deputy who had tried many times to get a job with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Game Warden or Possum Cop), and kept getting denied. He finally found out why... He had a Cocaine conviction on his record.... Only thing, it was NOT his record. Same name, same D.O.B., and ONE number difference in the Social Security Number!!! He's now chasing poachers and possums, and is happy as can be. Double check everything you can to be safe. There are TOO MANY of us these days, and even MORE who don't do a job thoroughly as in Jason's case. And he's also a Brother.
 

JohnnyFlotsam

Premium Member
All good advice but I could see this going a totally different direction. How can we as Masons allow men into our Lodge that we would not recommend for a job?

A couple of one-word answers come to mind - "dues" and "membership". Yeah, the two overlap a bit, but the consideration of either as a mark in the "pro" column regarding any petitioner's worthiness is a fundamental mistake, IMO.

Then again, there are valid reasons for not recommending someone for a particular job that would have nothing to do with a man's qualifications as a Mason, as measured by the Level.
 

dhouseholder

Registered User
Then again, there are valid reasons for not recommending someone for a particular job that would have nothing to do with a man's qualifications as a Mason, as measured by the Level.

Indeed, we take Good Men and Make Them Better. Some of us brothers need more work on the "getting" better part. :)
 
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