Poll: Internships and Cronyism

Today's poll deals with how to handle a tradition of cronyism.
Your Dilemma: You've recently been hired as the vice-president in charge of recruitment for a medium-sized firm, and part of your job is to screen and select applicants for the company's coveted summer internships. There are ten positions, and you've received hundreds of applicants, including five who are the children of current employees. As you are finishing your selection process, a superior comes to your office and tells you that it is company "tradition" to give the children of employees the first crack at the openings.

In your unbiased opinion, only one of those children would make the top 10, and following tradition would mean turning down top-notch applicants who could someday help your firm.[poll id=39]Office politics is all about choosing your battles, so is this a balancing act, or a fight you don't want to win? Tell us what you think of cronyism in the comments section.

Have a workplace dilemma you'd like to see in this poll? Email wherestheline (at) gmail.com