Is it acceptable that someone use other's influence to get a job？ Yes, I do think that acceptable. First of all, using other’s influence to apply a job has nothing to blame, though it may help the applicant to get a job much faster than others, it is still resonable. For example, excellent professors often have students that more hard-working and smart than their peers. These great students deserve to be hired more quickly than others. Secondly, it’s more efficient for the companies to hire such good students by contacting to their professors in advance, without spending too much money and time in hiring unreliable employees.