Embrace Weak Ties in your Job Search

While networking with close friends and colleagues can be helpful and make one feel more comfortable when job hunting, research has shown that networking with weak ties can be more effective.

Weak ties are people with whom you share some common connections but don’t interact frequently. In 1973, sociologist Mark Granovetter coined the term “the strength of weak ties,” explaining that these weaker connections often serve as bridges to new social and professional networks. While networking with weak ties may feel less familiar and require more effort, it can have a great payoff. In Granovetter’s survey of people in professional, technical and managerial professions who recently changed jobs, he found that nearly 17% heard about the job from a strong tie, but almost 28% heard about the job from a weak tie.

Why is this the case?

1.      People tend to communicate with people with whom they have strong relationships in an implicit manner and with weak ties in an explicit way. That means they don’t necessarily talk about job openings with strong ties but rather rely on each other for emotional support and share similar interests. On the other hand, networking with weak ties requires a more direct approach, where individuals have frank conversations about job opportunities and new people.

2.      Your strong connections probably know about many of the same job opportunities that you do. But people with whom you have weak ties can potentially lead to hearing about new and different options. Weak ties can open connections to entirely new industries and career paths. This novel thinking may not have even crossed your mind before, but it could lead to an exciting new opportunity. There’s a natural element of diversification created by seeking out weak ties. For example, if you are a stock trader and spend all your time with stock traders, you’re less likely to move to a different and perhaps faster-growing industry.

Recent research led by LinkedIn applied research scientist Karthik Rajkumar and MIT graduate student Guillaume Saint-Jacques included an A/B study that compared job mobility among those exposed to strong ties in the LinkedIn “People You May Know” panel with those shown weak ties. They found that those who gathered mostly weak ties posted more job change announcements than those who accumulated mostly strong ties.

BOTTOM LINE - don’t discount networking with acquaintances or distant connections. Instead, if you reach out and spend time with those weak ties, you will likely find more job options!

I offer career coaching and advising along with text, email, and phone support to help job seekers succeed. I've hired more than 100 people and interviewed over 500 candidates. I've worked at large global companies like Morgan Stanley and a company that is now part of Bank of America Private Bank and founded/worked at six startups. I welcome you to contact me and join my mailing list.