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The people you barely know

Where jobs really come from, and who to ask · 14 min

In 1969 a graduate student's paper on how people find jobs was rejected for 'an endless series of reasons'. Fifty years later, an experiment on twenty million LinkedIn users largely backed him up, with a twist. Who to ask for news, who to ask to vouch for you, and one first step.

Takeaways

  • In a small 1970s study of men near Boston who found work through a contact, more than four in five had been seeing that person only occasionally or rarely; a LinkedIn experiment with over twenty million users later found moderately weak ties, people you share a few connections with, did the most to move people into new jobs.
  • One for one, close ties still matter, and more so in more unequal countries: acquaintances bring news, close ties vouch for you.
  • This week: name one person you know a bit, from outside your circle, and ask them what they're seeing, not for a job.

Chapters

  1. The paper nobody wanted0:16
  2. Who you hardly know1:54
  3. News and vouching4:16
  4. Two job searches6:24
  5. Hear it done7:52
  6. Build yours9:50
  7. The answer11:49

References

  1. Granovetter, M. S. — The Strength of Weak Ties(1973)
  2. Rajkumar, K., Saint-Jacques, G., Bojinov, I., Brynjolfsson, E., & Aral, S. — A causal test of the strength of weak ties(2022)
  3. Gee, L. K., Jones, J. J., Fariss, C. J., Burke, M., & Fowler, J. H. — The paradox of weak ties in 55 countries(2017)
  4. Kramarz, F., & Nordström Skans, O. — When strong ties are strong: Networks and youth labour market entry(2014)
  5. Beaman, L., Keleher, N., & Magruder, J. — Do job networks disadvantage women? Evidence from a recruitment experiment in Malawi(2018)
  6. Flynn, F. J., & Lake, V. K. B. — If you need help, just ask: Underestimating compliance with direct requests for help(2008)
  7. Roghanizad, M. M., & Bohns, V. K. — Ask in person: You're less persuasive than you think over email(2017)
  8. Stanford Report — The strength of weak ties(2023)
  9. MIT News — The power of weak ties in gaining new employment(2022)
  10. Economic Sociology & Political Economy — Mark Granovetter's rejection letter, from 1969(2014)