Why Weak Ties Can Land You Jobs

Mitchell Lee

Who do you think is more likely to help you get a job: a close friend or relative that you talk to at least once a week, or an acquaintance that you’ve only had a few conversations with total? Many people have the preconception that connections with close friends or relatives are more likely to help you find a job. However, with some quick research, it becomes apparent that the opposite is true.

A strong tie is typically defined as someone who is very close to you, usually a close friend or relative. On the other hand, a weak tie is someone whom you might not interact with as much.

So why are weak ties so important? If you imagine a closed network (a network of people who share mostly strong ties), like a group of friends, they all will have access to the same information. The group itself is likely very homogenous and there is not that much new information. It isn’t all too helpful in terms of branching out and finding opportunities. Many of you may have experienced an “echo chamber” with your friends before, when each person shares the exact same thoughts on a particular subject.

On the other hand, through an open network (a network of people who share mostly weak ties), there is a lot of potential for dispersing new information. Person A might know something that only his/her close friends know, and then share that with his weak ties, spreading along the information to other closed networks.

Most people have a functionally mixed network — a combination of a closed network and an open network. Intrinsically, this makes sense. We all have some number of close friends; we all have people that we know, but wouldn’t consider them to be that close.

What does this mean in terms of job searching? Through your weak ties, you have access to more information (in this case, opportunities). When you’re networking with recruiters, you’re not looking for a new best friend. You’re looking for another connection in your network — a weak tie — that can help you out further along the road. You shouldn’t ignore the power of a weak tie. Instead, embrace it and use them to help yourself advance.

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Originally published at saseconnect.org.