Surprise! Weak Ties Win You Employment Faster Than Friends

Weak ties will connect you to separate networks, introducing you to new opportunities and companies that want your undiscovered talent.

When I knew I had to leave IntraHealth back in 2021 (a very sad day for me), I started my job search by connecting with my close friends. I asked them for ideas and leads for new jobs.

They told me how great my network was and how I’d find a job easy-like, yet they didn’t help my search much. I was still without any good leads.

Then I connected with someone I considered a “weak tie”—a person I knew and interacted with professionally. However, I’d never been personally close with her. Next thing I knew, a Deloitte partner was recruiting me, based on her recommendation.

That is the power of weak ties.

Weak Ties Win, According to Science

In his groundbreaking 1973 research at Stanford University, sociologist Mark Granovetter made a surprising discovery about Boston's job market.

His acclaimed work "The Strength of Weak Ties" (PDF) and his dissertation "Getting a Job" revealed a counterintuitive finding: when seeking employment, casual connections—acquaintances, former colleagues, and distant contacts—prove more valuable than close relationships.

This occurs because strong ties typically exist within the same social and professional circles, accessing identical opportunities. Weak ties, however, connect otherwise separate networks, introducing job seekers to fresh possibilities and companies to previously undiscovered talent.

Look for Weak Ties in LinkedIn

Now that you realize weak ties can win you employment faster than good friends, where to find a base of weak ties to start your networking and informational interviewing?

LinkedIn.

Scott Beale has a great list of the five categories of connections in LinkedIn. We are going to focus on the two most important ones here. And credit to Scott for these groupings.

Warm connections (weak ties 1)

Generally speaking, these are warm connections, but not close friends. These are folks who know you, who like you, who have worked for you, who would introduce you to someone hiring, and even more important, say something good about you without you even knowing it.

It is important to stay in touch with your warm links, including previous supervisors and coworkers and other professional associates. Warm links are almost always reciprocal and should be treated as such. You should see opportunities to advance and support them.

Like-minded connections (weak ties 2)

You are connected to—and should be connected to—as many like-minded people as you can. If you are a Return Peace Corps Volunteer, I think you should connect to every other RPCVs (I call it the ‘Peace Corps Mafia’ with pride!)

If you are a proud alum of your college, connect with other alumni. If you work on youth leadership in Latin America, then you should connect with other young leaders in Latin America. These like-minded links have the potential to grow into warm links.

Where Else Are Weak Ties?

Weak ties are all around you. Don’t just think about those you know in international development, who may be unemployed like you. Think about everyone you interact with.

• Where do you find weak ties? Help us all realize more options!

For example, I went mountain biking last weekend with a weak tie. I ride with him about once a month, but don’t know much about him past our common love of an endorphin high. Last week, he brought someone new to me for our ride. That person turned out to be very interested in my background and my job search.

I had an informational interview with him on Wednesday. He semi-offered me a job. Better yet, his wife did a job with a local hospital that was exactly what I did for international development organizations. She and I are to talk next week.

Will it lead to a job? I don’t know, but it feels great to be recognized for my skills again.

And this is my message to you today. Think outside your close friend group. Think outside the mental box of international development. Think about weak ties. Your job search will be better for it.