Networks

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-survey-reveals-85-all-jobs-filled-via-networking-lou-adler/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2016/08/17/to-get-a-job-use-your-weak-ties/#5fb658236b87

My friend told me that he heard from someone who works in Human Resources at McKinsey that 80% percent of interviews for jobs/internships are achieved when the applicant contacts someone who works at or has connections to the company and asks the person to call HR and get them to remove his/her resume from the pile. In the LinkedIn article, the author discusses a survey of how the vast majority of jobs are achieved through networking.

The Forbes article goes off of this by discussing how weak ties are the main ways applicants can get a job, or at least an interview. The article, which focuses on weak ties, as we discussed in class, talks a lot about a paper we also discussed in class: The Strength of Weak Ties. You need to use your vast network of weak ties to find someone with the connection you need to the company you are applying to. In class, we discussed how a weak tie can be a bridge that connects one component of a graph to another component. Thus, without the weak tie, there would be a whole component of a graph unavailable to you.

The Forbes article also talks about how to use your weak ties effectively. First, there is reaching out to your weak tie. This can be broken down into categories, based on if your tie worked in the same job function as you or in a different one. Based on those categories, there are different ways to reach out to your weak tie. Finally, the article says don’t be afraid to reach out to your weak ties. Most of the time, they are more than happy to help.