The Strength of Weak Ties

My cousin, John Sullivan, wrote this piece and thought it would help folks find inspiration for networking in the new year. John is a writer, project manager and avid networker living in Dayton, Ohio. Even if you have landed a job, it is important to keep networking and meeting new people. Kudos to John for passing along some inspiration!

While it’s true that “who you know” is helpful in getting a job, “who you don’t know so well” could be more helpful. Surveys continue to show most job openings are filled by referral. But that referral is likely to come from someone you don’t know so well – like someone you might meet at Anytime Happy Hours (AHH). If you want proof, I have it.

In 1973, Mark Granovetter, then a professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University, published "The Strength of Weak Ties" in the American Journal of Sociology. His study of a random sample of job changers in a Boston suburb found that 56% got their job through a personal contact. But his key finding was this: 84% of that group got their job through a contact they saw "occasionally" or "rarely." This confirms the need to seek job-hunting assistance from people other than your closest contacts, the “weak ties.” This is because you and your closest contacts share many of the same people in your respective networks. Focusing on those you know best when job hunting or seeking new clients has a lower chance of success. You need to meet people with different networks and AHH is the place for that to happen.

Translating these academic findings into action is simple. Here are three things you can do in 2010 to network more effectively and make AHH and “weak ties” work for you:

1. Invite a Former Colleague to AHH

Former co-workers now employed elsewhere are valuable contacts that get neglected instead of nurtured. Get back in touch with one via AHH. Old associates are likely to seek former colleagues to fill job openings and they can provide you better information on the company, its culture and what it’s really like to work there. “You can get higher quality information this way,” says Dr. Granovetter.

2. Cultivate a New Relationship through AHH

Odds are you’ll meet a “weak tie” at AHH. You two may know someone in common, may have attended the same college, or belong to the same gym. That’s enough. Invite a new AHH contact to lunch and make your relationship more than an acquaintance. Casual occasions like AHH offer an easy way to maintain contact. “Weak ties are efficient in terms of time,” says Dr. Granovetter. “They take a minimum of maintenance.”

3. Respond to a Follow-Up Contact from an AHH person

Remember that you are also someone else’s “weak tie.” When someone from AHH reaches out to you, respond. Return that phone call, accept that lunch invitation or make that requested introduction. It won’t take long and could pay some big future dividends to you or someone in your network.

Stay High-Touch via AHH

Despite Wi-Fi, the Internet and social websites, networking remains a personal activity, not a virtual one. No matter what “success” is for you – getting a job, getting a better job or getting more clients – Dr. Granovetter’s findings verify the importance of personal contact through forums like AHH. “People don’t forget each other,” says Dr. Granovetter, “and that’s what makes it hard to predict who will be able to help you.”