Rethinking Your Job Search: Weak Ties Are Your Strongest Asset

In the past 6 months, I've had the opportunity to coach many high-quality, talented humans who have been affected by layoffs. One piece of advice I consistently give is to think about talking to people as a way to connect with different "nodes" in your professional ecosystem, rather than using those interactions solely as a means to ask for a job.

Let’s say you’re going to reach out to a close contact. The problem with the “Do you/Does your company have a job for me” approach is multifold. First, it creates an awkward dynamic: you feel tense and uncomfortable, and the other person is put on their heels, because more often than not they don’t actually have a job for you. Second, it changes the nature of the conversation. It becomes convergent, geared toward narrowing into the answer to that question. Gosh is there actually anything here for seeker? Third, the answer is a binary – Yes or No. If it’s a Yes, you may leverage your contact to pursue the job in that organization. Wonderful. On the other hand, if it’s No, well, conversation over. The black circles in the graphic below represent new connections you will not make using this binary approach.

My advice about job searching is anchored in the work of sociologist Mark Granovetter, who emphasized the importance of "weak ties" in networks. His groundbreaking research, detailed in his 1973 paper "The Strength of Weak Ties," found that acquaintances or loose connections – weak ties – often provide more unique and valuable information than our close friends and family, our strong ties. These weak ties act as bridges to different social circles and can open up new opportunities that we wouldn't have access to otherwise.

When you head into conversations with your close contacts (i.e., strong ties) with a 'do you have a job for me' mentality, you're closing off your access to those weak ties. Instead, head into those conversations with a solid understanding and articulation of your background. “You know I built my career on software development and grew into a lead role, but for the past couple of years I have focused on the product management space. I moved to CompanyX and was working on ProductY. That role was less technical but I really leveraged my technical knowledge base to ensure that the business got what they needed from the dev team.”

Then be ready to talk about what you're seeking and what would be helpful.

“At this point I see probably about 3 different paths for me. I could go to ZtypeOfCompany in whatever role, or I could get hands on again, which I am still passionate about, or etc….” then say “Based on what I’ve said, what do you think?” At bare minimum, conversations like this reveal new information to you.

“I know to do OptionB I need to learn more about that career path. Do you know anyone who can help me better understand what it really involves and how I can be more attractive to those sorts of companies?”

“Based on my research ACME Corp has a really cool division doing the kind of work I’m into. Do you know anyone who can help me better understand that org?”

Your strong tie is likely to connect you to another person who you do not yet know. Keep that conversation equally open. Handle it similarly to how I have outlined it above. In this way you will traverse from node to node, contact to contact, exponentially expanding your own network reach.

So, in your job search, remember the power of weak ties. Engage in conversations in ways that will broaden your network and expose you to new nodes. By doing so, you're not just asking for a job; you're building a rich, interconnected web of potential opportunities that can lead you to your next big thing.