Have you ever found yourself making a list of close friends and associates who can help you with finding a job? Has it yielded the desired results?
It’s time to stop and start looking at your weak ties. Why? Because, your weak ties are a lot more likely to move the ball forward than your close ones.
What are Weak ties?
Weak ties are acquaintances that you meet on a professional group, friends of a neighbor, parents of your children’s friends who are on the same soccer team or someone you used to work with but are not close to.
They are persons that you literally have little or no history with, but can make all the difference in your job search.
Here are reasons why you need to leverage on your weak ties to clinch your desired job;
1) Studies has shown that you are likely to accept new ideas from acquaintances than close friends
2) Close friends may be more reluctant to be invested in your job search than weak ties.
3) As a job seeker, you are likely to communicate explicitly with a weak tie, stating what you want exactly than to a close friend whom you assume should know how unhappy you are in your present job
4) Weak ties expand your network as they serve as bridges and provide more efficient access to new information
How to reach out to weak ties when job hunting?
– Make a list of those you have worked with in the past in same function and department
– Make another list of those in different functions and departments
– Use a professional networking site such as LinkedIn to see where your weak ties have worked, currently working and the roles they are functioning in.
Albeit, it is hard to reach out to weak ties but once you figure it out, it is the best bet for job seekers to seek advice, insight and recommendations.
Please, note that the same rule applies to business! Weak ties buy your products more than your friends.
How do you leverage your weak ties during your job search? Please share!