Networking is a term that deals with creating valuable connections within organizations and communities to mobilize the existing resources and achieve set goals. The term can also be described as the skill of building coalitions. Social networking refers to the practice of increasing social contacts or one’s business by connecting with people. Mostly, networking focuses on connecting with people regardless of whether we know them or not. Social Networking occurs at different levels. At the community level, networking creates mutual relationships with the other individuals of the society. In many cases, people meet casually to hold a meeting, share meals, or carry out other activities. Such people end up sharing information, resources, and contacts with each other. Due to these connections, people may end up getting jobs, locating apartments, developing supportive strategies, and increasing trade services. Social networks have existed for a while and have now increased acceptance in the contemporary society. The purpose of this essay is to explain how social networks and contacts are significant in job creation and the role of strong versus weak ties when looking at employment in the marketing field.
Role of Social Networks in Job Creation
According to Trimble and Kmec, (2011), understanding examples of some networking activities is necessary before knowing how they influence job search in the marketing field. Some of the well-known networking activities include talking to people in a community, attending professional meetings, offering charity works in a community, among others. Networking contacts are usually found through former employers, extended family, friends, and members of different religious groups, clubs, and other groups to which a person belongs.
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When it comes to job searching, social networking has played a significant role because it acts as a strategy used to reveal more possibilities and opportunities since it majorly deals with connecting with other individuals.
Job Referrals
Social networks have been used to create jobs. In most cases, for people searching for marketing jobs, such opportunities may not be advertised at all. Therefore, the potential impact of social networks can be realized in this area. Networking often results to job leads and information even before a particular job is announced. In such instances, the stronger the connections, the more one is likely to get a job. People who are less connected may not get such opportunities. Take an example of an individual who is a human resource manager in a particular company. In the case of employees’ turnover, the manager usually knows the positions that need replacements. Consequently, the manager does not have to wait for a formal job description to connect his or her strong ties. The director’s close friends are first people who get information concerning job leads even before advertisements are done. In such a situation, the more an individual is connected to the manager, the more he or she is likely to get a job (Trimble & Kmec, 2011).
Connecting Employees and Businesses
Social networking enhances communication. Therefore, it helps people share ideas and information. Sharing information can connect employees to businesses. For instance, some people have been connected with their friends to particular companies. Social networks have been used as tools that help in unlocking new opportunities through connecting individuals and businesses (Trimble & Kmec, 2011).
Strong vs. weak ties
According to Granovetter (1983), strong and weak ties are known to play important roles in interpersonal relationships. Granovetter (1983) goes further to argue that all human relationships begin somewhere, and thus, every relationship starts with either a weak tie or how individuals become connected to others. Strong ties are usually defined as relationships that occupy inner circles while weak ties are the ones that are less established. Weak ties are the ones that lead to strong relationships. Weak ties can occur in communities or through social networking. When looking for jobs in the marketing field, both strong and weak ties are precious although the weak ties may outweigh the strong ties (Granovetter, 1983).
When individuals are searching for employment, the role of strong and weak ties come into play. In most cases, when these people use their personal networks to in the job search process they quote their acquaintances as their primary source of information even before their families of friends (Granovetter, 1983). In any network, the tie between friends is usually a stronger one as compared to that of the acquaintances, and this leads to strength of the weak ties. When a person is looking for a job, a close friend who is the strong tie struggles to help an individual land into a job. But since a person has few close friends, they might not assist in finding a job that matches one’s skills. However, weak ties spend a little time to forward one’s Curriculum Vitae to the human resource manager. The acquaintances ultimately become close friends (Trimble & Kmec, 2011).
Strong relationships have a little positive impact on an individual who is looking for a job (Granovetter, 1983). Ironically, weaker ties increase the chances of landing to a new position as opposed to the strong ties. Some individuals do not refer their friends to jobs for some reasons. For instance, people may not refer their friends because they may be worried if the referral does not work out. Thus, in such circumstances, weak ties are regarded to be strong since they are mostly used to land people on jobs as compared to the strong ties (Greenberg & Fernandez, 2016).
In the job search, people should recognize the role played by the strong and weak ties. Adding more people to social networks often takes a lot of time especially when a person is adding strong ties. Similarly, it is also challenging when people try to stay in touch with their new acquaintances. However, adding weak ties to a network gives it more vitality and cognitive flexibility. These weak links lead to more social contacts hence unlocking new job opportunities ( Lomi, Robins, & Tranmer, 2016) . Therefore, people should always focus on tapping into their strong ties since they lead to new weak ties that eventually create a more reliable network. Similarly, people should use their existing strong ties to add new members to their circles and reconnect with others
Conclusion
Social networking is a significant part of the mutual action at the international, national, and local levels since it empowers people to achieve their goals. People should have the abilities and skills of networking effectively because a lack of these skills may deny them numerous opportunities. In summary, social networks and contacts have made the world we live in a better place because they have had positive impacts in many spheres of life. The most significant impact has been noticed in the area of job creation. As discussed above, they connect employers with employees and also aid in referrals. People should use these networks as tools for job search and application. People who are looking for jobs should focus on building strong relationships with their friends who connect them with new networks, and this may land them into more and unexpected jobs. Numerous people have landed jobs because of strong social networks. Therefore, the role of social networks and contacts in job searching process cannot be ignored.
References
Granovetter, Mark S. (1983). The strength of weak ties: A network theory revisited' Sociological theory 1(1), 201-233.
Greenberg, J., Fernandez, R. M. (2016). The Strength of Weak Ties in MBA Job Search: A Within–Person Test. Sociological Science , 3 , 296-316.
Lomi, A., Robins, G., Tranmer, M. (2016). Introduction to multilevel social networks: Social Networks , (44), 266-268.
Trimble, L. Kmec, J. (2011). The Role of Social Networks in Getting a Job: Sociology Compass , 5 (2), 165-178.
