There is a natural tendency when we walk into a professional gathering to find someone we already know. A familiar face makes the room more comfortable. We start talking with a friend, colleague or former coworker, and before we realize it, much of the evening has been spent with people who were already part of our professional world.
Those relationships matter. But there is another opportunity standing in the same room that can be much easier to overlook: the people you do not know.
Some of the people who could have the greatest impact on your career or business may be people you simply haven't met yet. There is substantial research behind that idea. Sociologist Mark Granovetter famously described the "strength of weak ties" more than five decades ago, arguing that acquaintances can provide access to information and opportunities that may not circulate through our closest social circles.
Modern research has put that theory to an extraordinary test. A 2022 study published in Science analyzed randomized experiments involving more than 20 million LinkedIn users over five years, during which approximately 2 billion new connections and 600,000 new jobs were created. Researchers found causal evidence supporting the value of weaker professional ties in job mobility, although the effect varied depending on the strength of the connection and industry.
Think about why. Your friends and closest colleagues are invaluable, but there is considerable overlap between what they know and what you know. You may know many of the same people, work in similar industries and hear about many of the same opportunities. Someone outside that circle brings an entirely different network into the conversation.
A stranger standing across the room may work in an industry you have never considered. That person may know a decision maker you would otherwise never encounter. They may know about a company that is expanding, a position that has not crossed your radar or a business opportunity outside your normal field of vision.
This is not an argument for transactional networking. Walking around a room calculating what every person can do for you is not relationship building. The better approach is curiosity. Ask people what they do, what they are working on and what brought them into the room. Listen for opportunities to contribute as well as receive. A meaningful professional relationship begins with a conversation, not a transaction.
This becomes particularly important if you are considering changing industries while remaining in the same career function. You may be an accomplished marketing, finance, technology, human resources, operations or communications professional whose experience is highly transferable. The obstacle may not be your ability to perform the job. The obstacle may simply be that your existing network is concentrated in the industry where you already work.
Expanding that network can change the equation. Someone from another industry may help you understand how your experience translates into their sector, introduce you to a decision maker or simply help you see possibilities you had not considered. Research on employee referrals provides additional evidence of the importance of professional connections: one study of a large U.S. corporation found referred candidates were more likely to be hired, initially earned more and remained with the company longer.
That is something worth remembering this Friday at HispanicPro's 18th Annual ¡Viva La Hispanidad! Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff Celebration.
Reconnect with colleagues. Say hello to your friends. Strengthen the relationships you already have. But then look around the room and notice the faces you don't recognize.
Introduce yourself.
Careers rarely move in straight lines, and the opportunity that shapes your next chapter may come through someone who isn't on your radar yet. Your current network helped you get here. The people you haven't met yet may help shape where you go next.
Sources
- Brown, M., Setren, E., & Topa, G. (2016). Do informal referrals lead to better matches? Evidence from a firm's employee referral system. Journal of Labor Economics, 34(1), 161–209.
- Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360–1380.
- Rajkumar, K., Saint-Jacques, G., Bojinov, I., Brynjolfsson, E., & Aral, S. (2022). A causal test of the strength of weak ties. Science, 377(6612), 1304–1310.
Comments