Job Search Tip of the Week
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The Law Of 250 and The Strength Of Weak Ties |
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The Law of 250 states that every person knows at least 250 other people. For example, if you were to make a list of people to invite to your wedding, you would likely be able to come up with about 250 people. These people might not appear to be outstanding first-level job networking contacts, but many will be able to refer you to others who are. Expanding the concept of the Law of 250 further, each one of your contacts knows an additional 250 people. Yes, there may be some overlap in the 250, especially with a family member or close friend. But the exponential multiplying factor of the additional contacts is what makes networking so potentially valuable in your job search. Use the Law of 250 as inspiration to contact one more person to enter into your personal network. Although you may not find your next job within your 250, it is very likely that it may exist within someone else's 250. A corollary to the Law of 250 is the strength of weak ties. As we stated earlier, if one of your 250 is also a family member or close friend, there will likely be some overlap. You may have fifty, one hundred, or even one hundred fifty contacts in common. So actually it is those who are the weakest ties who have the greatest potential for your network. Your weekend tennis partner may share no first-level contacts within your 250, potentially opening you up to a totally new group of people. It is typically not your first-level contact who may be your eventual Hiring Manager. Typically, you will usually find your hiring contact two or three levels deep. This is not to discount the importance of the first-level contacts--they are the starting point and will determine your eventual success or failure in networking. But don't be surprised if one day you get a call from a person completely unknown to you--a "friend of a friend of a friend" referring you to a particular company. Cultivate all your contacts and watch them grow! |
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Content written by Brian Krueger, President, CollegeGrad.com, Inc. Copyright 2004 CollegeGrad.com, Inc. Used by permission of the author and publisher. Additional entry level career information is available at www.CollegeGrad.com |
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Updated:
11/23/2009
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