Strong Ties and Job Information

Contrary to Granovetter's hypothesis that salient job information derives from "weak ties" (acquaintances), this study of 299 social and physical scientists at one Canadian and one U.S. university reveals that "strong ties" (intimates) were approximately seven times more prevalent than "weak ties." Furthermore, with only one exception (U.S. graduates who obtained Canadian academic positions), the reliance on "weak ties" for job information declined from 1920 to 1978. Although a greater amount of job information can be obtained through weak ties, the problem is to locate only the few openings for which one would be seriously considered and would consider accepting. Long lists of undesirable unobtainable positions are of little interest. Thus, it is more efficient to rely on a few intimate colleagues (strong ties) in seeking employment.

[1]  Gary D. Sandefur,et al.  Opportunity and Change. , 1978 .

[2]  Theodore Caplow,et al.  The Academic Marketplace. , 1959 .

[3]  D. R. Roberts,et al.  Labor Mobility in Six Cities. , 1955 .

[4]  R. Dingwall,et al.  Sociology and Social Research , 1981 .

[5]  Manfred Kochen,et al.  On the economics of information , 1972, J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci..

[6]  M. Spector.  The Rise and Fall of a Mobility Route , 1972 .

[7]  Leo A. Goodman,et al.  A General Model for the Analysis of Surveys , 1972, American Journal of Sociology.

[8]  David G. Brown.  The mobile professors , 1967 .

[9]  David G. Brown.  ACADEMIC LABOR MARKETS. , 1965 .

[10]  O. D. Duncan,et al.  The American Occupational Structure , 1967 .

[11]  D. Sullivan,et al.  Theories and theory groups in contemporary American sociology , 1975 .

[12]  Otis Dudley Duncan,et al.  Partitioning polytomous variables in multiway contigency analysis , 1975 .

[13]  George J. Stigler,et al.  Information in the Labor Market , 1962, Journal of Political Economy.

[14]  Mark S. Granovetter.  The Strength of Weak Ties , 1973, American Journal of Sociology.

[15]  Mark S. Granovetter.  Getting a Job: A Study of Contacts and Careers , 1974 .

[16]  M. Bronfenbrenner.  Observations on the "Chicago School(s)" , 1962, Journal of Political Economy.

[17]  S. Boorman.  A Combinatorial Optimization Model for Transmission of Job Information through Contact Networks , 1975 .

[18]  Diana Crane,et al.  Invisible colleges. Diffusion of knowledge in scientific communities , 1972, Medical History.

[19]  Samuel Bromfield,et al.  The Search for an Abortionist. , 1969 .

[20]  M. Spector.  Secrecy in Job Seeking Among Government Attorneys: , 1973 .

[21]  E. E. Jones.  Identity and community in the gay world. , 1974 .

[22]  M. Kochen,et al.  Contacts and influence , 1978 .

[23]  G. Stigler.  The Economics of Information , 1961, Journal of Political Economy.

[24]  R. Collins.  The Credential Society: An Historical Sociology of Education and Stratification , 1979 .