We all know what a huge tool networking is these days! Staying connected with your friends and coworkers from years past is always a helpful resource to have at your disposal. In the past, if one was reaching out to an old friend to inquire about a potential job opportunity, it would have taken weeks of time to get writing correspondence back and forth between the two parties. Now, within seconds, at the touch of a button or two, the same type of correspondence can be initiated. Why not take full advantage of such an amazing job search tool?!
As great as LinkedIn can be at getting your profile information out into the right hands and keeping you connected within the right circles in your particular field, there can still be holes in the system. Not everyone has made it over to LinkedIn quite yet, but everyone and their grandfather has found their way to Facebook. Therefore, although LinkedIn offers you professional avenues of employment opportunity within an easy-to-use interface, Facebook offers a network that goes one step further, unearthing the folks that you haven’t seen or spoken to in ages.
You might ask, why bother to add people that you have no current relationship with? If you have zero interest in following the newsfeed of your first grade pen pal, we understand. If you don’t really desire to rekindle a friendship with the guy you worked with for like three weeks at camp one summer, we don’t blame you. However, take a minute to rethink the potential power of adding these seemingly insignificant long lost friends.
Studies in this arena have shown that these weak ties to Facebook friends are actually more valuable than strong connections to those with whom you maintain current relationships. The reason for this is that you pay little attention to these friends with which you are loosely tied. Those friends who you would consider to have strong connections with often bombard your newsfeed with redundant information, the same song and dance you looked at last week. However, the friends with weak ties seem to pop up less frequently, you pay less attention to the daily happenings of their life. Thus, there is a better chance that they will introduce you to new information or new opportunities.
So, when you run across an old acquaintance and are debating on hitting that “Add Friend” button, consider the unexpected job opportunities it might one day bring your way. When you are on the hunt for a new job, you will want to open as many doors as possible, so get connected!
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