Getting a Job: An Analysis of Networking Techniques used by Princeton Students in the Employment Market

Abstract

Building off the work of Mark Granovetter and Nancy Howell Lee, this thesis observes the employment search networks of Princeton University seniors. I interviewed thirty-five students who were actively or had recently completed searches for employment and constructed visual representations of each student’s search network. I found that students searching for employment in locations geographically close to home conduct more focused searches and students searching for employment in industries requiring specific technological or scientific knowledge or skill conducted shorter, more efficient searches. I also found evidence supporting Granovetter’s 1973 hypothesis regarding the strength of weak ties, as Princeton students use far more weak ties in searches for employment. All students used impersonal methods of communication most frequently, but also indicated the power of personal methods of communication.