Weak ties are casual contacts: a former classmate, a summer-job coworker, a friend’s older sibling. Sociologist Mark Granovetter found they are often more useful for job leads than close friends. Your inner circle tends to know the same openings you already know. Weak ties sit in other rooms, so they hear about work you would never see. That is why a short conversation with someone you know only a little can matter more than another round of applications your friends already sent.

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