Weak Ties for a Weak Population: Expanding Personal Social Networks Among the Unemployed to Increase Job-Seeking Success

Sharabi, Moshe; Simonovich, Javier

doi:10.1002/joec.12047

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…On the other hand, 'strong ties' (that is, relationships involving more frequent interactions, higher emotional intensity and investment of time and energy) are associated with greater sharing of information and resources, sponsorship and mentoring (Seibert, Kraimer, & Liden, 2001), which can help people acquire roles and advance their careers. Studies have demonstrated the utility of weak ties (that is, for improved employment outcomes (Sharabi & Simonovich, 2017;Zenou, 2013). However, further information on the relationship between weak ties through online networks and graduate employment outcomes is needed; for example, using Facebook network data and graduate outcomes, Mayer (2012) was not able to conclusively demonstrate an association between the use of weak ties and graduate employment.…”

Section: <A>social Connectedness Networking and Careersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social connectedness and graduate employability: exploring the professional networks of graduates from business and creative industries

Bridgstock

Jackson

Lloyd³

et al. 2019

Higher Education and the Future of Graduate Employability

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Despite widespread recognition of the importance of social networks to career development and professional learning among experienced professionals and graduates alike, there is evidence to suggest that many students complete undergraduate programs with nascent networks at best, and little idea of how to develop and make use of the affordances of face-toface and online connections for their careers. Drawing upon data from more than 600 surveys of graduates of Bachelor level programs in Creative Industries and Business fields from three Australian universities, this chapter: describes the professional networks of recent graduates; characterises their levels of social capital and benchmarks current graduate connectedness capability levels to identify opportunities for development in degree programs.

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Section: <A>social Connectedness Networking and Careersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social connectedness and graduate employability: exploring the professional networks of graduates from business and creative industries

Bridgstock

Jackson

Lloyd³

et al. 2019

Higher Education and the Future of Graduate Employability

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“…The need for labour market intermediaries to support those with low levels of social connectedness was noted by Benner et al, (2007) and we argue that this role is increasingly important in an ageing society. Similarly, Ulrich and Brott (2011) found that career counsellors were effective in getting older unemployed back into work and in Israel Sharabi and Simonovich (2017) found that using labour market intermediates to compensate for the weak networks of chronically unemployed was effective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social networks, accessed and mobilised social capital and the employment status of older workers

Gayen

Raeside

McQuaid

2019

IJSSP

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of social networks, and the social capital embedded in them, to secure employment if someone had become unemployed after the age of 50 years and to reveal the process of accessing and mobilising that social capital. Design/methodology/approach A case study of a Scottish labour market was undertaken which involved an interview-based survey of those who became unemployed in their early 50’s and tried to regain employment. The interview had structured and unstructured parts which allowed both quantitative and qualitative analysis to compare those who were successful in regaining work with those who were not. The uniqueness of the paper is the use of social network components while controlling for other socio-economic and demographic variables in job search of older workers. Findings Those older people who were unemployed and, returned to employment (reemployed) had a higher proportion of contacts with higher prestige jobs, their job searching methods were mainly interpersonal and the rate of finding their last job via their social networks was higher than those who remained unemployed. Both groups mobilised social capital (MSC), but those reemployed accessed higher “quality” social capital. “Strong ties”, rather than “weak ties”, were found to be important in accessing and mobilising social capital for the older workers who returned to employment. Research limitations/implications This work is limited to a local labour market and is based on a small but informative sample. However, it does show that policy is required to allow older people to enhance their social networks by strengthening the social capital embedded in the networks. The results support the use of intermediaries as bridges to help compensate for older people who have weak social networks. Besides the policy implications, the paper also has two distinct research implications. First, the use of social network component to the existing literature of older workers’ job search. Second, exploring the type and relational strength with network members to explain older workers’ reemployment. Practical implications The paper illustrates that how accessed and MSC can be measured. Social implications As populations age, this work points to an approach to support older people to re-enter employment and to include them in society. Originality/value The paper extends social network and employment literature to fill gaps on how older people require to both access and mobilise social capital. The importance of “strong ties” in the reemployment of older workers contrasts with much of the literature on younger workers where the “strength of weak ties” so far has been regarded as essential for successful job search. Measures are forwarded to reveal the relevance of social capital. The policy value of the work is in suggesting ways to facilitate older people re-enter or remain in work and hence sustain their well-being.

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“…There are several main explanations for this. : a) individuals are becoming used to being unemployed, thus lowering their expectations of finding a job and are investing more in family and leisure domains at the expense of work domain (Sharabi & Harpaz, 2007;Sharabi & Simonovich, 2017;Noon, et al, 2013); b) resulting in a decreased self-esteem and self-respect due to the humiliation that the individual has experienced while searching for a job (Rothman 1987;Janlert, et al, 2015); and c) lastly, with ageing, it becomes harder to find a suitable job that would enhance interest in work-life (Sharabi & Simonovich, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, work centrality among the unemployed is lower in comparison to people who are employed in various jobs, similar to that of part-time workers (Harpaz, 1990;MOW, 1987). As the period of unemployment extends, the tendency of the unemployed to search for a new job declines (Janlert, et al, 2015;Sharabi & Simonovich, 2017), which indicates an increasing readiness to accept the situation and a lack of active working life. In addition, it was found that in countries where there is a prolonged period of high unemployment rates (e.g., Germany), there is a steady decrease in work centrality, and it is relatively lower compared to other countries (Sharabi & Harpaz, 2007).…”

Section: Job Dismissal Unemployment and Work Centralitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Long-term unemployment decreases the centrality of work, since individuals get used to being unemployed, thus lowering expectations regarding finding a job. At the same time, they are developing a leisure activity to fill their free time (Sharabi & Harpaz, 2007;Sharabi & Simonovich, 2017;Noon, et al, 2013). Based on the review, we offer the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: dismissal from the workplace/ job loss will contribute to an increase in the work centrality of an individual in comparison to those who have not experienced such an event.…”

Section: Job Dismissal Unemployment and Work Centralitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adverse occupational events and their impact on the centrality of work: A longitudinal study

Sharabi

Nabwani²,

Shahor

et al. 2021

HSSR

Self Cite

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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in work centrality of individuals who experienced meaningful adverse occupational events (dismissal from the workplace, prolonged unemployment, and retirement), as compared to employees who did not experience such events over 12 years. Methodology: By implementing a fixed-sample panel /longitudinal research,12 years after conducting the Meaning of Work questioner, 411 individuals were located and re-conducted. The respondents were asked about life and work events they had experienced between the first and second time. The data was analysed by regular and multivariate analysis of variance. Main Findings: The work centrality of individuals who experienced prolonged unemployment did not change, while it increased among those who did not experience these events. Experiencing dismissal from work increased work centrality. Unexpectedly, work centrality continues to increase among individuals after retirement. Applications: There are several suggestions for the social and welfare and policymakers regarding adverse occupational events and the impact these policies may have on the magnitude of these events on work centrality. Novelty/Originality: This is a unique longitudinal study over twelve years, that compared the change in work centrality among individuals who did and did not experience adverse occupational events.

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Weak Ties for a Weak Population: Expanding Personal Social Networks Among the Unemployed to Increase Job-Seeking Success

Cited by 11 publications

References 31 publications

Social connectedness and graduate employability: exploring the professional networks of graduates from business and creative industries

Social connectedness and graduate employability: exploring the professional networks of graduates from business and creative industries

Social networks, accessed and mobilised social capital and the employment status of older workers

Adverse occupational events and their impact on the centrality of work: A longitudinal study

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