The importance of networking

When it comes to professional networking, in this digital age there is hardly any way round LinkedIn. But how crucial is it today to build up a large network on this platform in order to benefit from career opportunities? This also raises the crucial question of what really constitutes a valuable network.

It is becoming increasingly clear today that, whilst knowledge and commitment are important for securing a job offer, they are not sufficient on their own. A study by the Institute for Employment Research shows that around 40 per cent of vacancies in Germany are filled through personal connections.

This figure clearly illustrates the opportunities offered by a strong network. So-called ‘connections’ can improve your prospects in the job market, open up new career prospects and facilitate access to support, ‘insider knowledge’ and valuable contacts.

Anyone wishing to build a broad network on LinkedIn should first understand which contacts actually offer the greatest added value for career opportunities.

A study by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, Stanford and LinkedIn itself provided some fascinating insights into this question. In total, around 20 million people took part in an experiment that specifically analysed LinkedIn’s ‘People You May Know’ algorithm. Over a five-year period, around 2 billion new connections were made. Some users received more suggestions for close contacts, whilst others were given more frequent recommendations for weaker connections. A professor at MIT explains:

“the stronger the newly added ties were, the less likely they were to lead to a job referral.”

The strength of a connection was measured based on the intensity of interaction and the number of mutual friends between the users. Thus, “moderately weak ties” – that is, those with fewer than 10 mutual contacts on LinkedIn – were more likely to lead to a job than connections with whom one is in regular contact.

The reason for this is that people in one’s immediate circle often have similar social networks to one’s own, and this offers little advantage when looking for a job. Casual acquaintances, however, operate within different networks in which you yourself are not active. This gives you access to new contacts, information and opportunities that you would otherwise not have had the chance to encounter.

This phenomenon is particularly evident in digital sectors, where knowledge, technology and trends are evolving at a rapid pace. In light of advancing digitalisation and the increasing use of AI, networking is becoming significantly more important. This demonstrates that, despite automated AI processes, real people and genuine connections remain an essential factor for success.