Social capital helps you find a better job

When talking about the importance of social capital, I often reference research such as Mark Granovetter's "Strength of Weak Ties" article that talk about how our social network helps us find jobs.  The underlying premise of these studies is that the broader our network, the more likely are we are to hear about good jobs, get referrals to opportunities etc.

I came across an interesting twist on this research on Bill Sherman's Aha Moments blog.  Here Sherman summarizes a new study by Bonnie Erickson (see Sherman's post for citation details) which suggests that employers actively seek to hire people who have high social capital, as they value the relationships that a new employee might bring to the company.

Add this to the list of "why social capital is good for you"!