Ask and you shall receive: Social network contacts’ provision of help during the job search

• Most contacts are able and willing to help job seekers with their searches for work.
• High status contacts (male, employed, or educated) are better able to help than low.
• Contacts who are familiar with job seekers’ qualifications are able to help.
• Contacts are willing to help job seekers who they perceive to be “good” workers.

Social network contacts—the people who are asked to help with others’ job searches—are key players in the job networking process. Before job seekers can become employed with the help social networks, contacts must first be able and willing to share the social resources job seekers need for their search. Little is known about the factors that affect contacts’ ability and willingness to do this. Analyses of a unique dataset of contacts show that they typically have access to resources and help job seekers by sharing them. Still, contacts are better able to help when they are male, employed, and better educated than job seekers. They are more willing to help when they perceive job seekers to be “good” workers. In identifying the conditions in which contacts provide social resources, this study illustrates how social networks are a productive job search strategy for some, but not all, job seekers.