ROLE OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS IN JOB SEARCH BY UNEMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS

The recent growth of online social networks has enabled job seekers to stay connected with all of their acquaintances. Thus the number of online connections – weak or strong – that an individual is able to manage has increased significantly. In this paper, we first examine if an individual’s online social network plays a role in driving her job search behavior. Secondly, we examine how the ties (weak and strong) and search intensity affect the job outcomes (job leads, interviews and offers) received from online social networks vs. those from other job search modes like career fairs & agencies, newspapers & magazines, internet, and close friends and family (offline). Using a survey data of 109 unemployed job seekers, we find that weak ties are especially helpful in generating job leads but it is the strong ties that play an important role in generating job interviews and job offers