Job Hunter Newsletter
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The Law Of 250 and The Strength Of Weak Ties

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Contents

Job Search Video

"Mastering Case Interview Questions"

Case questions may seem daunting at first, but they are an excellent opportunity to showcase your experience and critical thinking skills. If you think that the quality of the answer is the only thing that matters to the interviewer, you're missing out. Learn how to approach these types of questions in one-minute-video tip:

www.CollegeGrad.com/job-search-videos/mastering-case-interview-questions.shtml

CollegeGrad.com features more than 60 job tips in one minute video format. Review them all at:

www.CollegeGrad.com/job-search-videos

Contents

Job Search Tip of the Week, by Brian Krueger, author of "College Grad Job Hunter," the #1 book for entry level job search:

"The Law Of 250 and The Strength Of Weak Ties"

The Law of 250 states that every person knows at least 250 other people. For example, if you were to make a list of people to invite to your wedding, you would likely be able to come up with about 250 people. These people might not appear to be outstanding first-level job networking contacts, but many will be able to refer you to others who are.

Expanding the concept of the Law of 250 further, each one of your contacts knows an additional 250 people. Yes, there may be some overlap in the 250, especially with a family member or close friend. But the exponential multiplying factor of the additional contacts is what makes networking so potentially valuable in your job search.

Use the Law of 250 as inspiration to contact one more person to enter into your personal network. Although you may not find your next job within your 250, it is very likely that it may exist within someone else's 250.

A corollary to the Law of 250 is the strength of weak ties. As we stated earlier, if one of your 250 is also a family member or close friend, there will likely be some overlap. You may have fifty, one hundred, or even one hundred fifty contacts in common. So actually it is those who are the weakest ties who have the greatest potential for your network. Your weekend tennis partner may share no first-level contacts within your 250, potentially opening you up to a totally new group of people.

It is typically not your first-level contact who may be your eventual Hiring Manager. Typically, you will usually find your hiring contact two or three levels deep.

This is not to discount the importance of the first-level contacts—they are the starting point and will determine your eventual success or failure in networking. But don't be surprised if one day you get a call from a person completely unknown to you—a "friend of a friend of a friend" referring you to a particular company. Cultivate all your contacts and watch them grow!

Next newsletter: "Whom To Contact In Networking"

Contents

Education Center

"Hot Industries: Science & Engineering"

From teaching to engineering, robust career opportunities always seem to await the technically or scientifically savvy. While the job market as a whole tends to fluctuate, there's no denying that there's a large societal push for newer, better, sleeker technology, not to mention biomedical breakthroughs. Areas such as civil, mechanical, electrical, and materials engineering are booming, and there's always a demand for qualified science teachers and professors.

Earning advanced degrees is always a boost to your resume, but it's particularly important in science and engineering. While many entry-level jobs require only a bachelor's degree, more lucrative positions typical require master's or doctorate degrees. This is particularly true for those hoping to become managers or find their niche in research and development. While a master's degree in a field like engineering management will boost advancement opportunities at cutting-edge companies and firms, a PhD can land you a position in a prestigious laboratory or university.

Browse Top Engineering Programs:

www.CollegeGrad.com/education/science-engineering/

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- Help Spread The Word!

Do you know of someone who can benefit from the information in this newsletter? Simply forward this e-mail to them and tell them to subscribe at http://www.CollegeGrad.com/newsletter. Thanks for spreading the good word!

Contents

Job Search Links:

Contents

- Job Search Book Online

There are at least two other entry level Web sites that offer books on job searching, proclaming that they will tell you everything you need to know about entry level job search.

However, there is a very important point about these books they don't mention up front: they cost money.

At CollegeGrad.com, we give you two things they don't:

  1. The #1 entry level job search book ("College Grad Job Hunter").
  2. It's free.

It's that simple. So don't buy the hype. Read the real information you need for FREE:

http://www.CollegeGrad.com/book

Don't ever pay for books or reports or resources of lower quality when you can access the very best quality information for free.

P.S. Yes, you can buy "College Grad Job Hunter" in hardcopy format as well at Amazon.com for $15 (actually, 30% off that price), but the online version is better. Why? Because the version at Amazon.com is being continually updated at CollegeGrad.com. So the most current version of the book is actually the online, free version.

Disclaimer: please note that all of the links were active as of the newsletter publication, but some may become inactive over time.


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