Social networks key to career success

Source: The Courier-Mail

THE NEW YORK TIMES ran an illuminating article this week highlighting the subtle factors that hold certain groups back in the workplace.

Nancy DiTomaso, who conducted research on the unemployment disparity between whites and blacks in the US, finds that the driving but unspoken force behind it is often the favouritism that results from social networking.

We all know how important networking is -- most of us probably didn't get our jobs by cold-submitting a resume. So it makes sense that disadvantaged groups -- no matter their skills -- have a much harder time finding an "in." "In the context of widespread networking, the idea that there is a job 'market' based solely on skills, qualifications and merit is false," writes DiTomaso.

So while outright discrimination may not be as big a factor in inequality as it once was, the side effects or our not-fully-integrated lives continue to weigh heavily on success.

Is this kind of favouritism affecting you? Have you had help because of your social networks? Let us know in the comments.

And since networking is a necessary part of modern life, here's how to build one:

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