engleski

The Role of Personal Social Network Composition and Structure in Predicting Job Search Outcomes

Aim. Unemployment rates among young people tend to be higher than for other segments of the population. This is due to a lack of experience which makes it more difficult for them to find jobs, and they can't gain the practical experience they need unless they can find someone willing to hire them. For these reasons, successful transition from college to work depends on individual factors that define someone’s employability beyond the necessary training or skills to do the jobs. Recent studies of human social networks have revealed individual differences in their composition and structure. Considerable research demonstrated that structural aspects of social relationships, as reflected in the size of ego-centric social networks, are influenced by demographic variables and life experiences. However, our knowledge on the role of various personal social network variables in predicting career success is still fairly scarce. So, current study investigates a role of personal social network composition and structure in job search success during a one-year period of transition from college to work. Personal social network was conceptualized as an indicator of individual social capital, i.e., available resource that the person can realize through social relations, which potentially play a significant role in predicting individual differences in job search efficacy. Methodology. Graduates (N=303) from different public universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina were surveyed immediately after receiving diploma and followed up six months and one year after graduating when 138 (45%) of them were employed and 165 (65%) still unemployed. Various socio-demographic characteristics of the graduates as well as self-reported personal network characteristics – composition and structure, were in focus of the first wave of data collection. Job search intensity and employment status were measured in the follow up. Results. Logistic regressions revealed that socio-demographic characteristics of the graduates as well as their job search intensity were no significant predictors of employment status six months or one year after entering the labor market. However, personal social network variables were significant predictors: Personal network composition, i.e., social status of acquaintances and strength of ties were significant predictors of job search success. Contrary to our expectations, size of personal network, as an indicator of network structure, was no significant predictor of employment status in the period of one year after graduation. Limitations. The study used self- report measures of personal social network composition and structure and was conducted on a convenience sample, limiting the generalizability of findings. Furthermore, job search success was measured as a binary variable. Implications. As personal social network composition predicts successful transition from college to work, the process of gaining and losing social capital may be crucial for the explanation of differences in career success among people of comparable human capital characteristics. Findings of this study are potentially relevant for our understanding of the phenomena appearing on a societal level, such as the chronically high unemployment rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Originality/Value. The study integrates findings on various dimensions of personal social network and tests their incremental validity in predicting job search success.

unemployment, network structure, network composition, college-work transition

nije evidentirano