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Getting a Job

A Study of Contacts and Careers

2d edition
This classic study of how 282 men in the United States found their jobs not only proves "it’s not what you know but who you know," but also demonstrates how social activity influences labor markets. Examining the link between job contacts and social structure, Granovetter recognizes networking as the crucial link between economists studies of labor mobility and more focused studies of an individual’s motivation to find work.

This second edition is updated with a new Afterword and includes Granovetter’s influential article "Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problems of Embeddedness."

"Who would imagine that a book with such a prosaic title as ’getting a job’ could pose such provocative questions about social structure and even social policy? In a remarkably ingenious and deceptively simple analysis of data gathered from a carefully designed sample of professional, technical, and managerial employees . . . Granovetter manages to raise a number of critical issues for the economic theory of labor markets as well as for theories of social structure by exploiting the emerging ’social network’ perspective."—Edward O. Laumann, American Journal of Sociology

"This short volume has much to offer readers of many disciplines. . . . Granovetter demonstrates ingenuity in his design and collection of data."—Jacob Siegel, Monthly Labor Review

"A fascinating exploration, for Granovetter’s principal interest lies in utilizing sociological theory and method to ascertain the nature of the linkages through which labor market information is transmitted by ’friends and relatives.’"—Herbert Parnes, Industrial and Labor Relations Review


259 pages | 6 x 9 | © 1995

Sociology: General Sociology

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Pt. 1: Toward Causal Models
Ch. 1: "Job Search" and Economic Theory
Ch. 2: Contacts and Their Information
Ch. 3: The Dynamics of Information Flow
Ch. 4: The Dynamics of Vacancy Structure
Ch. 5: Contacts: Acquisition and Maintenance
Ch. 6: Career Structure
Ch. 7: Some Theoretical Implications
Pt. 2: Mobility and Society
Ch. 8: Mobility and Organizations
Ch. 9: Comparative Perspectives
Ch. 10: Applications
Afterword 1994: Reconsiderations and a New Agenda
Appendix A: Design and Conduct of the Study
Appendix B: Coding Rules and Problems
Appendix C: Letters and Interview Schedules
Appendix D: Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness
References
Index

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