Social Capital Case Study

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Many people believe that it is very difficult in today’s society to get a job just on the qualifications that you present. This is because many believe that the only way to succeed is to have social networks and relationships with the right people who at the end of the day, will give you an advantage over others applying for the same position. This all applies to the theory of social capital which is “the networks or connections that individuals possess” (Brym and Lie 2012: 121). Individuals are more likely to thrive if they have strong bonds of trust, cooperation, mutual respect and obligations with well-positioned individuals (Brym and Lie 2012:121). The key idea is that having strong ties with the right people, will help a person find opportunities that should be taken advantage of. In this case, I have personally experienced social capital through getting my current part-time job. …show more content…

She knew that they were hiring and decided to hand in my resume to the store manager who she had a great relationship with from working so many years together. There was three girls including myself who were applying for the same position and only one of us were going to get it. One person had three years of experience with customer service from working at other places. The second person was an undergraduate who was well educated. Then there was me who was just looking for a job to earn some money. Next thing I knew, I was the one chosen out of us three to work for them. What helped me was the fact that my cousin had a special bond with the owner which gave me the advantage even though I was not as educated as the other

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