Your next job may come from a stranger

I was enjoying the sun finally in Newcastle with my daughter and I was thinking how unpredictable the job hunt can be.

One of my clients, let’s call him Steve, had been applying for months with no luck. He was sending out dozens of CVs a week, even writing some  cover letters, and still hearing nothing back.

Then one day, he got a message on LinkedIn. It was from an old uni classmate he hadn’t spoken to in five years. He’d seen his post about looking for roles and mentioned his company was hiring. A week later, Steve had an interview. Two weeks after that, he had an offer in hand.

The dozens of applications hadn’t worked. But one weak tie a distant connection and a post on LinkedIn changed the course of his job search.

The Principle

In the 1970s, sociologist Mark Granovetter coined the term “The Strength of Weak Ties.” His research showed that it’s often not our close friends who help us land new jobs, but acquaintances. Why? Because close friends move in the same circles as us, while weak ties open doors into entirely different networks.

In Australia today, an estimated 60–80% of roles are never publicly advertised, meaning your next opportunity might come through a conversation, not a job board.”

Actionable Steps

Here’s how you can put the “weak ties” principle to work, especially if you are not job searching right now: 

1. Reconnect with 5 old contacts this week. Send a short, genuine note. Example: “Hey, it’s been ages since we last spoke! I saw you’re working at [Company], how’s it going?”

2. Diversify your network. Don’t just talk to recruiters. Join industry Slack groups, attend meetups, or comment on LinkedIn posts. Weak ties often form in unexpected places.

3. Give before you ask. Share an article, make an introduction, or congratulate someone on their new role. People remember generosity.

4. Stay visible. A simple LinkedIn post about what you’re learning or working on keeps you top of mind when opportunities arise.

Community Snapshot

One of our Careersy Community members recently shared this win: after our LinkedIn session, they searched their network for connections at a company they admired. Buried in their contacts was someone they’d interned with years ago a person they hadn’t spoken to in a long time.

At first, they almost didn’t reach out (“too awkward, too long ago”), but they sent a short, polite message asking if their old colleague would be open to referring them. To their surprise, the reply came quickly: “Of course, happy to help.” 

That one message unlocked a referral and an opportunity they never would have accessed by applying cold. The learning? Sometimes the scariest outreach, the one you hesitate to send, is exactly the one that changes your trajectory.

This Week’s Takeaway

Your next opportunity may not come from your best friend or closest colleague. It may come from the edges of your network, the people you haven’t spoken to in years.

In the ANZ tech market, referral hiring remains one of the strongest pathways into new roles. Recruiters and hiring managers take notice when candidates come recommended, even by a casual connection. Sometimes, even getting yourself referred by someone on platforms like Glassdoor or Blind can open doors that a cold application never would. Building and nurturing weak ties isn’t just smart networking, it’s one of the fastest ways to surface opportunities hidden from the job boards.

Thanks for reading.  See you next week.