If you had to bet your future success — financial, relational, or otherwise — on just one thing, would you choose Who you know or What you know?
Sure, real life blends both. Relationships open doors; knowledge keeps you in the room. But if I had to pick just one, I’d choose Who.
The right connection can change everything — create opportunities, spark ideas, offer second chances. You can usually learn the “what” along the way, but the “who” gets you in the game.
Your turn:
- Who or What? Pick a side and let’s discuss.
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Network would come first, if I had to choose. You get a foot in a door, to find out about opportunities- I wish I had those connections. For example, I have brilliant daughter who, in college, wanted a summer internship and couldn’t find one that she could afford to take. ( how they expect a college student to pay for housing in expensive areas on an intern stipend ??). My sister, who worked in the field, took my daughter’s resume to a researcher she knew, and so daughter got a desirable internship. The next summer, after graduating, she got a job there because of the talent and hard work she had displayed. Connections got her the opening, know-how got her the job.
However, I do believe strongly in talent and hard work providing the staying power.
Now that I want my teen to have a part-time job, I wish I had connections. My husband and I work at colleges, so we don’t have a job network for him.
“Connections got her the opening, know-how got her the job.” This is how I see it, too.
I feel like we’ve shifted back and forth between these things over the years; for a while it was very much what you knew, but I feel like it’s steadily moving back toward who you know again…
I’m on Team What You Know. I can always learn more so that I can do better, but I cannot always expand my circle of acquaintances. So while I’d like to have a mix of the two, say 70/30, I know that in the end I am responsible for getting things done— or not. So I keep on learning.
Great point – ultimately, the only thing we can control is our own level of knowledge and work ethic, not our connections in life.
Interesting question!
I would be on team “What you know”. My family emigrated just before WWII and my grandfather always said that someday everything can be taken from us, but one one can take what we know.
For me, it’s easier to meet and network new people, than to learn a fundamentally new skill.
Then again, knowing *how* to grow a circle and *how* to learn new things is, in my mind, way more important than knowing things or having a big circle.
Yes! Knowing how to create a network, how and when to ask for help in moving something forward, is definitely its own unique skill.
With both network and know-how I think that the “value” can sit dormant for a long time, as well. It could be years – decades even – before a certain connection becomes valuable in some way. I think that’s a good reminder to be kind and hardworking. We never know when who (or what) we know will become especially important.
Oh wow this seems like such a simple question but I find that my thoughts on it are complicated! When I think about opportunities I’ve had, they typically come from who I know. Pretty much all the work I’ve ever done has been through networking / word of mouth. But I think who you know can only get you in the door. What you know is what allows you to grow and succeed.
I am the same. Every single one of my jobs has been because of a connection; my knowledge came second. It does require a combo of the two, but some of the jobs I’ve had weren’t even posted positions. I remember talking to my graduate supervisor about wanting work and later that day he sent me an e-mail that a colleague of his was looking for someone to be a part-time project coordinator!
I agree with Suzanne- a “simple” question that really isn’t so simple. It’s definitely a blend of the two. I want to say it’s WHAT I know (that was my first response) but the more I thought about it, the more important “WHO” becomes. If you’ve been in my profession for years and years, it’s pretty obvious what you know. To really make a career-changing jump, it would have to be based on connections. Great question!
I’m sure it depends a lot on your field of study/interest. Certain industries would lend themselves more to networking vs. knowledge and vice versa. But I think at the end of the day, the biggest driver would be who you know.
It’s a blend of the 2 generally, but I would probably place network ahead of what you know. I am in the role I’m in because I met my mentor/friend Paul. He’s had the single biggest impact on my career. But of course I had to work hard, obtain my CFA designation, prove myself in the role, have the right personality, etc, but ultimately, crossing paths with him and impressing him opened the door to this career path.
When I was interviewing for a junior partner 2 summers ago, my interview questions were meant to suss out the right person for the role. I had a few math questions just to see if they could think on their feet. But when I was talking about my interview questions with Phil, he said the goal is to find someone you would enjoy sitting next to for the next 2 to X years. And he was right. Obviously the person had to be a hard working and have the ability to thrive in the asset management environment. And they needed a 4-year degree. And it helped that the person I hired had passed the first level of the CFA exam. But still, it was about fit, personality, and soft skills more than anything else. I couldn’t even tell you what his degree was in because it really did not matter. But in my field, communication, thinking on your feet, and having a sales personality are what make you stand out and succeed.
I think that having a personal recommendation or having behind-the-scenes access to a position or set of people can fast-track hiring. If everyone’s qualifications on paper are equal, I suspect the job will almost always go to the familiar applicant. Someone who “knows someone” or has a shared history (as long as it’s positive, of course).
Hmm I’m going to have to go with what you know. I got my job after grad school because of the minor I had done in undergrad. That line on my resume was what set me apart from the competition. When we had hiring to do, we had a couple people who applied because they knew someone who worked there who said “hey there’s an opening here!” but that never actually converted into a job offer once interviews were conducted.
Similarly, my husband got his job based on what he knew. Of course in both cases we were moving in a different direction than what our doctoral advisors were used to, so we couldn’t use their networks.
I do think it’s a complex question though. For example, there wasn’t a network to help along my husband’s application in a giant pool of applicants for the federal government. Allegedly there’s an HR algorithm that does an initial screen of applicants, and then he knew literally no one in the system. He got multiple interviews for different positions using this system so I think it’s pretty clear that his qualifications were good. But… now that he’s in the government system, should he want to switch jobs within this agency or the federal government as a whole, the network he’s developed would be important.
That’s incredible that your minor played such a valuable role. I know lots of people consider their minor as an afterthought, so it’s great to know that it can really come in clutch.
I also agree that entry-level positions are a different beast than vertical movement after you’ve been with an organization for a while. I think at the start, what you know/your resume will often mean far more than connections, but the networking side of things becomes increasingly relevant with time inside an organization.
This is an interesting topic. I’m Team What You Know, but I’d rather be Team Who You Know. I’m good at doing things for other people, but less great at asking for help and favors.
Most of the jobs that I’ve had came from just sending in an application and not knowing anyone at the company. My current job is the exception where my current boss reached out to someone who I had worked with before and asked if they knew anyone who did what I do.
I wonder what industries are predominantly Who You Know vs. other that are What You Know. I’m sure there are certain jobs that rely far more on networking than others. (Politics, for one, I suspect!)
It use to be “what” you know that would open doors but, I would say, since the 80s onwards, it’s more about “who” you know that will get the door open. But, I would still say, you have to have a certain level of skill and talent (aided by experience) otherwise all the door opening in the world isn’t going to help if you can’t do the job.
I agree. I think it has swung back and forth and is over more in the “who” category these days. Maybe because so many people have university (and post-graduate) degrees so education doesn’t make any one person stand out quite as much as it might have in a previous generation?
Unfortunately, sometimes because of nepotism etc, under-qualified people get put in positions they should never have. So there is a dark side to this, of course! And likely a very skewed socio-economic component since affluent people are more likely to have friends in positions of authority or power.
While I think the world would work better if it ran on WHAT you know, I think it often skews to WHO.
Oh, indeed, more and more it’s the who we know, not what we know. And I don’t think it will ever go back the way it was. And yes, sadly, there’s that dark side to this in that idiots end up in positions of power, and at all levels of society.
It’s networking, hands down. Most of the jobs I’ve ever held have been because a friend of a friend connected me or something like that. When we hired a new person in my department, I told the two people I knew were looking for jobs in that area that I wanted to work with about the job and we hired one of those people. You definitely need the content knowledge, too, but the knowledge itself is not going to get you a job. Networking is so crucial. But I don’t think I’m saying anything that other commenters haven’t said, so I’ll see myself out!
You have an inside look at students in university and I’m sure you see the importance of networking regularly.
In a slightly related way, whenever I talk to a student who is looking for a tutor/additional course support, I tell them their professor is their #1 resource. If you’re on the cusp of a C+ or a B- and the professor knows your name and knows you’ve been trying, chances are much better you’ll get the B- versus if you’re just a static name on a piece of paper.
I am on team “Who” All the door that were opened for me was because of I either a. had a connection or b. reached out and made a connection. My current position was becuase a collegue in a different district shared the opportunity with me. Forever grateful to her for that.