After school, Kenyan graduates struggle in a labour market that does not offer enough employment opportunities. Some graduates search for years, get disillusioned, and give up ever finding formal employment. Some find jobs, but not necessarily in the field of their profession, and possibly below their qualification. Kenya invests in and accumulates human capital that is untapped or even lost. One way to improve one’s job search is the use of personal social networks. By applying social network and social distance theories, this study explores the conditions under which networks can become helpful to a jobseeker. Personal experiences of young Kenyan graduates were used to find out about their job search strategies and their social networks. Insights from recruiters’ perspectives about recruitment processes offered a wholesome view on how jobseekers get connected to jobs. The main data sources were online interviews and an online survey. The findings suggest that a network’s willingness to help might depend on level of reciprocity, that many jobseekers do not have access to helpful networks, and that the ability of a network to help might be restricted due to level of influence or applicability. The study concludes that a combination of various job search strategies offers the best chances to connect a jobseeker to a job, but also that companies need to adapt their recruitment processes in include people who are less connected.

<p> </p><p>The aims of this qualitative study are threefold: 1) to explore, describe and analyze the paths for accessing the Swedish labour market among a group of women of Latin-American origin; 2) to address the question about role of the women’s social networks in relation to the processes of gaining/maintaining employment; and 3) to present how the participant’s perceive their job careers within the Swedish labour market. Individual semi-structured interviews constituted the primary source of data collection. Conceptualizations from labour market theories and social capital theories were laid out to bring relevant understandings. The sampling strategy used was ‘criterion’. The results shown the interaction of personal and structural aspects in the job-search process, jobs attained and perception of occupational careers. Bonding, bridging and linking social capital are relevant concepts to understand the extent to which women obtain information and mobilize resources in the job-search process. Perceptions regarding career paths are tied to the participant’s expectations on the jobs they have looked for, the meanings they attribute to their occupations and the learning derived from their working experiences. Further research on networking at the workplaces and its impact on job satisfaction, job attachment, and self-esteem, are suggested. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>

The aims of this qualitative study are threefold: 1) to explore, describe and analyze the paths for accessing the Swedish labour market among a group of women of Latin-American origin; 2) to address the question about role of the women’s social networks in relation to the processes of gaining/maintaining employment; and 3) to present how the participant’s perceive their job careers within the Swedish labour market. Individual semi-structured interviews constituted the primary source of data collection. Conceptualizations from labour market theories and social capital theories were laid out to bring relevant understandings. The sampling strategy used was ‘criterion’. The results shown the interaction of personal and structural aspects in the job-search process, jobs attained and perception of occupational careers. Bonding, bridging and linking social capital are relevant concepts to understand the extent to which women obtain information and mobilize resources in the job-search process. Perceptions regarding career paths are tied to the participant’s expectations on the jobs they have looked for, the meanings they attribute to their occupations and the learning derived from their working experiences. Further research on networking at the workplaces and its impact on job satisfaction, job attachment, and self-esteem, are suggested.