“It’s not what you know but who you know.”

Although there are deferring opinions about the validity of this common phrase, most would agree that it carries some merit.

According to Apollo Network, 85 percent of jobs are filled through networking, and 70 percent are never even posted publicly. For some students, statistics like these are the catalyst for a generation that may feel driven — or even required — to network earlier than ever.

As the job market grows more competitive, with fewer entry-level positions carrying lower and lower acceptance rates, networking and connections appear to be a shortcut to even getting a student’s name seriously considered.

In fact, around 85 percent of Fortune 500 executives were fraternity members, according to Greek Gear. And while top universities do offer excellent academic opportunities, some students may be more interested in the doors that their networks can open.

Although there’s varying opinions on how important it really is relative to personal talent, social capital does maintain some level of influence throughout nearly every system people move through.

And its importance may be felt most significantly at the beginning — when achievements and experience are limited and there’s little to separate one candidate from the other.

In that sense, connections can be the difference between getting that first opportunity early on and never getting one at all.

Having worked at both an ice cream shop and a golf club, and with a data analyst internship lined up for this summer, junior Sam Merryman has seen both sides of the process — applying without connections and benefitting from them.

From his view, while professionals can rely on years of results, students will often need to lean on relationships.

“I think social capital in high school and college is more important, it’s really the people you know at this time,” Merryman said. “I do, however, think that once you get out into the real world, who you know can get you in the door, but if you’re not performing, they’re not going to keep you in there.”

Even as early as high school, schools offer opportunities to connect with alumni and other resources to help students explore specific fields with professional guidance. 

And these conversations can often lead to student internships or deeper insights and advice into aspects of a sector.

“It’s there to be used. If you’re looking to shadow a doctor thinking about oncology, chances are really good we have a successful oncologist who went to St. Mark’s, who’s going to look at that and be like, ‘A young Marksman who wants to do this as well,’” English teacher Cameron Hillier ‘13 said. “That’s social capital, knowing the guy. By virtue of graduating from St. Mark’s, you’re going to have some of that.”

Still, connections are only half of the story. Despite their value, Hillier warns that it’s incredibly dangerous for people to solely rely on their network.

“If you think because I know a guy, I’m guaranteed this job, so I don’t really need to worry too much about my grades or my accomplishments, much less building myself into the kind of person who would do well in this position, we can see how maybe that would breed entitlement, lack of work or things of that nature,” Hillier said.

Instead, Hillier frames networking as a powerful tool, just not something to depend upon.

Social capital can only do so much if a student does not possess the qualities or skills a company demands.

“Having that connection is awesome, but you still have to have the goods,” Hillier said. “You still have to have done the thing, achieved the achievement, worked hard, put in the time and made something of yourself.”

And that pressure to accumulate both strong connections and talent is only mounting.

Entry-level postings have dropped 15 percent over a year and there has been a late 13 percent decline in employment for workers aged 22 to 25 in multiple AI-exposed jobs since 2022, according to Demand Sage.

As AI continues to impose itself into the workforce, the human relationships, trust and advocacy — what AI cannot replicate — may eventually become the most valuable currency of all.

So with this seemingly unstable job market increasing in erraticness and competitiveness, networking and referrals will become even more crucial as opportunities decrease.

“He’s not going to give away a free job if it could be automated, and that’s just good business sense. You’re not going to hire someone to do a job if it costs you a salary, benefits, all that kind of stuff when you just have AI do it,” Hillier said. “So in that case, I would say, yeah, having that connection would be great.”

But to even be recommended for a job, Hillier emphasizes that opportunity starts internally. More than just skill, students can develop the work ethic and relationships that make them someone worth advocating for, because external opportunities often grow out of an initial internal foundation.

“You still need to be a recommendable guy, a guy who’s got the quality, the character and the competency that we see, such that we would want to hire you and someone would want to make that connection,” Hillier said.

And the importance of social capital stretches beyond the workplace and into all aspects of life, especially the classroom. Building rapport with teachers is stressed early on and can carry real weight — both for grades and for learning purposes.

“If you’re on the edge of a B and A, just going in and meeting with them and showing that you care is very important,” Merryman said. “Having a teacher liking you literally never hurts you.”

Ultimately, a school’s network and brand image can provide some baseline network and hand students their first opportunity — but it’s what they do with it that defines what comes next.

In some situations, students can have doors opened for them.

In other cases, they’ll open doors themselves.

But walking through is what will  eventually count.