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Facebook can cause stress for job hunters

Close Facebook friends may help more than casual acquaintances in the job hunt, though these intimate friends can also cause you some stress, according to a recent study.

By Benjamin Pimentel | Published: March 19, 2013 Comment on this article

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“One possibility is that people don't actually hear about job openings from their weak ties on Facebook,” she said. “People may not reveal their employment plight to contacts they don't feel close to. Weak tie stories might be about less important topics, like the Super Bowl or their vacation.”

But Facebook connections can also have a double-edged effect for people struggling with unemployment.

The reason apparently has a lot to do with the dynamics in any friendship or close relationship.

“Strong ties may make the psychological distress of job loss worse by offering unhelpful advice and pushing for recovery too quickly,” Burke wrote. “People may feel their independence threatened by strong ties, increasing resentment rather than relief. Strong ties also experience anxiety about doing anything upsetting, which may cause them to be more casual and less encouraging.”

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