A Study On Social Support Networks For College Graduate Employment

In recent years, with the expansion of the college enrollment, the employment situation of college students is getting increasingly severe. Graduate employment issues have attracted more nationwide attention. The solution to the graduate employment problem is not only related to the students'physical and mental health as well as the realization of their personal values, but also affects the stability of families and the society, the sustainable development of colleges and the coordinated development of the economy and the society, to which great importance must be attached and must be resolved conscientiously. In this context, there is both theoretical and practical significance to conduct research on social support networks for college graduate employment, explore and establish more effective and rational social networks for college graduate employment, and to promote the employment of college graduates.Theoretically based on social network studies and the strong and weak tie hypothesis, the present study adopts a combined methodology of questionnaires and interviews. With the application of statistical analysis software, this study conducts a descriptive analysis on the social support network status for the 2009 graduates from Shandong University, explores various types of supports needed for college graduates as well as their sources respectively, and analyzes the effects that formal social support and informal social support exert on college graduate employment. Furthermore, a comparative analysis is also performed on the degree of those effects. According to the findings, a discussion is carried out on the strong and weak tie hypothesis, which points out the existing shortcomings of social support networks for college graduates, and furthermore, provides suggestions and countermeasures for the optimization of social support networks for college graduates. Finally, the present study attempts to construct an ideal model of social support networks for college graduate employment.