Abstract

Research on higher education and employment outcomes tends to ignore the social capital benefits that accrue to graduates via alumni membership. To what extent does shared university affiliation promote job-finding assistance and positive individual and career perceptions from fellow alumni? Further, does this support vary by job seekers’ race? Using a survey experiment, we provided 522 White college-educated employed men with a vignette showing them an InMail message on LinkedIn from someone seeking job-finding assistance. We included two primary treatment conditions: (1) whether vignettes matched the same university from which the respondent graduated and (2) the race (White or Black) of the InMail message sender. Respondents reported being more likely to respond to and assist individuals who had the same university affiliation, regardless of the message sender’s race. They also perceived same-affiliation job seekers as more likely to get a job at their organization and felt greater responsibility for their employment success. While some positive perceptions of affiliation extended equally to White and Black job seekers, White job seekers garnered significant advantages in perceptions of personal dedication and future employment success. This first-ever test of affiliation-based social capital provides new insights into the link between educational stratification and economic inequality.

Keywords: social capital, employment, job search, educational credentials, alumni