It’s Who You Know

A report by the Social Market Foundation finds that informal recruitment through word-of-mouth is particularly prevalent in the creative industries such as advertising, architecture, design, publishing and journalism, where the cliché that “it’s not what you know but who you know” appears to ring true. The research suggests that networks are much more important than unpaid internships, which are often highlighted as inaccessible to those from poorer backgrounds. Critics say that young people with less financial backup are less likely to have work experience because they cannot afford the living costs.