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This article was updated on 12/4/2023.

Social capital is about more than being popular. To build social capital, a person connects to other professionals in their field of interest and develops social ties. This can be through a mutual exchange of information and opportunities. It can also be through career advice, mentoring, or coaching in career development.

Social capital can be built through one-on-one interactions, social relationships, and even group activities. The latter might involve a shared experience, such as going out for a happy hour or attending a company event. It can also be an individual pursuit, like taking a career development course.

Learning how to build social capital can be difficult for many people, particularly introverted or younger people who haven’t been in the working world very long. There are, however, some simple ways to build various types of social capital that will encourage career growth down the road.

What is social capital?

defines social capital as the professional or personal relationships people develop to "secure benefits and invent solutions to problems through membership in [these] social networks."

Social capital can be categorized in three ways, according to :

1. Bonding – This is usually found between members of a tight social group, hence their social bond. As research says, "Bonding social capital is often associated with local communities where many people know many other people in the group (network closure). Bonding social capital is often associated with strong norms, mores, and trust which can have both positive and negative manifestations and implications for social exclusion."
2. Bridging – Many types of social capital are found between people who are not part of the same general circles. For instance, you may hang out with co-workers and also with friends who live in your city but aren’t part of the same industry. Each of you is technically connected to other people within the groups of the people you know. You can visualize these connections like a bridge, where your connection might lead to a new one.
3. Linking – Although this is similar to bridging social capital, it differs in one key way. Social Capital Research says this type is formed via "networks of trusting relationships between people who are interacting across explicit, formal or institutionalized power or authority gradients in society.” For example, an elected official might have ties to the local community. They may also have deep roots in education, activism, or the entrepreneurial world.

If you have professional social capital with someone, you may be able to ask them to "put in a good word" for you with their employer. If you’re traveling to a foreign country and you have social capital with someone who lives there, they may provide you with a personalized list of hotel and restaurant recommendations. Or if you have , or "cache" with that person, they may agree to play tour guide for you.