--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Too often, people get jobs based on who…" description: "\"Too often, people get jobs based on who they know - not what they know.\" — Elizabeth Warren" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elizabeth-warren-879_based_too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-t_2741223.png" --- # Too often, people get jobs based on who they know - not… ![“Too often, people get jobs based on who they know - not what they know.” quote by Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elizabeth-warren-879_based_too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-t_2741223.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elizabeth-warren-879_based_too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-t_2741223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elizabeth-warren-879_based_too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-t_2741223.png) > “Too often, people get jobs based on who they know - not what they know.” [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Job opportunities often depend on personal connections rather than actual expertise. **In simple terms:** Networking can outweigh merit in hiring. Key Takeaway Build skills and network strategically. Themes employment nepotism meritocracy Mood critical analytical Type observation policy When to use this quote - job searching - professional networking - HR policy discussions Key Concepts social capital fairness career advancement Questions to Reflect On - How can organizations promote merit‑based hiring? - What steps can you take to expand your professional network? A Different Perspective Relying on connections can perpetuate inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Based](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/based/) [Based Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/based-know-385405/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Jobs Based](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs-based-3029053/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-know/) [Often](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/often/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-jobs-470237/) [Too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think you can get everything based on who you know, but you can't get anything until you do know the right people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/i-don-t-think-you-can-get-everything-based-on-who-you-know-but-you/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [Every character I do is based on someone I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-ullman/every-character-i-do-is-based-on-someone-i-know/) [Tracey Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-ullman/) > [There was a time where I chose my jobs based on what jobs were available to me, so I would choose 100 percent of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-feldman/there-was-a-time-where-i-chose-my-jobs-based-on-what-jobs-were/) [Ben Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-feldman/) > [“Don’t judge based on what you see, judge based on what you know, because the two are rarely similar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-peterson/don-t-judge-based-on-what-you-see-judge-based-on-what-you-know/) [Markus Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-peterson/) > [But in the end, we can’t live our lives by ‘what if’ and ‘if only.’ We can only do the best we can to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/but-in-the-end-we-can-t-live-our-lives-by-what-if-and-if-only-we-can/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [People don't change based on what they know, they change based on what they feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-don-t-change-based-on-what-they-know-they-change-based-on-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All you can do is make your decisions based on what you know now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malinda-lo/all-you-can-do-is-make-your-decisions-based-on-what-you-know-now/) [Malinda Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malinda-lo/) > [I never sought nor gained personal benefit in school or job applications based on my heritage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-never-sought-nor-gained-personal-benefit-in-school-or-job/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Managers are already voracious consumers of theory. Every time they make a decision or take action, it's based on some theory that leads them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/managers-are-already-voracious-consumers-of-theory-every-time-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Often in companies, you'll see tensions between sales and marketing. Sales people will want to give discounts to clients because they often get paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/often-in-companies-you-ll-see-tensions-between-sales-and-marketing/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [When a number of crimes - for instance, burglaries - can be linked to the same offender, police often plot the locations on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goldstein/when-a-number-of-crimes-for-instance-burglaries-can-be-linked-to-the/) [Daniel Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goldstein/) > [Pacifism as a mass movement aims to avoid suffering; pacifists often say that no cause is worth suffering or dying for. The ethos of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-michnik/pacifism-as-a-mass-movement-aims-to-avoid-suffering-pacifists-often/) [Adam Michnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-michnik/) > [“Keeping people in jobs they are not suited for is terrible for them because it allows them to live in a false reality while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/keeping-people-in-jobs-they-are-not-suited-for-is-terrible-for-them/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Effective organizations put people in jobs in which they can do the most good. They place people -- and allow people to place themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/effective-organizations-put-people-in-jobs-in-which-they-can-do-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [A lot of people have jobs where they don't necessarily love the people they work with, it's just a part of life. That's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-yee/a-lot-of-people-have-jobs-where-they-don-t-necessarily-love-the/) [Angela Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-yee/) ## More by Elizabeth Warren > [Every time the U.S. government makes a low-cost loan to someone, it's investing in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/every-time-the-u-s-government-makes-a-low-cost-loan-to-someone-it-s/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [“For capitalism to work, we all need one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/for-capitalism-to-work-we-all-need-one-another/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [“The single best predictor that a family would go bankrupt was if they had a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-single-best-predictor-that-a-family-would-go-bankrupt-was-if-they/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [ I can remember riding in the car with \[my daughter\] Amelia, when she was very small, and we'd talk about money the same way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-can-remember-riding-in-the-car-with-my-daughter-amelia-when-she-was/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [That's how we build the economy of the future. An economy with more jobs and less debt, we root it in fairness. We grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/that-s-how-we-build-the-economy-of-the-future-an-economy-with-more/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Homeowners refinance their loans when interest rates go down. Businesses refinance their loans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/homeowners-refinance-their-loans-when-interest-rates-go-down/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [There are a lot of things that people say about Hillary Clinton. But nobody says that she doesn't know how to throw a punch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/there-are-a-lot-of-things-that-people-say-about-hillary-clinton-but/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I don't think anyone went the polls and said, 'I am casting my vote to make sure that Wall Street has better chances to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-don-t-think-anyone-went-the-polls-and-said-i-am-casting-my-vote-to/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [With post offices and postal workers already on the ground, USPS could partner with banks to make a critical difference for millions of Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/with-post-offices-and-postal-workers-already-on-the-ground-usps-could/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [We should stop having a conversation about cutting Social Security a little bit or a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/we-should-stop-having-a-conversation-about-cutting-social-security-a/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > ['Middle class' used to be synonymous with secure, with steady, with boring, because middle-class people were people who were pretty much safe from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/middle-class-used-to-be-synonymous-with-secure-with-steady-with/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [You can put handcuffs on people who push the envelope. When they break the law, they deserve to have handcuffs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/you-can-put-handcuffs-on-people-who-push-the-envelope-when-they-break/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [The broken consumer credit market had to be repaired by making sure that consumers had the right information and could use it effectively. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-broken-consumer-credit-market-had-to-be-repaired-by-making-sure/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [“When you have no real power, go public—really public. The public is where the real power is. Those”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/when-you-have-no-real-power-go-public-really-public-the-public-is/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) [Explore all 342 Elizabeth Warren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) ## More Based quotes > [Like in nature, I like things which are based on a few simple principles, even though their manifestation can be very rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabiola-gianotti/like-in-nature-i-like-things-which-are-based-on-a-few-simple/) [Fabiola Gianotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabiola-gianotti/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > [An art which isn't based on feeling isn't an art at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/an-art-which-isn-t-based-on-feeling-isn-t-an-art-at-all/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [I'd always wanted the show to be more reality based science fiction, something along the lines of The Day the Earth Stood Still, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-gerard/i-d-always-wanted-the-show-to-be-more-reality-based-science-fiction/) [Gil Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-gerard/) > [I'm a fact-based leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-breed/i-m-a-fact-based-leader/) [London Breed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-breed/) > [At Inter, I earned my wages based on the results on the field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-mancini/at-inter-i-earned-my-wages-based-on-the-results-on-the-field/) [Roberto Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-mancini/) > [I used to be a columnist for 'Golf Monthly' and have contributed articles for national newspapers based on the humour that is in abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-carrott/i-used-to-be-a-columnist-for-golf-monthly-and-have-contributed/) [Jasper Carrott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-carrott/) > [I've always made my decisions based on two factors: intellectual analysis and my gut. And when they meet, that's a go from me. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ovitz/i-ve-always-made-my-decisions-based-on-two-factors-intellectual/) [Michael Ovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ovitz/) > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [Christianity is based on a book. It centers in a Person. It expresses itself in a message. It authenticates itself in an experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sidlow-baxter/christianity-is-based-on-a-book-it-centers-in-a-person-it-expresses/) [J. Sidlow Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sidlow-baxter/) > [“Teach me about some taxes. Why didn't nobody teach me about taxes on TV? Why don't nobody teach us about none of that man?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mccartney/teach-me-about-some-taxes-why-didn-t-nobody-teach-me-about-taxes-on/) [Brandon McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mccartney/) > [Conservatism is about the basic rights of individuals. God created us. As far as the government goes, the Founding Fathers based the Constitution off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/conservatism-is-about-the-basic-rights-of-individuals-god-created-us/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [Style is based on limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hartford/style-is-based-on-limitations/) [John Hartford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hartford/) > [Pacifism as a mass movement aims to avoid suffering; pacifists often say that no cause is worth suffering or dying for. The ethos of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-michnik/pacifism-as-a-mass-movement-aims-to-avoid-suffering-pacifists-often/) [Adam Michnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-michnik/) [Browse all 830 Based quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/based/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Too often, people get jobs based on who they know - not what they know.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Warren" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-they-know-not-what-they-know/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Based" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-they-know-not-what-they-know/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elizabeth-warren-879_based_too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-t_2741223.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elizabeth-warren-879_based_too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-t_2741223.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elizabeth-warren-879_based_too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-t_2741223.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Too often, people get jobs based on who they know - not what they know.” — Elizabeth Warren", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elizabeth Warren", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Too often, people get jobs based...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-they-know-not-what-they-know/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/too-often-people-get-jobs-based-on-who-they-know-not-what-they-know/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```