it's not what you know but who you know

proverb

For success, and especially to obtain employment, one's knowledge and skills are less useful and less important than one's network of personal contacts.

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Meanings

proverb

alternative it's not what you know but whom you know

  1. For success, and especially to obtain employment, one's knowledge and skills are less useful and less important than one's network of personal contacts.

    "It's not what you know but who you know," Shelby said, as she rummaged through a bag to find the business card he'd handed her.

    2008, Natasha Davies, Webc@m Girl, →ISBN, page 53
    2 more examples

    Eighty-four students referred to political influence as a disadvantage of federal employment with such remarks as: "There are too many political connections necessary . . . it's not what you know but who you know—in spite of apparent merit systems."

    1951, G. P. Bush, L. H. Hattery, “Federal Recruitment of Junior Engineers”, in Science, volume 114, number 2966, page 456

    "In Hollywood, it's not what you know but who you know," said Cross, who added that the awards ceremony was the perfect place to make connections.

    1993 August 25, Heidi Gruber, “Cross film earns recognition in Hollywood”, in Ellensburg Daily Record, retrieved 19 Jun 2009

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 識人好過識字 /识人好过识字
  • 識人好過識字 /识人好过识字 (sik¹ jan⁴ hou² gwo³ sik¹ zi⁶)Translations
Italian non è importante cosa conosci ma chi conosci
  • non è importante cosa conosci ma chi conosciTranslations
Spanish quien a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija
  • quien a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobijaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

it's not what you know but who you know. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it's%20not%20what%20you%20know%20but%20who%20you%20know

MLA

“it's not what you know but who you know.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it's%20not%20what%20you%20know%20but%20who%20you%20know. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “it's not what you know but who you know,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it's%20not%20what%20you%20know%20but%20who%20you%20know.

Source: it's not what you know but who you know on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.