It’s what you know, not who

IT’S what you know rather than who you know which gets you on in your career, researchers say.

While great contacts and networking may get a foot in the door, future success is up to the individual, they say.

And although those with from wealthy families start out higher in offices with better entry-level wages, intelligent people triumph, gaining higher wages later on.

Data from a poll of 12,868 people between 1979 and 2004 was analysed to see if there was a connection between intelligence and wage increases.

By tracking them over 25 years they got an accurate picture of the factors influencing their economic success.

Results showed that intelligence affected the pace of pay increases throughout the years, though the study did not account for personality or social skills.