This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the role of social networks in the labour market, comparing immigrant and native men in the UK. We first explore the determinants of using social networks as a channel for looking for jobs. Our focus does not only lie on the main search method of job search, rather we also use information on whether social networks are used as a method of search among many alternative ones. We subsequently investigate the social network effects on labour market outcomes in terms of job‐finding rates. On the basis of the UK Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the period 1992 to 2010, the analysis explores the role of two key aspects of immigrants′ human capital: the education level and years since immigration. We show that immigrants are more likely than White British‐born to rely on using social networks as a main search method, although no crucial difference is found when using personal contacts as a method of job search. However, immigrants are as likely as natives to find employment through their social network, yet among both groups, the less educated are more likely to succeed in obtaining jobs through contacts. Finally, the findings reveal no systematic pattern in the effect of years in the UK on job search success among immigrant groups. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.