Robert Hellmann

LinkedIn is unmatched at showing you who your network knows that you’d want to meet. A few keyword-rich searches of your second-degree connections—the people your direct, first-degree contacts are connected to—and you have a list of hiring decision-makers and potential allies who are just one introduction away.

That’s where many job seekers get stuck. Your first-degree connection is willing to help, in theory. But they hesitate. They’re not sure what’s in it for the person you want to meet. They’re busy and the request feels like work. Or they say yes, fumble the introduction, and undersell you.

You’re putting in the hours – Zooms, Coffees, Handshakes – and yet your calendar is full of meetings that have gone nowhere. Weeks pass with no interviews and a growing sense that your effort isn’t getting results.

The issue isn’t that you’re not networking enough; it’s that your strategy needs adjusting. These three fixes will ensure you land more interviews while optimizing valuable job search time.

You’ve spent years building a robust professional network. You’ve cultivated relationships with peers, mentors, and industry leaders. So when you signal that you’re exploring new opportunities, you expect your network to perform. Yet too often, promising conversations dissolve into silence. Warm introductions never materialize. Emails go unanswered.

This isn’t a reflection of your professional standing. It’s a design problem: you’re making it too hard for people to help you. The fix is straightforward. Make it easy. Here are three ways to do so.