Indian Gen Z Work Force Missing Out on Hiring Advantage, 83% Not Networking

India’s Gen Z professionals have grown up constantly connected online, but 83% hesitate to interact or network with the people who could help them in their careers. According to new research from LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, a fear of being judged (44%), bothering people (39%), or sounding inauthentic (37%) is locking them out of valuable advice, introductions and opportunities.

While 79% of Indian Gen Z understand professional relationships are important, more than half (52%) aren’t sure how to get started and 53% struggle to turn contacts into real connections – and it’s costing them.

59% of Gen Z Indians say nobody showed them how to network

At a time when AI is changing everything – from work, to how people search and apply for jobs – relationships can make all the difference. Nearly one-third of Gen Z (30%) say they have found their next role through their professional communities online. LinkedIn data also shows that Indian job applicants with an inside connection were nearly 8.5x more likely to get hired than those without one. Globally, LinkedIn members are also almost 3x as likely to receive connection requests if they've interacted with their network's posts.

However, almost 3 in 5 Gen Z (59%) say no one has clearly shown them how to build professional relationships. Many have had limited guidance or figured it out themselves, making it harder to know who to approach, when to reach out and what to say.

But Gen Z may be underestimating just how willing people are to help. While many worry about getting in touch, the majority of Millennials (92%) and Gen X professionals (95%) say they would help someone at the start of their career, even if they didn’t know them.

Nirajita Banerjee, LinkedIn Career Expert and India Senior Managing Editor, LinkedIn News says, “As jobs evolve and career paths become less linear, the ability to build meaningful relationships is becoming just as important as building skills. The good news is that networking doesn't have to mean cold outreach or awkward introductions. It can start with something as simple as engaging with content, sharing perspectives on topics you care about, or reconnecting with people in your existing network. Over time, these small interactions build trust, expand your circle, and can lead to opportunities, insights, and support when you need it most.”

LinkedIn Career Expert tips on how to build professional relationships:

● Start with people you already have something in common with. Whether it's your school, university, industry or a topic you want to know more about, common ground makes it easier to start conversations and build relationships. LinkedIn's My Network tab and AI-powered people search can help find people who share your interests.

● Follow before you connect to take the pressure off. You don't have to connect with people on LinkedIn to see and engage with their content, you can simply follow them. This takes the pressure off of asking for a connection request, but you still get the benefit of seeing and interacting with their content.

● Begin with a small interaction. Building relationships doesn’t require a perfectly crafted message or a formal introduction. It can start with a comment, a question or sharing your perspective. Small interactions add up – LinkedIn data shows members are almost three times more likely to receive a connection request and almost five times more likely to receive a message if they've interacted with a post from one of their connections.

● Build relationships before you need them. Don’t wait until you need something like a new job to reach out to someone. Relationships should be genuine and not transactional.

● Assume people are more willing to help than you think. Many young people worry about bothering others, but experienced professionals are often more willing to offer advice than people realise because we have all been in the same position of starting out.