Networking Is Your Ticket to Building Trust in the Job Search in 2026

By Chris Kelly

Job seekers were bombarded with several different conflicting messages in 2025 around what you need to do the job search in 2025. 

The tips ranged from ATS resume optimization, tools to blast hundreds of resumes a day on your behalf, tools to use AI to create your resume that make you look like the perfect candidate, and networking approaches where you focus on all your past skills and accomplishments. 

However, one thing missing from all these tips is that most of this advice is making hiring managers more distrustful of all candidates. Therefore, your your job search in 2026 must focus on making a human connection and building trust in a job search where everyone is distrustful

Below is an image from Greenhouse that shows an ATS report on the average number of applicants received per job application. As you can see, in recent years that number has skyrocketed.

Although higher unemployment numbers are part of this story, the rise in AI tools to spray and pray look-alike resumes plays a big role in this, which is leading to distrust on the employer side. 

If you feel like your resume is disappearing into a black hole, you aren’t alone. In today's market---with 99% of Fortune 500 companies using ATS and AI screening-- "cold applying" has become a transaction based volume game where the odds of success are often less than 2%. 

One builds trust by building an authentic relationship with an actual human.

85% of jobs are filled via networking, which includes human interaction through connections, conversations, and community.  This is why I suggest job seekers shift their energy from spending hours a week tweaking keywords for a machine, to spending that time building genuine trust with humans.

Networking requires a strategy and structure, including:

1. Having a profile of your ideal job. Many job seekers fall into the trap of trying to apply for every type of job which has been shown.  You can view a post about this here.  

2. Focusing on your problem-solving abilities versus skills and accomplishments. Many job seekers fall into the keyword trap of focusing on their past accomplishments and skills.  This fails because almost every job candidate does the same thing.  The job seekers who are landing jobs are focusing on their ability to solve big industry challenges.

3. Posting about industry challenges, especially at industry specific online groups. The job seeker who posts how they are unemployed while listing their accomplishments and skills is less likely to build trust.  Posting works when it focuses on industry challenges. This allows you to build credibility.

4. Making connections with intention. A strong networking strategy requires you to do two things:

   A. Educate versus pitching past skills and accomplishments.  This builds credibility that you are the person of choice. 

   B. Actively nurture your network through human connection. 

   
   

All of the above can occur via in person events and outreach, but the key is to build trust first. Too many of the activities people naturally do when trying to network come across like they are using people.

Summing up---Networking is building a bridge of trust ,so when an opportunity arises, you're a known entity.

I am glad to share my thoughts on this.