Human resources specialists estimate that referrals account for 35% to 40% of all hires, and in some industries, this number rises to more than 50%. This makes networking a key part of career development, but many still make mistakes that can cost them job offers.
George El-Hage, founder and CEO of Wave Connect, an event lead capture and artificial intelligence badge-scanning platform, shared the four biggest errors people make.
1. Sending AI-slop networking messages
Mistake people make: Specialists trying to network often write connection requests, follow-ups, comments, and even cover letters using AI.
Why it’s wrong: Texts like these read as overly polished and generic, and often they’re too different from the candidate’s own voice. This problem is especially common on hiring places like LinkedIn, and 40% of long-form posts there are estimated to be AI-generated. Unique human-written texts now stand out more than vague AI slop.
2. Helicopter-parent networking
Mistake people make: The Wall Street Journal reported that recruiters are getting used to a parent or another third party that takes over a candidate’s job search. This includes applying for a vacancy, negotiating a salary, and even showing up with them to the interviews.
Why it’s wrong: “When parents walk in with kids, they’re at the bottom of my pile,” shared one employer on Reddit. This problem is especially common among Gen Z, but this shows only that candidates are unable to handle work communications themselves.
3. Engagement farming
Mistake people make: Trying to build a network through empty comments, automated likes, and “agree?” baiting posts that don’t actually establish relationships or contribute to the discussions.
Why it’s wrong: Many try this technique to appease the algorithm, but hiring specialists notice. Platforms like LinkedIn are also now trying to limit engagement farming, with automated posts removed from the “Most Relevant” page. The extreme cases may even trigger personal page restrictions.
4. Pitch-slapping right after connecting
Mistake people make: Before any conversation or relationship starts, people often send referral requests, resumes, and long self-promotional messages.
Why it’s wrong: The data shows that this method has a very low success rate from the start: post-connection messages get a reply in 10.4% of cases, and these rates collapse fast, going to 7.5% after the second message and 4.5% after the third.
“High competition in most industries makes people think that quantity is more important than quality, but that simply isn’t true,” El-Hage said. “On the social media level, platforms are tightening their spam filters because of AI presence, and on a personal level, employees want to know the real person. That’s why AI messages, substance-lacking replies, and salary discussions through other people don’t work. You need to invest in ways that can represent you and your skills, from a good portfolio to honest conversations.”
Photo credit: Curated Lifestyle/Unsplash
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