Fear holds back Gen Z from career opportunities

Mumbai: Fear of being judged is preventing a majority of India’s Gen Z professionals from building professional connections that could help their careers, according to a LinkedIn report released on Wednesday.

The report found that 83 per cent of Indian Gen Z professionals hesitate to interact or network with people who could help them professionally. Fear of being judged was cited by 44 per cent, followed by concerns about bothering others at 39 per cent and worries about sounding inauthentic at 37 per cent.

The LinkedIn report is based on a Censuswide survey of 18,050 full- and part-time workers aged 18-80 across countries including India, the US, UK, France, Germany, Singapore, Australia, Brazil and the UAE.

While 79 per cent of Indian Gen Z respondents understand the importance of professional relationships, 52 per cent are unsure how to get started and 53 per cent struggle to turn contacts into meaningful connections.

LinkedIn data showed that Indian job applicants with an inside connection were nearly 8.5 times more likely to be hired than those without one. Nearly three in five Gen Z respondents said nobody had clearly shown them how to build professional relationships, leaving many to figure out whom to approach, when to reach out and what to say on their own.

In contrast, 92 per cent of Millennials and 95 per cent of Gen X professionals said they would help someone starting their career even if they did not know them.