Netskope CEO urges Gen Z job seekers to network several times a week

Netskope CEO Sanjay Beri says young people trying to enter tech should spend two to three days a week building relationships, Fortune reported. His advice centers on a blunt hiring reality he described in an interview: some of the roles people want are not advertised publicly.

Beri, who leads the software company Netskope, told Fortune that contacts, introductions and repeated exposure to people in an industry can help job seekers over time. Fortune described Netskope as a $5.5 billion software company.

Asked by Fortune for his top advice on getting into tech, Beri pointed to sustained networking. Fortune reported that Beri began working on an IT help desk in Toronto at 16 without industry contacts before becoming a Silicon Valley founder and CEO.

Beri’s advice: meet people often

Beri told Fortune that young workers without major family obligations, such as marriage or children, should consider networking two or three times a week. He said those meetings do not have to be formal career events.

According to Fortune, Beri suggested attending local talks, university events with company speakers, industry conferences or informal coffee meetings with people in a target field. He also said recent graduates can look for local clubs and similar forums where they can meet people connected to their interests.

Beri connected the habit to the idea behind Keith Ferrazzi’s book Never Eat Alone, Fortune reported. His practical version of the rule: if a job seeker is already going to lunch or dinner, that meal can become a chance to attend an event or meet someone rather than eating alone.

Gen Z faces a crowded job market

Fortune framed Beri’s advice against a difficult job market for many young workers. The publication reported that job seekers are dealing with AI-screened applications, interviews that go nowhere and hiring exercises such as unpaid 90-minute tasks and so-called coffee cup tests.

Fortune also cited figures showing the scale of competition. About one-fifth of Gen Z worldwide are classified as NEETs, meaning they are not in employment, education or training, according to Fortune. In the U.K. last year, Fortune reported, more than 1.2 million applications were submitted for fewer than 17,000 graduate jobs.

Fortune also cited one U.K. math graduate who said he applied for more than 1,000 positions over more than a year without receiving an offer. Beri’s argument, as reported by Fortune, is that becoming a recognizable person rather than one more application can help candidates stand out when employers receive many similar submissions.

Beri said his own early networking later helped him as a founder, Fortune reported. Before starting Netskope, he regularly attended investor and venture capital events, built relationships and later relied on those contacts while building the company and raising money.

Netskope was founded in 2012 and reached unicorn status six years later, according to Fortune. The company went public on the Nasdaq last year, has more than 3,000 employees, operates in more than 220 countries and counts more than 30% of Fortune 100 companies as clients, Fortune reported.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.