Trying to network with a small network can be especially frustrating. You feel trapped in your professional career. You tried everything, you clicked connect on LinkedIn, you wrote a LinkedIn post, or you can went to in-person event with little luck.

As mentioned on this blog before, informational interviews can make a difference. Informational interviews open doors that didn’t exist before. Having a low-stakes conversions can help you make sense of your career journey and help you decide what’s next.

However, one informational interview alone won’t change the trajectory of your career.

How To Network Faster with These Words

Instead of relying on one informational interview, you have to be willing to talk to as many people as possible.

If you want to open more doors, use these words, “can I speak with someone else in your network,” or “can I speak with someone else about their career?”

Networking requires pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, so it can feel like a difficult question, but this question slowly expands your network in ways you didn’t think of.

The next person could be a referral of a job, or a hiring manager at a company you want to work for. In some cases, 5-10 informational interviews may open doors, or 25-30. Just keep talking.

The worst case that can happen if an interviewee says “no.”