Issue 46: This is Kevin Bacon's fault

The Work in Progmess Team

February 24, 2026

Six Degrees is not a game - it's a career strategy

2026 - Week 8

⏪ This started on a call

We were on a call this week with someone who said:

“I’ve applied to 63 jobs. Not one interview.”

Sixty. Three.

At that point, this is no longer a résumé issue.

This is a Kevin Bacon issue.

And yes, we are serious.

🧾 This Week, In Brief

You think you are playing the application game
You are actually playing the connection game
You are losing because you are playing the wrong one

🎬 Blame Hollywood

Somewhere in the 90s, pop-culture taught us something important:

Everyone is six degrees away from Kevin Bacon.

Hollywood understood proximity.

You are never just “a talented actor.”
You are someone’s co-star’s friend’s former roommate.

That is how you get cast.

Meanwhile, here is how modern job hunting works:

Find job.
Upload résumé.
Click submit.
Whisper “please.”
Refresh inbox like it owes you money.

This is not strategy.

This is digital optimism.

Submitting cold applications is the professional equivalent of mailing your face to a movie studio and writing:

“Dear Warner Bros,
Attached is my PDF. Kindly make me famous.”

📉 Why This Is Not Working

Companies do not hire from the pile.

They hire from the network.

From “She was referred by…”
From “He came to our event.”
From “Oh yeah, I talked to them.”

You think you are competing against 200 applicants.

You are actually competing against:

The intern’s cousin
The alum who reached out
The person who asked one thoughtful question on a panel

You are not underqualified. You are under-connected.

✅ Yep, that's it

🔎 The Kevin Bacon Principle

You → Your classmate
Classmate → Her aunt
Her aunt → Board member
Board member → Hiring manager

That is a path.

You → Applicant Tracking System → Automatic rejection

That is a void.

You do not need six degrees.

You need one warm intro.

One real conversation beats fifty silent submissions.

💬 Worth Sitting With

If no one inside the building knows your name, your résumé is not brave.

It is invisible.

❓ A Question to Carry

Before you apply to the next job, ask:

Who is one degree closer to this opportunity than I am?

And what would happen if I started there?

Still in Progmess.
M and N

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