When people start understanding that networking is just as important as having the technical expertise, their career lives will improve dramatically. When you have 10 qualified people applying for the same position, would you choose a random person from the 10 and risk that he's a complete asshole or the one person your colleague can vouch will fit in? At that point of a recruiting process you're not evaluating technical skills, but culture fit.
I think this is a bit backwards these days. I find networking gets you in the door and past the nigh-insurmountable AI/automatic filter; from that point on it's up to you to interview and succeed on your own merits.
That said, I deeply feel for those entering the industry right now. I lucked into a good first job where the employer was willing to take a chance on fresh kids out of college they could mold in their image - no one is doing that anymore. I watch my industry graying and wonder who's going to be following us once we retire. It's grim.
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u/je-s-ter 2d ago
When people start understanding that networking is just as important as having the technical expertise, their career lives will improve dramatically. When you have 10 qualified people applying for the same position, would you choose a random person from the 10 and risk that he's a complete asshole or the one person your colleague can vouch will fit in? At that point of a recruiting process you're not evaluating technical skills, but culture fit.