[ghaff]

Networks, personal/professional/everything in-between, are not overrated. Anecdote but every job since my first one out of school came directly through people I had worked with in some capacity or other.

However, contrast with "Networking" with a capital-N in the giving out business cards like candy at some business networking cocktail party. It's probably a combination of how deep the connection is as you say and just the general attitude that tends to pervade those sorts of events.

[Consultant32452]

I have the opposite anecdote. I've never known anyone at any job I've ever gotten. FWIW, I get offers at about 80% of places that interview me. Admittedly, my understanding from some economics literature I've read is that your case is far more normal.

[ghaff]

I'm sure it depends. If you have some broadly in-demand skill and it's obvious from your resume that you're competent at it (and, in fact, are), you may flow through the various filters pretty easily. You check the various boxes at a lot of companies and, in some ways, have a much bigger hunting ground.

OTOH, post long-term job #1 I was relatively senior and didn't have a background that was particularly appealing to a lot of the cool young companies of the era. But I did have former co-workers at one place that gave me a quick offer. And, since then, it's been pretty specialized roles that came pretty much 100% through ongoing professional relationships.