[asaph]

> ... when I read the crazy whiteboard interviewing, the pains people go through to get money here on HN, I would say it is pretty important.

Networking won't help you get hired at a top tech company if you cannot perform well on "whiteboard interviews". It generally doesn't matter that you have an internal referral. If you don't do well on the whiteboard, it's a no-hire regardless of network. Even famous people get turned away for failing on the whiteboard. e.g. the creator of Homebrew[0] when he interviewed @ Google[1].

[0] https://brew.sh/

[1] https://twitter.com/mxcl/status/608682016205344768

[matwood]

The tech world is so much larger than FAANG, no matter what SV wants you to believe.

[toomuchtodo]

The greatest trick Silicon Valley ever pulled was convincing engineers their hoops were the righteous hoops to jump through.

[m1n1]

What was their payoff for pulling this trick?

[toomuchtodo]

Quality talent that might have gone elsewhere.

[tluyben2]

Sure, so if you have the ambition to work there then it still cannot hurt to do both. I do recognize that networking might be overrated for pure tech but on the other hand it cannot hurt; for instance if you fail the whiteboard at the company of your dreams at least you’ll walk into another place effortless. Remember that by far most of us are here to earn a living or start the company of our dreams and also most will never work at Google/Facebook; then it definitely does help to just lifted to the prime hire by the C*O you met at a party.

[mixmastamyk]

Indeed, and more likely they'll look the other way at minor flaws in your performance that would sink an outsider as "unsure/incompetent."

[pound]

Usually internal referral means you skip technical phone-screen. That's all.

[asaph]

AFAIK, this is true at Google but I have not heard of this practice occurring at other companies.

[ousta]

it will. not at an entry level job, not at a core technical job where you still need to code but anything else (VP, Manager) it will

[pound]

but VP interview doesn't imply whiteboarding to begin with..

[eclipxe]

Not manager...