Well he told the boss to hire me. He didn't hire me personally.
I think there's a fine line between networking and cronyism. Someone off the street ought to be able to get a job without knowing any of the employees. In my experience, that's pretty much impossible these days, even for minimum wage jobs.
That's not cronyism, that's getting a recommendation from someone who knows you. That's valuable information from for someone making a hiring decision.
Cronyism would be getting the job despite a lack of qualifications but due to your relationship with someone at the company.
Most of the jobs I've had have come from people knowing me, knowing my skill set, and keeping me apprised of openings.
I think there's a fine line between networking and cronyism. Someone off the street ought to be able to get a job without knowing any of the employees. In my experience, that's pretty much impossible these days, even for minimum wage jobs.