[Peroni]

It's genuinely very straightforward. If you don't have much of an online presence (github, twitter, blog, etc) then the only way I'm likely to find you is if a mutual contact tells me about you. Now, referrals are one of the best sources of excellent people and I'm not knocking that.

If you're constantly tweeting/blogging good quality content about an area of technology that is relevant to my business then of course I'm going to take notice. That, however, doesn't necessarily make you a better candidate by default, it just means you were easier to find.