[makerops]

Having the wherewithal and self awareness to develop a professional network is meritorious.

[whatshisface]

In some sense yes, but not in a way relevant to most jobs. Knowing which officials to bribe might also be considered a form of merit, but it adds nothing to the world and should not be rewarded.

[harrumph]

>In some sense yes, but not in a way relevant to most jobs

Not relevant to most purely technical jobs, that's true. But these are few and far between, because working means working with people.