Connections

I was speaking with our recruiter last week on the topic of quality employees and where you find them. I had thought they came from recruiting agencies nowadays. She disagreed. Said a vast majority of employees came via referrals, through networking. Not only did that provide a larger pool of employees but the employees tended to be of higher quality than either agencies or walk-ins.

That said, it seems to me "connections" is just the way things are done. I don't understand this desire to make life harder for oneself. You can take pride in your work regardless of whether you got a job because someone knew you and could recommend you, or whether you just happened to be the lucky winner in the resume screening and interview process. I mean, you have to have a chance to do the work you want to be proud of, right?

Regarding quality, it makes sense when you think about it. If you have an employee who's got a buddy they want to recommend, if that guy sucks, it blows back on the employee who referred him. There's a social pressure to recommend quality people in most circumstances. I would point out this is distinct from nepotism which has an unfortunate tendency to fall on its face.

Also, ion, networking by itself is hardly stupid, and in no way near a stupid way to run a business. You have so many career services out there teaching you exactly what to say in a resume and how to phrase things that the entire screening process for new hires is completely full of bullshit. This is not the employer's fault. The employer just wants to get someone who can do the job, do it well and integrate with the rest of the company. If, as the employer, you know someone you trust, and they recommend someone, that cuts through all the bullshit. That person is suddenly a much less risky proposition.

Since you'll never be able to stop washed up HR managers from writing books on how best to schmooze your way into a job, the best thing you could possibly do is to stop bitching about how stupid it is and start making good impressions on people who matter.

Jam it back in, in the dark.