Every time I see advice that centers around "go to meetups, get coffee, make personal connections," it makes me think that: a) I would really like to be able t

Every time I see advice that centers around "go to meetups, get coffee, make personal connections," it makes me think that: a) I would really like to be able to do that instead of the awful application-oriented hiring process. b) I will never be able to do that unless I'm able to relocate to a suitable location, probably after having completed an application-oriented hiring process. How do the get-hired-with-connections gurus recommend resolving this chicken or egg situation? I get that Starfighters is aiming in part to solve similar problems, but surely there are existing solutions.