This is great advice in the right context, but it's not a universal context. If it's a big tech company in SV, for example, or really any company > 100 people i

This is great advice in the right context, but it's not a universal context. If it's a big tech company in SV, for example, or really any company > 100 people in a crowded and desirable industry to be in, cold emailing people isn't going to make a good impression. Or if it does yield a positive response from someone, that's either not going to be a good company to work for, or not a good person to use as a contact at that company. Pushiness for the sake of pushiness isn't a foolproof solution, in both careers and dating. OTOH, in smaller and more close-knit communities of employers (for a completely random example, "architecture firms based in Des Moines", or "health-focused startups in SF"), where there's a relatively small group of smallish companies with a lot of cross-pollination between employees, this might be an effective strategy. It probably feels better than dropping a resume in some online drop box, because you are personally taking action rather than sitting around and waiting for callbacks that are probably not going to call back, but just because something feels better doesn't mean it's more effective. FWIW, I myself and plenty of other people I know have gotten really good jobs at big tech companies simply by making sure that any company of interest has a copy of one's resume in their vast database of resumes. It doesn't take any time at all to do that, so no time wasted, and it's one more way in which a potential employer can find it. Even it's just an additional 5% chance to get hired, that's a 5% chance that didn't exist before and doesn't cost time or money. Ultimately the only advice I can give anyone is to consider all avenues. Nothing's a gigantic waste of time if you're unemployed or unhappy at your current job. If you know people at the company, great. If there's someplace you can send in a resume or even apply for a specific position, great. If you have a non-stalkery means of making contact with people at the company (maybe going to meet ups or relevant conferences or whatever), also great. None of these approaches are mutually exclusive and most complement one another.