I think it just takes exposure and experience, and some people have had more than others. In my experience becoming accomplished requires repeated interactions

I think it just takes exposure and experience, and some people have had more than others. In my experience becoming accomplished requires repeated interactions with a large but rather stable social environment, where >5% of the people you encounter in a day (or evening) will be familiar to you and the rest loosely connected. That forces a person's reputation as a valued and testable trait over time. It also rewards making new social connections as they are likely to connect back to existing relationships.