I agree that that’s how to deal with the status quo, but my premise is that the status quo is inefficient and there is a lot of value to be created by changing

I agree that that’s how to deal with the status quo, but my premise is that the status quo is inefficient and there is a lot of value to be created by changing it. Everyone should indeed network, but networking shouldn’t play as outsized of a role in the hiring process as it does today. I recently spoke with someone who networked and got a great job at a top MBB consulting firm, but she was days away from giving up and settling for a job in a non-target industry that pays half. She tried to network with less highly ranked consulting firms and it didn’t work out. How arbitrary. Her projected net worth jumped by millions in the span of days, with no underlying value creation. The whole process really is an unmitigated disaster.