My experience is sort of in-between on both sides. That is, there's some submission process people go through, but connections of some sort definitely draw atte

My experience is sort of in-between on both sides. That is, there's some submission process people go through, but connections of some sort definitely draw attention to some applicants more than others. Sometimes someone is brought in with no obvious connections, but sometimes someone is basically brought in sidestepping the open process too. Usually it's a bit of both, leaning towards connections of some kind. Sometimes the interviewers or interviewees aren't aware of the connection, although usually one of them is.