Open-Source contributions do not help

First of all, I contribute to open-source because I love to. And I am doing it practically full-time right now. I've also heard "open-source contributions significantly help you in finding a job" many many times, but every time I apply somewhere, they only ask about my professional experience. If I start talking about open-source, or god forbid, personal projects, they never care and immediately interrupt me with questions about my *professional* experience. Every time I ask why I was rejected, they always reply "we chose a candidate with more *professional* experience" (I have 1 year of professional experience and 2-3 years of active open-source) So how the fuck do open-source contributions help? All my friends say no one even cares about them in the corporate space