The main importance of networking is access to the
hidden job market.
If you google “hidden job market” there’s a ton of articles on that topic, but long story short, the majority of jobs are not actually posted (and when when they are posted, as
@Au Naturel noted, the advertisement may have been posted merely as a formality when they already have a favored candidate, and the qualification and criteria requirements may be skewed to advantage them).
How might one start with networking?
Talking to anyone in your network, starting with your (good) references from past work, volunteer, and academic experiences, but also pretty much anyone and everyone you encounter. You never know who might know someone who has a position available, and there are a lot more jobs in the hidden job market than are posted publicly. What's better, as you have noted yourself, is that getting a referral from someone who knows the employer will get you a lot further than resume spamming.
On the topic of resume spamming, if you aren't already, try to have a larger "master CV" so you can create customized resumes for different types of jobs, and when writing emails/cover letters, to do a bit of research on the organization so you can show that you have done some homework. Finally, try to write the resume and cover letter using your own format and style. When I used to be a job search coach, I quickly got bored when someone showed me yet another resume written on the MS Word template, and not just any template, but the first one that came up. I can't imagine how someone might feel if they post for a job, and they get 20-30 resumes with the same canned format. Always look to stand out, but in a good way.
Cold call. If there's a field of work you're interested in, call them up to speak to the managers (get the names if possible first, via website or social media), then followup with an short email thanking them for their time. Even if they don't have anything right now, showing that you're a go-getter with courtesy may help you be someone they reach out to when they do have something available.
Interviews - research the company as much as you can, but don't be afraid to disclose (but only if you're comfortable) that you may have difficulties with unanticipated questions and ask if they would be comfortable sharing the interview questions or at least the general topics ahead of time, and if not, to ask if they could at least refrain from random hypothetical questions like "if you were a fruit what would you be and why?" since those can be very frustrating for those on the spectrum, and they serve little or no real value in assessing whether the candidate would be a good fit. Also, there's lots of lists of commonly asked questions online, and try to do some mock interviews for different types of jobs (and employment resource centres can help with this).
Now to address the other question:
I thought that the way it works was like this: Study hard, get good grades, graduate, apply to Job A, the most qualified candidate would then get Job A. The end. I'm still not sure why it doesn't work out that way. Is it because there's way too much competition for the "good jobs," and so there has to be a system to ration and delegate the jobs (other than the most fair way, which is by who is the most qualified)?
I recall a college acquaintance of mine getting an internship position that I was trying to get. I asked him how he got the internship. He said the boss goes to his church. Wow, that really felt unfair.
How does one determine the most qualified candidate? Even if two candidates went to the same college and took the same courses, they may have had different profs who graded differently. Add to that the complexities such as different colleges may have different grading scales (is a 85 a "B+", an "A-", or an "A"?), and scaling, and that these can even vary between departments, and all we're discussing so far is how to compare grades. I suppose one could build an algorithm to sort things out and assign each candidate a numeric value, but that sounds like work.
That stated, we can use things like GPAs, job titles, and years of experience as proxies to sort and shortlist candidates that we wish to consider further. But we might still have too many candidates to choose from.
Like it or not, but
stereotypes and
affinity bias (which, by the way, is mentioned in the course in my signature line) play a big role in hiring decisions. So that person you hired with an X degree from Y college turned out to be a superstar, there's a good chance you're going to look for others with that background. You're also more likely to give preference to those whom you share affinity with - you know and trust yourself, and so people who have things in common, be it hometown/state, college alumnus, religious affiliation, sports, hobbies, etc. This effect is magnified the closer the affinity is, so going to the same church will be much more valuable than just belonging to the same denomination.
Most people struggle with affinity bias, and so it's a matter of fact. But "if you can't beat them, join them" - and if you are genuinely interested in say rocks and minerals, join a local rockhound club. Instant affinity contacts and network.
Something I also cannot stress enough is that knowledge and skills can often be trained. Being someone who looks like they'll fit in is important. Quite often, this means sharing affinities with staff already there. But sometimes, a manager may be seeking to balance out a team. I got one job in part because I had a very different background from the other staff and candidates - the manager later told me that I was not one of the strongest candidates, but I was one of the more unique ones and they felt that I could, and that I did, with my differing background and experiences, helped bring balance to the team and helped counter groupthink.
And if you're able to get to the interview, you can also try to create affinity out of research. Study everything you can about the organization, their history, their products and services, their involvement in the community. Show that you are already dedicated to them and their corporate culture and can parachute in. I've gotten jobs this way and have also had clients (when I was a job search coach) get jobs through this method as well.
Good luck!
