Interesting article with a great concluding sentence:

“…they may be overlooking extremely talented individuals whose only weakness is that they don’t have the right name to drop.”

This piquant statement expresses frustration that I felt along the way in my job search.

I have fixed this by networking a LOT, and uncovering many, many 2nd degree connections. I use those all the time to make introductions for others and myself as well.

Also, I now have great respect for the added “something special” that knowing a name brings to you – and knowing how to get introduced to that name.

My standard: Keep networking, keep talking to people, keep building relationships and don’t blindly accept invites unless you feel the person is someone you can help along the way.