Every time one of those "Ask HN: How do I get a job" comes around, I comment on the importance of networking over throwing resumes into an abyss. Inevitably, someone talks about how they got a great job with a cold application. It's not that it is impossible, it is that it is less probable. It's great to see articles that can support and explain this fact. As engineers, we tend to want to see raw brain power and experience be the yard stick for hiring. But for better or worse, "people" get involved, and suddenly there are a whole bunch of other metrics. The reality is that the 100+ year old phrase is still largely true today: "It's not what you know, it's who you know" (http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/its_...).