Contrary to the popular belief, “who you know” won’t get you to where you want to be.
It is “who knows you” that makes the difference.
Knowledge, skills, experience, they all come with hard work and time, and get you prepared for when the opportunity present itself. They are expected and it is difficult to “sell” and “demonstrate” these attributes to a stranger, especially when competing for high positions.
It is with the right attitude and EQ, you grow the portfolio of “who knows you” in order to increase the probability of capturing the next good opportunity.
A very salient point. I like it a lot!
And what you speak about is something I have written about before in regards to the company I work for. Probably about 70% of the employees have been recommended for the position from internals. This isn't cronyism - it is about trust that runs along several lines. People have to be sure before recommending, because it is going to affect their network.