On Networking!

[169west]

I should probably post it on the JB, but I like WWW, so here we are!

Considering the following statements

1. There is no correct answer; and if there’s one, it is always in the middle or the most reasonable one!
2. It is given that everyone must know what they should know!
3. There are 24 hours in a day (sometimes 25 or 26 but it’s an exemption not pursuable for extended period of time) [hopefully everybody agree on that – as far as I know, use of drugs not allowed…yet!]
4. Sociologists admit that vast majority of job-searchers, 80% of the time, get their jobs not through their friends but through their acquaintances.
5. And it is more important to be lucky then talented!

Having said that, in the attempt to meta-networking, would you please take a little bit of your time thinking about the following

1. Do you think pilots with good connectors are allowed to have a little less professional knowledge?
2. In your career what do you consider most important? Network vs professional knowledge!
3. Does knowing people/networking help pilots not only to get the interview but also to land a job? (we should probably omit the question mark!)
4. Starting from an hypothetical situation of two pilots with the same professional experience/knowledge (almost impossible) and running at the same time, for the same position in the XYZ Airlines, it is obvious that whoever the two has more connections, get the job first (with all the consequences of seniority list, upgrades and so on, but this is another issue!) The question is how much of his connections influenced/altered the final result? How much of his/her professional knowledge vs network capability influenced/altered the final result?
5. Networking is an part of a pilot professional knowledge, but how much % of you network knowledge can be consider capable to substitute part of the required specific knowledge?
6. Networking while preparing for an interview is not an easy task! Either you spent time talking/networking with/to people or preparing for the tech/hr/psychometric test and of course working at the same time (if you are lucky enough to have job!) … assuming that you cannot do both at the same time (not true!), how will you divide your time?
7. Is there anybody out there teaching how to network or it is taken for granted the fact that humans are born to be social?
8. How did you learned about PPRuNe? And what kind of behavior do you prefer, the obnoxious know-it-all posters or the gentle PMer?

Thanks for your time