Relevance of networking while job searchingjob searching

Posted this in an internal group. Posting here for more opinions.

Been thinking about interviewing. Stock price makes me sad. Been given advice by my friends and acquaintances to network for opportunities.

However, being in software and being from Meta, I’ve never had to work too hard to get interview calls. Recruiters keep reaching out, get callbacks from many jobs I apply to online.

Of course, I have to grind it out on interview prep. That’s another story.

Why would I want to network for opportunities, if I am getting calls from companies anyway?
Is it so I can find out more about specific teams and culture and then see if they are hiring for a suitable role?
Is it for getting upleveled / entering a different role other than Swe in a new company, for opportunities to enter management or C-Suite of early startups ?

If it’s just to get a call for an l4/5/6 swe role, I get those anyway from different companies.

What is the relevance of networking in the job search market and what am I not seeing?#interview #network #networking #jobsearch