You are right, assuming you met the min. qualification, I never relied on networking and job hunting has been a nightmare, I guess sometimes we have to do things we dont like, just life. I was in the wrong industry in the previous job, and in college I only hangout with people in completely different majors...some of them are still in school. Recruiter part is fine, I dont even see it as real networking, I see it as part of job hunt since they get paid to help you land a job, although, they tend to only offer jobs that are in the same industry as your previous/current job, which in my case is not what I want. It might be weird but I think it would be easier for me mentally to ask a stranger for the referral...compared to asking a friend, but ofc the success rate would be a lot lower, maybe a stranger with something in common would be easier to talk to