0. That specific riff is usually in response to people who are unemployed, not finding work, and asking what to try. It is both harder than hoping to get lucky and often more likely to result in a job.

1. Taking cold calls from recruiters is networking. Some people naturally network. Some people ignore recruiters. Some people abuse them and in some workplaces it is a competitive sport.

2. Being born into existing networks is an ordinary path for access to good first jobs.

3. There’s no upside to burning bridges with early peers. They probably get potentially life changing cold calls too. And the judgements of our youth are made in the absence of experience…that older coworker who was focused on family might make a good recommendation at a later stage of your life.

And those people with more schmoozing skill than technical skill are likely to wind up in better positions they are unqualified for, and maybe at a place you want to work someday. They will know who to call.

4. The young tend to get more benefit of the doubt.

5. In general if you are the kind of person other people want to work with it is easier to find work. If you are the opposite type of person, it will be increasingly harder to find work the older you get.

6. My GP comment is an extension of Dan Luu’s discussion of an internet-famous blog post by Joel Spolsky. https://danluu.com/hiring-lemons/