Anyone who has been in the industry for several years or more should have people they can reach out to. That’s not being well connected.
This is really just a reversion to how things used to work, relying on human connections. People seemed to manage to get jobs 30 years ago just fine
What if you weren't in the industry for several years or more? New grads are completely walled off from the industry because very few employers are willing to give them a shot anymore, even at minimum wage and no other demands from this most desperate worker segment. The few connections I scraped together weren't helpful because barely anyone is hiring juniors anymore. Having one of the resumes on top of someone's pile is only helpful if they ever get to using it. If you're at the lower end of the market, you have to be very exceptional or very lucky. Otherwise, you're done for.