I go to a regular local Meetup for my profession. Every month, people who are hiring get up and say they are hiring. On more than one occasion, I’ve briefly chatted with that person, and followed up with email. 99% of the time I have heard nothing back, not even an acknowledgment. And most of the time, we job seekers are simply sent to the company’s online application portal, mixed in with the dozens and dozens of other applicants whose material will be put through the ATS parser (aka digital wood chipper). I go to these events now when I’m interested in the speaker/topic, having given up on their value for “networking.” I have made personal connections with other attendees, but as the article points out, that’s horizontal networking.