Before the advent of the meritocracy that we now have most people imitated the aristocratic class old boys when it came to searching for jobs. The aristocrats got their jobs from socializing and helping each other.
The rest of us imitated this behavior and joined clubs and had parties to create our own social networks. That is what is gone.
In
the five techie areas where I have checked closely the in-person social
networks for job seeking are long gone. I've checked in the areas of
West LA, Silicon Valley, Seattle, the Colorado high plains and San
Francisco. The way you get a job is based on merit. Merit is measured
and relayed to appropriate employers via your working peers, current
and past. Social contacts, in person and on the Internet, with your
professional and working peers is the source of all jobs for nearly
everyone.
You can join clubs, hang out at bars, golf or go to parties forever and never get a useful employment contact, unless you are doing it with a working peer.
The world sure has changed...for the better. It also explains the drastic drop in club memberships and traditional forms of socializing. The most elite club in San Francisco, the Family Club, has had open membership for a decade as the club and its members slowly die (No website).