For those of you not familiar with the term 'cargo cult', here's a brief summary:
So it basically means imitating a practice, and hoping for similar results, without knowing the principles behind the practice.
This is pretty much, what I did in the beginning of my job search, uncritically jumping to practices that were recommended by others. "You should network some more! Invite some great people on coffee dates and pick their brains!" So I did. I found a place that had coffee. I found someone who worked in an interesting job and invited him out for coffee to pick his brain and be one of those "networking people". Needless to say, it wasn't the overwhelming success I had hoped for.
My advice to others navigating the jungle of job advice is this: Beware of joining the cargo cult! What seems like a great practice might not be the right practice for you. And you will never achieve great results simply by imitating other people's advice, no matter how brilliant they are. Instead listen to your own instincts and set personal goals, which actually makes sense to you. I had this as a personal goal for a long time before branching out to other things.
I have had great success networking later on, but I haven't asked anyone on a coffee date since my failed attempt.
(Update: I have, in fact, been to quite a few meetings since I first wrote this post, and they all went well. My best advice for a successful meeting is this: Only ask questions that you would truely like to discuss. If you have a personal interest in the subject it will shine through.)
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