How important is networking for getting sponsored?

Networking is absolutely essential for getting sponsored. Joe Parsons emphasizes that 'you don't get anywhere and you don't get anything without networking.' He notes that Monster became successful because 'a brand is made by people - the company doesn't make a brand, it's the people that make that brand.' Joe himself built relationships growing up in California that became his own 'LinkedIn before it was LinkedIn.' He got his job at Monster simply by knowing the right people. His advice: 'never burn your bridges' and 'always network as much as you can.'