That assumption is correct. Networking can help create visibility and context, but it rarely compensates for a profile that is not competitive or an interview performance that is not strong enough.

The candidates who make the jump tend to have a clear story: strong performance at Deloitte, meaningful client impact, increasing responsibility, and a reason for moving that is more thoughtful than simply wanting a more prestigious brand. Those elements make the experienced-hire application easier to understand.

Timing matters too. Experienced hiring can open and close based on office demand, so a good candidate may get very different outcomes six months apart. That is why targeted networking is useful: it helps you understand where demand actually exists.

Once you get the interview, the process largely resets. Your Deloitte background got you into the room; the case and fit interviews determine whether you convert. A useful reference is experienced-hire criteria in consulting if you want to go deeper on that part.

My referral helped me get looked at, but the interview was still the interview. No shortcut.

Timing was huge for me. First application went nowhere, second one 8 months later got interviews.