That's also true in a lot of fieds, yes. Networking is important.

Yes, I agree it's ridiculous, but it's the way it is. Remember that the company is basically shopping for a new employee though. I you're looking to buy a new T.V., for instance, you probably start out with a list of things you really want it to have. Then you start looking for T.V.s and find that while that one has all the inputs you hoped for, it's twice the price of that one, which is just missing one, that you can probably get by without. Companies have to make a value judgement on every candidate, weighing thingsvlike length of experience against breadth of knowledge or how they'll fit in.

It would be better if the hours and pay were as stated, but they're part of the negotiation too. The harder the job is to fill, the stronger the candidate's position is in those negotiations, and visa versa.