DC companies hold a job consortium every year. I participated in one of them. ICF was one of the employers. I spoke with a college alumni also working at the company then. Connections do help, A LOT, at least in taking the resumes to the right place. Recruiters do not even look at many of the resumes they receive. To be fair - there are usually too many. I had a preliminary interview then. I hold an international status. Most employers tend to be wary of such hires. ICF was too. But they came back two months later. I got a call saying that ICF wanted to review my application, as they have an opening. I had a phone interview with a recruiter. Then I was called for a main interview, or rather 5 interviews - with a recruiter, an analyst and 3 managers. Most were just general talks - 'get to know each other' type. The most important points they looked for were compatibility and quantitative skills, as the position I was applying for was very quantitative in nature.