"That's the career advice I would give, build good bridges and make friends with people."

I agree. Personally I'd include recruiters in that group of people as well.

I don't work with keyword monkeys...the ones that send you job opportunities for jr. sysadmin roles 20 years into your career, because a 10-year-old resume they dug up from somewhere mentioned bash shell scripting in there somewhere.

I work with a handful of recruiters I've developed a good relationship with and who know what I'm looking for.