It is still who you know and not what you know per se but it helps if you are a very qualified applicant for the position you are applying for and need to pass the required exam before who you know from within can really assist you or put in a little nudge in HR to0 put your name above the other applicants. Its the reality anywhere. Interview comes secondary and the interviewer or panel of interviewers will just read from a generic list of questions and sometimes not related to the position you are applying for.

Panel style interview with direct supervisor and potential peers. It was set up in a board room and was a very informal process. Questions were related to employee supervision and customer relations. Technical questions were asked but not a focus of the interviewer.