I'm a shy guy, and don't find it too easy to build a network of folks. Does that mean I should be disregarded?

I have had people ask me if I know anyone who is looking for a new job as .... and I have sometimes mentioned names of people who I get along with, but I may not have not actually worked with them (especially in large orgs), so it still doesn't bypass the problems of finding the right person.

I saw one job advert once, and they asked the applicants to write the old arcade game Missile Command in Java and send it with the application. That separated the men from the boys (or women from the girls). I'm sure it only took a few seconds to evaluate. Not sure how many new requests for help with code appeared on the internet over the following weeks.......