Everyone has to apply through the online platform. If the position is director level and below, the position is posted. However, often the hiring manager already has a candidate in mind or they are being steered to a specific pool of internal prospects. Under normal circumstances, there is a strong push to hire from within the organization. With the down market, that push has become more of a mandate. That means, job seekers could see a posting on glassdoor or another site for a position that has already been unofficially filled. If you are contacted, it will be from HR who will narrow the candidates down to a manageable list based on the hiring managers input. It will also mean that the job has been posted internally at least 5 days. If you come it, you will likely get to meet HR, the hiring manager and in many cases the team. Three of the four people I've hired in the last three years were referred from people that knew me. Two of them were hired after interning.