or has anyone even been hired solely thru archinect? Seems like a huge waste of time to even apply without any type of inside contact.

I've had an interview from a job posting on here. Didn't get that job, but it opened a lot of doors into a new city for me.

I applied and received a job through an archinect posting; I would say it's hardly a waste of time.

I found my first job from the job board. New city, no connections, just clicked with the owner. 

I do think the positions that repeat often are legit, but that the turn around at those places are pretty high. 

You see a lot of firms posting jobs frequently on Archinect because they get a ton of very talented applicants through Archinect. Many of the firms that post here have been posting here regularly for years. Based on our followups with the firms that buy job ads on Archinect, almost all of them fill the position with an applicant they find here.

In a competitive job market it's easy to jump to conclusions that job ads are not legit, because many jobs receive hundreds (sometimes thousands) of applications, so most people don't get a response, but to give up and say it's not worth it is giving yourself a major disservice.

I hired two people in the past year based only on postings on Archinect.  Neither had an inside contact.  So yes, the job board does work.