They asked for a reference from my previous CEO.
I had left on good terms (gave 4 weeks' notice) and was incredibly professional while working with the previous CEO, so I got a glowing reference. If I had been an ass, it'd be unlikely I'd have gotten such a great reference and got this job. ~6 months later, we even scored my previous CEO as a customer.
The tech world is SMALL. Especially if you niche down career-wise, it's possible to find yourself in a situation where only a couple hundred people worldwide have the same expertise as you. At that level, people would instead work with people they know or have strong references from people they know.
The friend is a programmer. He used to work in CGI, gained a reputation in animated film, and decided to leave it. People he had known for years convinced him to apply for a role in gaming. He wasn't a typical candidate, but the insiders he knew vouched for his skills and volunteered to onboard him, so he effectively switched industries.
The family member is a nurse. She holds an NP with a midwifery specialization. She was based in a large Western city and couldn't land a job for many months after she got her license. Every clinic wanted someone with 1-2 years one the job experienced.
When she finally applied for a role in the small mountain town where she had done her clinical training, the people she had interned for put their reputations on the line with the folks hiring at the clinic. The job offer documents were ready before she walked out of her interview.
These people are both conscientious and hard workers, but they were each making a leap of sorts. One to a new sector that also needed his skills, and another starting her career and in need of a couple years training post diploma. In both cases, people who had the ear of the hiring manager staked their repuations so that they would be hired.