A manager who believed in a candidate walked her to the hiring manager and made the case. He agreed to one interview. She got the job three days later.
No six-round gauntlet, no take-home assignment, no waiting to hear back. A referral, a single conversation, and a decision made at the speed the situation deserved — the whole process, meet, talk, decide, fit inside a working week.
It is the counterexample every hiring thread needs: sometimes the fastest route to a great hire is simply agreeing to meet someone a trusted person believes in.