Not sure why it’s a surprise it happens in every industry. There’s a saying “It’s not what you know it’s who you know”
I remember a ex flight school pal who went through the pilot apprentice at a well know holiday airline, he did a stint with the pilot recruiters, one afternoon a senior management pilot came in and asked to see a list of people who’d applied for jobs.
He highlighted 5/6 names and said “These WILL be called for an assessment” They were all highly experienced captains he knew from a stint working in the desert.
Were they all qualified ? Yes,
Would they have been invited anyway? Probably
Its the way the world works