I'll defend hiring of wannabes, usually they are dedicated to aviation, often with frozen CPL's/ATPL which give them a good grounding in the studies and almost without fail are very good at the job. They hold the position for a few years while they get their hours and, as the world turns, they move on to a flying job where their background in Ops and Crewing often balances their view when they are on the other side of the fence.
Rarely does it prevent someone not getting a job if equally qualified applicants are available. We've got three in our department all excellent, been with us at least two years each and probably another year or so before they move on.