Both Flyboy and Ham Phisted make some valid points about recruitment. It is a well publicised fact that every low hour pilot will not walk into an airline job when they have completed initial training, however it is not JUST because there isn't a job there. It is rightly said that people try to get into this profession for all the wrong reasons. Flying a shiney jet around the world, staying in 5 star hotels, being paid massive amounts of money and living a glamorous lifestyle is just some of the disillusions that I have witnessed people having. This, as the majority of people here will know, is not the airline industry of today; yet you would be suprised how many people still believe it to be this way! People read about "Mass Global Pilot Shortages" and dive head first into training; believing that BA, Virgin and others will be headhunting them through their training. I say this with a little 'tounge in cheek,' however in some of the FTO open days that I attended before deciding on where I should train, I found a lot of people in the same position as myself believing this.
The other side of the story is that some people are and never will be suited to the job. They may be one of the most fantastically talented pilots that there is, however their attitude, personality or concept of what it takes to fly an airliner couldn't be anything further than what is required. FlyBe's TP Chief Captain recently stated that a recent low-time interviewee suggested that pilots had no role to play when it came to keeping the passengers informed throughout a flight, as it was the pilot's job to fly the plane and nothing else! Understandibly the interview came to an abrupt end right there. It would undoubtably be the same case for those who maintained a 'know it all attitude' or those who had a personality that would never be deemed appropriate for the flightdeck. These people are out there, I have met some of them, and it comes with no suprise to me that they haven't had recommendations, interviews or jobs. It's also not suprising to note that these are the people wearing the massive chip on their shoulder about the industry, as if it owes them something because they are qualified! I actually find it quite sad to see that they fail to realise that this is more down to themselves than the industry.
I'm sure that this is not the case with your husband, Angrywife - well I hope not anyway! He may be experiencing a bit of bad luck at the moment, however with the right attitude and drive HE WILL GET THERE.