Isn't the most important thing to hire the right, likeable person who fits in with the rest of the team, is motivated to get the job done and gets along with the owner / operator?
I've seen it all: young lads being hired right into the right seat of a dream airplane, SIM instructors with close to zero actual experience on type being asked to join a fight department etc..
It's all a matter of timing and bumping into the right people at the right moment.