The ones that looked perfect on paper were often the ones who got the worst assessment from our insider.
"Massive ego" was usually the cause of a rejection from a seemingly perfect candidate.
I often wondered if Airlines did that!! Seriously though, do airlines really think pilots tell the truth to some of the stupid questions they ask in interviews?
As for being perfect on paper, and massive ego, to which I admit to openly in both cases ha, isn't a massive ego a common trait amongst pilots?
Or is what you are describing really the difference between a pilot with experience and probably having done the job before compared to a pilot with lower experience or new? Which leads nicely into something I have read before about interviews which explains why airlines seem to take a lot of newbies, they promote what little they have compared to someone else with a lot to offer who rests on it all being explained in the CV.