Past experience, however relevant, seems largely irrelevant wrt speed of upgrade. If you join as an FO, you can bank on at least three years stuck as FO, then cruise capt for x more years. Yes, big expansion, but the limited training resources will be dedicated to feeding in direct entry Capts and PICCs. Terrible "bond" arrangement too. Best way in is to grab a handful of widebody command somewhere (eg A300 or 767) then join as a full Captain.