At the joint I work for, you have to kiss a lot of butt. A LOT. It is all about who you know and whose butt you have kissed and how well you have kissed it. It really has nothing to do with record or ability- I know of a CP who had a big time violation before becoming a CP. CP's make their buddies the asst CP, who then make their buddies the IOE pilots. Again, there is little to do with ability beyond the basics. In fact, I know of at least one IOE CA who is a total a$$ and has no instructional ability. Go figure.