My good friend spent almost 20 years flying as an ex-pat after BubbleJet failed, all it in Asia (as Captain) for one airline or another. From what he tells me, nearly ALL of his FO's were VERY low-time pilots who managed to have the secret handshake and key to the cockpit. IOW, flying experience, skill, and merit had nothing to do with their stripes. Somedays, stuff happens. Who do YOU want next to you when it does? I don't care who you are, who your parents were, or who you choose to love... can you fly and keep your head on straight when the feces pings the fan blades?
All that being said, I have seen some guys
with stellar resumes do incredibly stupid things in airplanes.