My advice to you and anyone else looking to get hired off the street is to not over analyze it, apply like you are expecting an invite email tomorrow, and remain optimisitic. You have no idea what will happen and most of us believe they will hire slightly more than they have advertised. If that happens you could see the walls come down and a bunch of guys coming in off the street. It will happen quickly if it does and if you wait for news it will be too late. The people who have positioned themselves early and ACTIVELY pursued the position will get hired. Those who wait for news will be too late and be left complaining to their next FO about the phantom 27 year female FO that "just flew with my friend" who was neighbors with the Director of Flt Ops....blah blah blah. Don't be that guy. We don't want him anyway.
I know waiting sucks. I've been there and done that. Had a job that I thought was mine disappear only to have opportunity reappear through what I believe was shear determination. I made applying to airlines and updating applications a part time job.