Recommendations, a discussion

jtrain609 said:
If you read my posts with the straight faced "I'm completely not being serious" approach of Wyatt Cenac of The Daily Show, with a touch of waving my arms around the room screaming ala Cramer from Seinfeld, it'd probably be pretty accurate for how most of my posts should be read.
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I meant what I said in the best way possible. If it seemed like a drive by it's because I was typing it with my two big thumbs on an iPhone and it's hard to remember what smileys I have available to me then.

One of these days I need to make it to NJC so I can cease being the avatarless AK dude, and finally convince myself you're not a skinny little black dude with a smug grin on his face. We can talk about the latest Glen Beck book I read and you'll finally be swayed to the dark side. 'll be the official designated driver and encourage drunk posting while takingn plenty of iPhone videos and putting them on youtube. That's a good way to network, right?
 
I've recommended a few people from here sight unseen. After talking with them all and seeing a few of there posts I felt comfortable enough and it hasnt really burned me thus yet. But like a few have already said here the random guy with 2 posts that asks me for a rec usually gets ignored.
 
It is worth noting, that if you are the recipient of a recommendation, don't screw it up for the guy who recommended you. As someone said earlier, that the pilot lost his street cred with HR by saying a guy he kinda knew ended up being a tool.

Example, telling the higher ups a guy is a good guy and a knowledgeable pilot gets offered a position, accepts and then backs out days before class. Makes the refer feel like an idiot.
 
scooter2525 said:
Example, telling the higher ups a guy is a good guy and a knowledgeable pilot gets offered a position, accepts and then backs out days before class. Makes the refer feel like an idiot.
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been there done that. twice. now I take recommendations much more seriously. and I even knew the guys personally that decided not to show up to training once hired on my recommendation.
 
I'v never heard of someone asking for a LoR from someone they have never met, only on the internet. Frankly, I cannot fathom such a thing, but I guess it does happen, indeed.

To me that's a wee bit crazy. If I've never worked with you, how can I recommend you? I wouldn't hang my butt out there for ya, sorry. On the other hand, I've never asked anyone for a LoR because, well, I've gotten all my jobs through networking. I suppose when I go to larger companies though, those LoRs from current employees would help...
 
Even if you don't have a job lined up from networking you meet some great people.

I had interviews lined up with all sorts of places from having gone to only a couple JC events. We had one at our home back when Ben Hill was alive. I ended up not flying for a living and walked away with a bag full of good people to know.

My point is also be genuine in your networking becuase someday you will be expected to pay it forward and it might not be in the aviation world.
 
I can imagine that the LORs given by folks who have met strictly via internet and not in person are more of personal recommendations instead of professional recommendations. Granted, you can get an idea of how professional someone is from their writing or knowledge but without knowing them or meeting at least once in person for a decent amount of time, i wouldn't offer more than a simple personal letter of rec....because those can, too, be handy whereas the professional letter of rec can come from those you've worked with in the past.

SIUav8er said:
been there done that. twice. now I take recommendations much more seriously. and I even knew the guys personally that decided not to show up to training once hired on my recommendation.
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Doug's had the same thing happen to him and yea, it doesn't look good on the guy whose recommending...not only that, after a while you tend to wonder what the point is of walking anyone's papers in if they're not going to take the interview much less the offer of employment. don't waste your recommenders time because its very possible if you ask them again, they won't do it.

I also have to suggest, since it's bitten doug in the past as well, that you make sure your recommender knows EVERYTHING nasty that might keep him from obtaining the job. Doug took one recommendation in and didn't know there had been some past nastiness and it really affected his LOR walk-ins for at least a year or so. don't be *that* guy.
 
I'll add to this conversation. I've attended a few M&G's and have been to a couple NJC's! It really did help put a face to the screen name. Did I meet people that probably didn't like me based off my personality on here? I'm positive I did! Did I try to make a connection with each and every person? I sure did! To further the deal, I even bought drinks around for people that I havent had the warmest encounters with! I'll give a prime example. When I started on JC, Max (Maximillian_Jenius) and I went at it, hard (PUN INTENDED). Pretty sure I even got a infraction because of it. After some time chatting and M&G's, we're friends! We even split a room last year at NJC! Would I do everything in my power to get him an interview including a LOR and walking his resume in (not like he needs my help!)? ABSOLUTELY!

You have to put effort in, to receive it in return!


Also, I'd like to add, if I personally walk your resume in and/or get you an interview, I expect you to represent yourself, as I'd represent myself.

I wont mention the scenario here, but if I bend backwards to get you an interview/near guaranteed job, you better show up squared away, ready to perform. Anything less is a representation of myself, and not of yourself.
 
Sadly, my position does not really afford me the ability to write LoRs frequently, but recently it did. I wrote two letters for JCers, one I have met before and posts every so often, and another whom I've never met and doesn't frequent as much anymore. I talked to the latter person via email and phone, and honestly I feel very confident in him and truly hope he gets the job. Although I have not met him, I was able to gauge his character and feel he is a great person.

The other guy, total bad ass. He had better get the position!
 
I think higher up on the food chain places don't even care how long you have known "so and so". They would rather have a rec from a guy you have known for a year but were in sim together or flown together vs your parents next door neighbor who has known you since you were zero but never worked or flown with you.

Now lower on the food chain I have found even a "hey so and so has a resume on your desk and he has a good attitude" email to the hiring manager where you work can get somebody an interview that day.
 
Interesting thread.

Oddly enough, I was written a recommendation letter by one of the people who posted in this thread. While that opportunity did not pan out, and I still owe him a dinner and drinks, it was an amazing outreach by someone who tried to help me up the ladder.

I have my present job, in part, because of a letter of recommendation that was written by a user of another board. We'd only exchanged PMs on that board and when I applied, he offered to write me a LoR without even meeting me. That letter came up in my interview and they let me in how important internals were (at that time).

Paying it forward, I have done the like. It has worked out very well, except with a couple instances. The last one was especially harsh.

Do ANYONE who is writing you a LoR a huge favor. If you have skeletons, and I mean some stuff that will come out in an interview, let that person know. In my case, I knew the individual personally from the last job. I dropped the LoR. This individual failed to inform me of a couple huge mulligans that would have had me reconsider my LoR.

Since that time, I have gone from 100% of LoRs getting calls to 0%.
 
Polar742 said:
If you have skeletons, and I mean some stuff that will come out in an interview, let that person know.
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I have this problem of getting other peoples wife's/SO's happy with alcohol and then getting them to allow pictures to be taken. Can I still get that LoR when I'm ready???? :pirate:
 
ComplexHiAv8r said:
I have this problem of getting other peoples wife's/SO's happy with alcohol and then getting them to allow pictures to be taken. Can I still get that LoR when I'm ready???? :pirate:
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With that creepy-as-hell response, I'm not sure if you will have much luck.
 
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