Great advice but I have personally given up on networking. I think there are a few great stories like this one but for most of us networking seems to not be as effective as it was years ago. I did everything imaginable to get a call at JB since it has always been my dream airline for as long as I can remember. I've read all the blue books several times (love the story), dumped all my cash into the stock years ago, stopped by the headquarters on my days off, have 4 LOR's from JB pilots and 1 is from a B6 CKA that is a family friend who personally knew the recruiter I spoke with at a job fair. I've applied to 6 consecutive windows, no skeletons, humble attitude, volunteer work, previous regional pilot/recruiter, PIC A320 & 170/190 types with thousands of SIC in type, paid for resume review, no failures and a MBA. I've put all my previous networking efforts into JB and up until recently I may have been one of the few pilots left with a JB app to have never applied to any legacy. I've had conversations with other pilots and feel I was the only soul alive who would happily turn down any legacy offer if given a B6 CJO on the same day.
Now I'm waiting for captain class on the airbus for one of the LCC's wondering if networking really works. I've only had 3 aviation interviews and I recieved the job with all 3 with no networking. I'm sure I will get flamed here for this post especially here on JC but I'm just keeping it real. I'm happy for all those who have had success with networking and I believe it is better vs no networking but I feel it is highly overrated. Just my 2 cents.
You know, I was feeling particularly sorry for myself one night, so I decided to try something. I had just gotten turned down at a major airline and was feeling like I just couldn't catch a break, even when I caught a break. I had gotten an interview at the 'hot airline' when interviews where tough to come by and failed it. I was stuck in the right seat of a regional going into my seventh year with no upgrade in sight and was starting to feel like I was just at the end of my rope. So I decided to make a list of all the bad luck and missteps I had had in my career that really just made it seem like the universe was out to get me.
Stuff like, getting hired two months too late to ever seem to be able to upgrade at my current shop, to failing an interview with the one good shot I had received, to getting a contact info for a guy at a legacy airline I wanted to work for and
literally dropping it out of my pocket on the way to the next gate. Turns out, the longer I thought about things, the longer the list got.
I kept that list on my phone and added to it. Every time I read that list of crap luck, I got angry and I was determined to not let some stupid iPhone note of crap luck determine how I went about my career. Every time something bad or obnoxious happened, I added it to the list and resolved to overcome.
I made another list as well; networking contacts I had made throughout the years who I wanted to make an effort to keep in touch with. Maybe that's just how my brain works, but I often need to write things down and review to get things done.
I worked harder. 8 months later I had an interview at B6. 2 months later I had a CJO from B6. 2 days later I had a job invite from my dream job, and 2 months from that I was sitting in class at where I had wanted to be my whole life.
It's ok to get down from time to time, but don't give up. Try a little harder every time and you are bound to reach your goals!
