womanpilot73
Well-Known Member
I rely on my school, as well as looking at Monster, Indeed, Career Builder and even frequenting specific airline's websites.
Best way to get to the majors as a dispatcher
- Thread starter Brett Pettit
- Start date
I'd have to say networking is key in any industry-from the business world to the education industry. The downside- networking is not easy, especially if you are the least bit shy. I learned my lesson though after earning a degree in education and never truely using it-partially because of not networking and partially because of the lousy education market.
In the past few years though, I learned the best way is to just get your name out there. Talk to people, tell them about you, tell them a story that makes them remember you. When I went to school for dispatch and ATC, I stayed after classes to talk to my professors, applied to scholarships they were advisors for, introduced myself to the chairman of the aviation department, etc. The same can go for the teachers at schools like Jepp or Sheffield or even your coworkers and managers. Have regular conversations with these people. And if you move on from a school or job, CONTINUE to talk to these people. I will email or call my professors about once a month just to give them an update-even if the update has nothing to do with aviation. I have built relations with these people so much so that I sometimes stop back at the school and am welcomed in to their offices just to talk. These people are no longer my professors in an 'elder' sense; they are my collegues.
Networking is how I landed my first dispatch job. I kept in touch with friends at school that graduated ahead of me and went to work for airlines as dispatchers. I also made some phone calls...and if you know me, I am the last person that likes to 'cold call' strangers. While I cannot promise that this always works, since you can get a crabby person who thinks they are too good to talk to you, you could actually reach a person in charge of a dispatch department that is cheering for your success. Luckily for me, I got in contact with a very welcoming manager of dispatch that was willing to tell me about the company and how to go about obtaining a dispatch job. This phone call did not end things though. I kept in contact. Follow up by making phone calls, sending an email or dropping a letter in the mail. I let him know when I was going to take my written, oral and practical. And you know where that got me? I was interviewed the day after my oral and practical and offered the job just hours thereafter. If you have not networked much yet in your career, it is never too late to start. From here on out, talk to people (even in different departments), keep in contact, oh, and never burn bridges-aviation is far too small for that.