My name is Denise and I am the founder of Desert Jet.
First, I'm sorry to anyone who was not contacted in our last round of hiring. Due to the overwhelming response we received, we tried to think outside the box for a better way to screen applicants. As we were spending hours upon hours interviewing candidates we thought we might be able to narrow down candidates by asking them to submit a video resume rather than a paper one. It has worked well for us but obviously we haven't been as responsive to applicants as we should be. For that I am sorry.
As far as Derek Hood’s (dhood84) comments, there are two sides to every story. I hired him as an employee last summer and fired him three days later when his background check came back with significant discrepancies and when several employees expressed concerns over lies that they caught him in during training. He is one of the reasons why we put this video interview process in place - to avoid hiring the wrong people, which hurts not only us but also the applicant/new hire when we get it wrong. Derek is obviously still upset. He was upset enough in the days following his firing that he sent me an email demanding in the form of blackmail a payment of $10,000 or that otherwise he would sue me. Here's a copy of the letter;
June 3, 2013
Via First-Class Mail with Certificate of Mailing
Desert Jet
56850 Higgins Dr.
Thermal CA, 92274
ATTN: Ms. Denise Wilson
Re: Demand for Payment
Dear Ms. Wilson:
Please be advised that Desert Jet owes me the sum of $10,000.00 because of cost to move my family from Nebraska to California and loss of wages and health insurance.
This will be Desert Jet's only chance to settle this matter before I file suit against Desert Jet in Small Claims Court. Please contact me on or before June 13, 2013 for purposes of settling this matter. If I do not hear from Desert Jet on or before June 13, 2013, I will file a lawsuit against Desert Jet without further notice. It is in Desert Jet's best interest to settle this matter before a lawsuit is filed. If a judgment is obtained against Desert Jet, it will negatively affect Desert Jet's ability to get credit, Desert Jet will be ordered to pay court costs, and Desert Jet will incur interest at a rate of 10% per annum.
Based on the foregoing, I expect payment in the amount of $10,000.00 made payable to me, (redacted), Irvine CA, 92614 no later than June 13, 2013. (I can be reached at: .) If Desert Jet decides to ignore this demand for payment, I will further pursue all of its legal remedies without further notice to Desert Jet. This letter serves as evidence that I have attempted to resolve this matter informally.
Sincerely,
Derek J. Hood
(redacted)
Irvine CA, 92614
Making insinuations about a women’s career progression in aviation being a success due to sexual favors given is a truly despicable thing to do. I have never been handed anything and I have sacrificed more to make my career in aviation a success than anyone else I know or have ever known. My sacrifices involved putting my career before my family, moving numerous times for aircraft all over the country, continuing my education and getting as much as experience as possible in part 91, 121 and 135 operations. Trust me, as a woman I have never been handed anything; in fact I have to work harder than my male counterparts in this field just to prove myself, as this thread so easily shows.
Putting the unpleasantness of this topic aside - please feel free to contact me directly if you would like to learn more about me, Desert Jet, or the significant career opportunities that are available at my company. We type rate everyone and everyone is hired as a captain or captain-in-training. Professional development for our employees is very important to me and I do everything possible to support each person’s goals.
