ExpressJet Hiring Dispatchers

Hiring at any airline (regional or major, first dispatch job, or whatever) will seem more like lottery drawing than anything else. All you can do is have the basic qualifications and hope they pick you.

If you have the qualifications, then you'll get the call soon enough. It just may not be where you want to go to start with. Flexibility in this industry means a lot.

For me, it took me about 3 months and applying to a couple dozen different openings before I finally got my first dispatch job... 1000 miles away from where I consider home.
 
Salkadi said:
Hiring at any airline (regional or major, first dispatch job, or whatever) will seem more like lottery drawing than anything else. All you can do is have the basic qualifications and hope they pick you.

If you have the qualifications, then you'll get the call soon enough. It just may not be where you want to go to start with. Flexibility in this industry means a lot.

For me, it took me about 3 months and applying to a couple dozen different openings before I finally got my first dispatch job... 1000 miles away from where I consider home.
Click to expand...

That sounds like me I actually was a ticket agent for my current company for a yr thengot the dispatching job and yes about 1000miles away from my home. Have to be willing to relocate aanyehere. Flexibility is key.
 
I commuted at my first carrier (never...again), lived 15 minutes away at my second carrier, drove 1 hour to my third carrier, then said carrier moved my wife and I to CVG. 3 months later, I got hired at my current shop and moved to the south (2 moves in 1 year). My wife's family is all located in NYC, and mine is in NH. We have all come to the realization that we only get to see one another a few times a year at the most! It is just a sacrifice we have to make to do this job.
 
Salkadi said:
Hiring at any airline (regional or major, first dispatch job, or whatever) will seem more like lottery drawing than anything else. All you can do is have the basic qualifications and hope they pick you.

If you have the qualifications, then you'll get the call soon enough. It just may not be where you want to go to start with. Flexibility in this industry means a lot.

For me, it took me about 3 months and applying to a couple dozen different openings before I finally got my first dispatch job... 1000 miles away from where I consider home.
Click to expand...
I am willing to move. I have applied at jobs all over the country, not just here. But ExpressJet is where I would like to be. I realize that odds for me aren't good. :(
I am still applying at many places, especially medical life flight type places since I have experience in EMS also but I would prefer to work for an airline.
I appreciate all of your input! You guys have all been really friendly and I appreciate that.
 
lmb423 said:
I am willing to move. I have applied at jobs all over the country, not just here. But ExpressJet is where I would like to be. I realize that odds for me aren't good. :(
I am still applying at many places, especially medical life flight type places since I have experience in EMS also but I would prefer to work for an airline.
I appreciate all of your input! You guys have all been really friendly and I appreciate that.
Click to expand...

It's been said many times on here but bears repeating; if you want to be a dispatcher get a dispatcher job. Don't pigeonhole yourself in a job that doesn't advance your career unless you absolutely don't have any other choice. As for what the airlines are looking for, everyone is a little different, but the universal constant of all jobs is that you present yourself as professional, approachable and eager to learn. As a hiring manager, if I see you have your license I can assume with enough confidence you have the knowledge.

Trying to get a job in the airlines sometimes feels like farting in a windstorm, but you WILL start to get calls if you persist.
 
I will politely disagree with Mr. Pljenkins regarding the notion that one simply has to "get a dispatcher job". I think that as the market flexes one must have a more nuanced approach to the job search. (ie flexible) I don't think you have to tell anyone more than once to apply for those dispatcher jobs. Im sure everyone does exactly that BUT....in the mean time maybe there is another way. Im sure those of you who are employed and more experienced will be the first ones to point out that we newbies have to work hard before you "become" a dispatcher. How many times have I read on the forum that a "license is just a ticket to go out and learn" It is the same in almost every profession. I know for a fact, that there are many folks with DX tickets sitting at all kinds of airline desk jobs and even ramper jobs waiting for their turn to move up. And we know from this forum that they do in fact move up, much to the chagrin of us on the street.
In the real world one cannot simply apply for "architect" or "engineer" or even become a carpenter or tradesman without the initial on the job training. Sometimes that means getting in at the lower levels (or different titles) and working your way up. Case in point...I have a good friend that got his BS in enology(that's winemaking) from the best school in the US. But he cannot "be" a winemaker or even apply for wine-making jobs. Out of the question. He had to spend 3 harvest seasons as an intern making $15/hour (yes I realize that is good money!) then he was hired as a cellar worker...2 years later, he was promoted to Enologist....2 years later Assistant Winemaker.....4 years later...he quit and went to another company as a Winemaker! Yes, 9 years and now he is a winemaker.At least we an apply for those dispatcher jobs.
It is clear that with the limited jobs (it seems) and the schools cranking out young guns every 60days, the job scene is getting tighter. So you can't just sit at the keyboard and tell us what amounts to "go for it"....Believe me, we do , we are, and we shall continue to go for it.

But if that doesn't work....Im selling Crystal Balls over on the QVC channel!!! Good Luck.
 
I'll second that, @TaxiBack

TaxiBack said:
And we know from this forum that they do in fact move up, much to the chagrin of us on the street.
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Internal hiring is NOT to be underestimated. There almost certainly is a vast majority of us highly qualified and in top form ready to get drafted out of free agency from wherever we were lucky enough to get started. Meanwhile the Majors have countless benchwarmers who will always get preference over externals 99% of the time. You can have networked yourself near to death while an internal hire can literally not even have a license (or know anyone in the Flight Ops area of their operation) and in the majority of cases you'll either be neck in neck or just behind the internal hire in the running for a position.

There's no two ways about it when you go somewhere else you basically have to relearn how to Dispach. Air carriers want their operations managed their way and on their terms, and quite frankly it's easier to instill that in internal candidates than it will be in those of us who think we know what we're doing just because we've done it somewhere else already. It's no different for pilots and we really can't hope for it to change in favor of external hires. External hiring does happen, obviously, so my two cents would be if you want to be a Dispatcher go work somewhere that the majors hire from regularly (including internally at said Major). Doesn't matter if you do scheduling, Dispatch, ramp ops, etc. Patience will take you farther on its own than experience or anything else will take your counterpart from anywhere else.
 
I think the important point to take from this is that there are different paths to get to where you want to be. You can take that regional job wherever you can get it and gain experience, or go to work for a supplemental and gain valuable experience, or take a non-dispatch job at a major and patiently wait your turn. Some may even start off at a 135 just to get some income flowing in when a 121 opportunity doesn't present itself. There's no right answer...or a perfect equation on how to get to a major. Internals are more likely to be interviewed and potentially hired, but as we know, many externals have landed those jobs at the majors. Just do what's right for you and be flexible because if we know anything at all, the aviation industry is constantly changing, as are our opportunities. In the end, some of us who want to end up at majors may get there. Some may not. Some may find that they are happy being senior at a regional. Some may go into management and get off the line altogether. Some may find they love supplemental. And some may even fall in love with 135. My point is, there's no absolutes in this field and we all take different paths to get to where we want to be, albeit not always a path we would have picked if given a choice. I feel it's important to take initiative, network and try to position yourself to be successful in landing that "ultimate" job you wish to retire from. But even doing all that, it may still fall on timing and luck.
 
I certainly do appreciate Taxiback's excellent points. I do disagree about one point, and that is the missive "to become a dispatcher". You sir are as much a dispatcher as I am, we are just at different points in our career. Make no mistake about it, you guys shoving the regional jets around and especially our brothers and sisters in turboprop land are having to deal with issues that I don't. The most difficult dispatching you are going to do is going to be in your first years.
 
TaxiBack said:
I will politely disagree with Mr. Pljenkins regarding the notion that one simply has to "get a dispatcher job". I think that as the market flexes one must have a more nuanced approach to the job search. (ie flexible) I don't think you have to tell anyone more than once to apply for those dispatcher jobs. Im sure everyone does exactly that BUT....in the mean time maybe there is another way. Im sure those of you who are employed and more experienced will be the first ones to point out that we newbies have to work hard before you "become" a dispatcher. How many times have I read on the forum that a "license is just a ticket to go out and learn" It is the same in almost every profession. I know for a fact, that there are many folks with DX tickets sitting at all kinds of airline desk jobs and even ramper jobs waiting for their turn to move up. And we know from this forum that they do in fact move up, much to the chagrin of us on the street.

It is clear that with the limited jobs (it seems) and the schools cranking out young guns every 60days, the job scene is getting tighter. So you can't just sit at the keyboard and tell us what amounts to "go for it"....Believe me, we do , we are, and we shall continue to go for it.
Click to expand...

There seems to be a lot of people out there pushing doom and gloom on new hires about getting a job with a major. Dispatch schools have been "cranking out" people long before I started in the industry. Once you have started in the career at a regional, some people say, oh, it's VERY HARD to get a job with a major as they ONLY hire internally, etc. I remember hearing it quite frequently when I was starting out. Then someone I worked with got hired with a major with only a year of experience at the regional airline we worked at and it made me say, hmmmm....maybe that is BS.

It is true majors do hire internally but they don't exclusively hire internally. Even the airlines that used to almost exclusively hire internals (DL and SW) have changed and now hire people from outside as well. I have known people that got dispatch experience, got hired at a major in a non-dispatch role (i.e. crew scheduling or load planning) and then got hired as dispatchers at that major also. There are many paths to career success. All I'm saying is, don't count yourself out if you're a regional dispatcher and think that every major dispatch opening will go to an internal hire without any experience. Keep on applying and good luck with your career!
 
manniax said:
There seems to be a lot of people out there pushing doom and gloom on new hires about getting a job with a major. Dispatch schools have been "cranking out" people long before I started in the industry. Once you have started in the career at a regional, some people say, oh, it's VERY HARD to get a job with a major as they ONLY hire internally, etc. I remember hearing it quite frequently when I was starting out. Then someone I worked with got hired with a major with only a year of experience at the regional airline we worked at and it made me say, hmmmm....maybe that is BS. It is true majors do hire internally but they don't exclusively hire internally. Even the airlines that used to almost exclusively hire internals (DL and SW) have changed and now hire people from outside as well. I have known people that got dispatch experience, got hired at a major in a non-dispatch role (i.e. crew scheduling or load planning) and then got hired as dispatchers at that major also. There are many paths to career success. All I'm saying is, don't count yourself out if you're a regional dispatcher and think that every major dispatch opening will go to an internal hire without any experience. Keep on applying and good luck with your career!
Click to expand...

And so that's the point I was trying to make...
 
If there's one guy out there that lost all hope it was me. I stupidly chased one major exclusively for 3 years. I saw dispatchers with 1/4 of my experience and resume strength beating me. Once I woke up and started applying for others I was hired within 18 months by the granddaddy of internal only airlines.
My view as meaningless as it is, would be to go to a regional even if only for a coupleof years. Then if you wanted to try the major internal route get hired on by said major in any capacity. The experience dispatching you had previously could only help you. If not in getting the job, then definately in training.
 
PlaneFan82 said:
I miss MSP....but not the winter. It was an awesome city to work in. I am planning to come up there this spring to see some friends of mine that work with you.
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I have to admit, apart from the 2 feet of snow on the ground it is beginning to grow on me, and it has been surprisingly easy to non-rev out of.
 
Hey everybody....wow this thread has really called us to higher ground! I really appreciate all of the input/output from everyone, young and old alike.
After re-reading the last 10 or so posts, I should like to clarify a few points.....

1. To be perfectly perfectly clear...I will apply to any job...and I mean any job whether, indoors,outdoors, high level, low level..."no chance in hell" ...you name it. Im not afraid of the TBNT letter... I have a ton of them. I am not turning my nose up or down..at any type of opportunity. I would love to work for a regional anywhere! (Lots of short hops in low level wx...heck yeah).

2. I started another thread asking about applying to a CS job with a major. I know many of you have already seen it and some have commented over there. My point was to find out if...if...crew scheduling was really that bad....I have read many posts on this forum wherein folks state that they abhor CS," never never never!!"..etc. So I was simply asking "is it really that bad?" ie...should I just keep looking? But I have heard from many of you who say, as Womanpilot stated, "do what's best for you [me]."

3. As for applying to any "internal" job at a major just to get in the door....I will not do facilities maintenance. Gotta draw the line somewhere! I have no idea how to change a lightbulb. ( I would consider ramping on Kauai for a couple of years!!!)

4. I think now, I am beginning to understand Mr. pljenkins point...I should try and DISPATCH somewhere first and foremost...That is a good point. That is what I want to do! Planes planes planes.

5. Lastly, thanks to everyone on this forum for all of the great topics, humor and sound advice. This place is a great asset for us all and I will do my best to maintain that professionalism and share what I can with others.

That is all.
 
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