Job Fairs?

[bLizZuE]

I recently had a regional captain on the jumpseat and he was offering up some information about his attempts to leave the regionals and get on with a major airline. After sharing that he had not been hired after interviewing with several shops (one big, two majors) I asked, "Have you attended many job fairs?" No, none, he said. He was unhappy that he couldn't move on from his current position but he couldn't seem to put his finger on why he wasn't getting hired. He said he used an interview prep (of which I have never heard) and lamented that "none of the questions they prepped me on were the ones I was asked in my interview." (red flag)

I spent several years sitting next to 10-18 year regional captains and heard them talk about how "I'm never going to a damn job fair, they have my number!" and "those job fairs are such a rip-off, I'm not spending that much money on my day off!" I understand there is a lot of well deserved animosity towards the whole job fair scheme. They cost time and money. They don't guarantee anything. If it's stupid and it works, is it stupid? Can you claim to want to "do anything to get up and out!" and not attend job fairs? I know people attend multiple job fairs for several years and have nothing to show for all their time and money spent. Is that what turns people off? The "I know a guy that went to a bunch and didn't get hired" rumors that spread like herpes?

I don't even know if the job fair options are the same as two years ago. If you really want to get a job with a specific airline I really recommend you make an effort to learn about what job fairs they attend and go see a recruiter. Build a rapport. Have a story to tell. Show progress. Don't ask a recruiter "so how many pilots are you going to hire this year?"

I went to four job fairs in 2016 and it wasn't until the last one that I felt like I figured out how to talk to a recruiter. I had updated my resume to show what I had been actually doing during the 7 years at my regional. I was more comfortable talking about myself and my goals. If anything, I needed more practice than I thought and I definitely wasted one or two recruiters time at my first job fair.

I'm not saying you must go to every job fair possible. I'm simply suggesting you should be more open to going. Then, if you find yourself 0-3 on major airline interviews, maybe spend some time reflecting on why three different teams of people all said no to you.

Do you recommend people attend job fairs? Did they work for you?

 

[Cessnaflyer]

I think the only thing that would hurt you is if you are completely incompetent in social interactions. It shows you put forth the extra effort to get the job.

 

[Box hauler]

IMO, to put a face to a resume is a big win. Job fairs may not work for everyone but they worked for me. I don't really believe in paying to talk to a recruiter in hopes to land a job but if might help you get that job it's best to swallow that pride. Also I think attending them gets you more prepared for an interview mentally and prevents you from falling into a slump and getting comfortable at regional X. Being proactive is self induced luck

 

[skatergeek]

I was always strongly against job fairs....then my buddy (no pic at all) got hired at SJI. Needless to say I went to the next job fair available. A week after the job fair I had an interview. They are totally worth it these days.

 

[adk]

The job fair helps you get the interview. This guy had three interviews and busted them all. How would a job fair have helped him?

Edited because my original response made me sound like a dick

 

[bLizZuE]

I don’t understand your point. The job fair helps you get the interview. This guy had three interviews and busted them all. How would a job fair have helped him?

Practice interview skills. Perhaps learn from those experiences.

Overall, it's more a comment on "I really want to get out" but then not attending job fairs in the process.

 

[mikecweb]

I think the career fairs that individual airlines put on are a great idea. Shelling out thousands of dollars a year to organizations you have no connection with to get 1 minute of facetime seems rather silly. Personally not attending numerous career fairs has had zero influence on my career.

 

[Inverted]

I’m not a fan of job fairs at all. I hate the dog and pony crap we have to go though. That being said I did them, ironically the major that I am now employed, I never met with at a job fair. Conversely I was treated so poorly by SWA recruiters at WAI that I would rather be a Starbucks barista if I was on the street than ever work there. I really dislike the job fair model and it sounds like most airlines are changing the format of job fairs in 2018.

I attended United’s veteran hiring event and I really enjoyed it. Very impressed with the format and I like the idea of having the airline host it.

What I will add, is that a job fair wouldn’t have helped the guy the OP posted about. Job fairs will get you an interview, it won’t get you beyond an interview.

 

[derg]

I'd suggest a job fair if you're not getting any traction in your job hunt. I do not, however, suggest going to every job fair or joining the mob doing the OBAP>NGPA>WAI circuit annually.

But people have to realize that you're doing the "hunting' and the places you want to work for are the prey. The concept that "Oh, I've applied, they have my number" is a recipe for spending a lifetime at a regional bitter because all of your colleagues moved on to better jobs.

The "hunt" is networking, getting your name out there, looking for opportunity and not getting yourself wrapped up in "the industry sucks! UPS sucks! They'll never hire me because I have a penis!" because they're certainly not going to call you now.

Ask those guys if they're actively hunting or do they have some opinion that we have a shortage and the airline of their choice, one day, is going to knock on their door with a bouquet of flowers begging for them to come to ground school?

I recommend hitting a job fair if you're not getting any traction and your job hunt is coming up flat. I do not recommend going to every single job fair in existence.

And "job hunt" doesn't mean, "I applied for the job and talked to some dude I barely knew that recently got hired there".

 

[Inverted]

Working to get hired at your dream job is a full time job. Constant app updating, networking, job fairs, meet and greats, personal progression etc.

Seems as though there is still a measurable percentage that makes 121 regional CA, and they sit back and coast because they think that’s all it takes. Those are usually the ones that ponder why they they haven’t been called yet.

 

[nagylyk]

They work. Had a few friends just get on at southernjets after a job air. It seems to do the trick with UPS too.



Can you elaborte on this more on the resume changes? What can you really show other than you've been flying the C/ERJ in north america for xxxx hours? They wanted to see that you'd been to Mexico or the Caribbean or something? Or did you become an instructor/LCA? What goals do they want to hear you say? Am I cynic when I think to myself "this is a job, my goal is to make as much money as possible while spending as little time there as I can"....I'm sure they want to hear something else though, haha.

I have no idea what @bLizZuE did during the 7 years at his/her regional (perhaps in a PM they'll tell you) but short answer is no they are not looking to see if you did a Nassau turn and added it to your resume. The key is to not spend 7 years just flying a CRJ/ERJ around country without anything else. They already know you can fly the plane (even to Mexico or the Caribbean)...they want to see what else you do. What makes you different? What makes you fit what they are looking for? Yes, becoming an instructor or check airmen are great additions. But not everyone gets to do that. Especially if you're in the right seat. So what else can you show on your resume? Well, most airlines have unions (or something similar for SKW), perhaps consider getting involved with that. Do you have hobbies outside of work? Consider getting involved with that. Example- say you like rock climbing. Ever consider becoming an instructor? Teaching? Adding a certification (assuming thats a thing). You don't have to be riding the jumpseat of part 121 airline giving a line check to other pilots in order show an airline that you have leadership, responsibility, drive, passion, etc...like I said, if you can great! But there are lots of other things to add to the resume...many aren't even aviation related. And circling back to the job fair topic, @Derg's friend would probably be more interesting to talk to you about teaching people to rock climb (or something like that) at a job fair as opposed to how many caribbean VFR approaches you've done in the last 7 years.

 

[bLizZuE]

Can you elaborte on this more on the resume changes? What can you really show other than you've been flying the C/ERJ in north america for xxxx hours? They wanted to see that you'd been to Mexico or the Caribbean or something? Or did you become an instructor/LCA? What goals do they want to hear you say? Am I cynic when I think to myself "this is a job, my goal is to make as much money as possible while spending as little time there as I can"....I'm sure they want to hear something else though, haha.

In 7 years I did 2 years of ALPA work, changed airplanes, never failed a training event, CAT II training, volunteered to fly to Aspen, went to college full time for three and a half years, and took my first available upgrade. Instead of saying, I've got 4,000 hours of SIC, I told a story about what I had been doing for 7 years. My previous resume said "Safe completion of scheduled air carrier service while assisting the Captain in routine duties associated with flight operations." ZZZzzzzz

I not only changed what it said on my resume, but I changed what I said when they asked "so what have you been up to at Eagle?"

I don't think there is a magic answer for "what goals do they want to hear you say?" The answer is, have goals, and have an authentic answer to "why do you want to work here?" and no it can't be about money.

 

[nagylyk]

You guys are putting that stuff on your resume? No checkride failures? Hobbies? Union committees? Cat III approches? I can check those boxes but have been told to limit the resume to one page and eliminate extraneous information. Will happily add these things if it helps.

I want my resume to tell my story about me. Now, I would leave off stuff such as "enjoys long walks on the beach" but if a hobby is a passion and you've done more with it than just make it hobby, then sure why not have it on there? If all you've ever done is just show up and rock climb, then no maybe not worth putting on there. If you've graduated to be able to build routes at your local gym...well now you've taken on responsibility...you've shown initiative...you can be counted on...you do something that the result of your work has safety consequences for your other climbers. If I was a recruiter, I could draw some conclusions on what kind of pilot you might be.

This is just my 2 cents. I'm not a recruiter. But I know if I was hiring, these are things that would peak my interest more than just thousands of hours with the autopilot engaged.

 

[bLizZuE]

Deleting posts?

 

[slim]

Glad this topic is being discussed constructively... I am considering NGPA. I have a mix of feelings about it which match what people here have said. On the balance for me, it seems worth it for the networking opportunity. But, someone here mentioned how to talk to a recruiter can be one advantage of attending. That makes sense to me. I have been to one fair in the past and felt like I could have gotten more out of it if I had some practice talking about myself in an engaging way and asking thoughtful questions.
Anyhoo, anyone got tips for how successfully address "what you been doing with yourself at..." when 4 out of the last 7 years you have been out due to loss of medical? Best, most truthful answer for me is, "been really sick for a year, had a non-aviation related job for a year, when to school for a year, been a dad collecting insurance payments".
Appreciate the feedback!

 

[skypilot6]

You can't win the game if you don't play! There are some exceptions to that, but for the most part it's the cold hard truth.

Thankfully I only attended one job fair and found myself at an interview less than a month later. It worked well for me and I would do it all over again. It's tough to feel comfortable meeting recruiters and answering their questions on the spot. My part 91/135 stuff gave me loads of stories to tell about customer service, I had proably the best icebreaker paperclipped to my resume, which got the conversation off and going without that awkward "so tell me about yourself" first question. The whole point is to make an impression and a great one at that. Sometimes it's a lot easier said than done, but a little extra effort goes a long way.

 

[SFCC/UND]

Glad this topic is being discussed constructively... I am considering NGPA. I have a mix of feelings about it which match what people here have said. On the balance for me, it seems worth it for the networking opportunity. But, someone here mentioned how to talk to a recruiter can be one advantage of attending. That makes sense to me. I have been to one fair in the past and felt like I could have gotten more out of it if I had some practice talking about myself in an engaging way and asking thoughtful questions.
Anyhoo, anyone got tips for how successfully address "what you been doing with yourself at..." when 4 out of the last 7 years you have been out due to loss of medical? Best, most truthful answer for me is, "been really sick for a year, had a non-aviation related job for a year, when to school for a year, been a dad collecting insurance payments".
Appreciate the feedback!

I think ngpa is sold out if you're considering it.

 

[Gonzo]

I was always strongly against job fairs....then my buddy (no pic at all) got hired at SJI. Needless to say I went to the next job fair available. A week after the job fair I had an interview. They are totally worth it these days.

And 9 job fairs later, I can't even get a "fix it" email. @bLizZuE 9

 

[slim]

I think ngpa is sold out if you're considering it.

I bought a ticket a while ago... (fortunately, apparently).

 

[mshunter]

If you're not black, gay, or a woman, you don't belong at OBAP, NGPA or WIA job fairs, IMO.