pete2800
'Member?
Ain't nobody who 'works' a crowd like a porn star. Just saying...
Pilot Job Fair Tip #4,128...
- Thread starter derg
- Start date
Ain't nobody who 'works' a crowd like a porn star. Just saying...
Stone Cold
Well-Known Member
Mark815
Well-Known Member
I wonder if it's the same person I heard about. One of the guys I met said he was next in line for Delta, and the guy who was talking to the recruiter went off about how much his current gig at the regional sucked.
Serious question though about talking to a recruiter. What if you show excitement, but you don't "hook" the recruiter to keep him talking? I met with one company that I REALLY want to work for, and have the qualifications on paper to do so. I researched everything I could, I feel like I showed excitement and sincerity, and talked in detail about myself (volunteering, why I'd be a good person for their company etc) AND about the company and I was barely asked anything in return. Basically got a "Great, thank you for coming by!". Maybe I'm looking too much into it because I really want that job, but I felt like others spent way more time with recruiters from that company, and I got barely 5 minutes...
lightspeed
Well-Known Member
My takeaway is that regional pilots have an expiration date. If they don't get picked up soon enough they get burned out, and then can't pass an interview.
Blackhawk
Well-Known Member
I think it depends on which regional you work for. That is part of why I warn people about chasing the fast upgrade time. If you get stuck in a place that sucks, prepare to have things suck.
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
They all suck to a varying degree. Ones point of view can vary greatly depending on your (pretty much permanent) place on the seniority list.
Blackhawk
Well-Known Member
Some will suck no matter how good your seniority. Others will improve with time.
I'm reminded of a story I've told before. Many years ago, sitting on the ramp in ATL and being loaded up we had a view of B concourse. This was in the pre-gate days when we owned C concourse and DAL owned the rest. The FO commented that he hated being a student pilot. Being a CFI sucked. Flying 135 was horrible. He couldn't stand being an FO. But man, when he moved across the ramp and got his double-breasted suit things would be great. My first question to him was "What did you do before aviation?" Nothing. Dad paid for his flight training. Told him he needed to go get a real job that sucked, then he might have a different perspective on the industry.
Blackhawk
Well-Known Member
Flew with five FOs last fall who were picked up by DAL or UAL. None of them had much in common except that 4 of the 5 had very positive dispositions. Fifth guy did not have a bad disposition, just not as positive.
Toobdrvr
Estrellas Asesino
Hopefully, your friend met at least ONE 10,000(+) hour pilot who was ready to rock...
BEEF SUPREME
Well-Known Member
Work the crowd and fly the get across the NATs to Italy, Northern Ireland, England and Scotland? Check.
5000+ hrs. Check
Ready to rock. Check
Over 100 days a year volunteering for the BSA. Check
Non flying interests. Check
Airline recruiters LOLing at my resume. Check
Sorry Bruex. A) this business sucks the life out of you. B) if recruiters don't like what they are seeing maybe get over the 121 thing?
Nope. This person told a "Las Vegas based LCC" recruiter about how bad they sucked when the person flew the airline. But was ecstatic about working for them and expected careful consideration.
Odd. I would go "flip mode" and start with the "since I have your ear, I have a couple questions about the company (blah blah blarg)"
My friend was saying that a lot of applicants pretty much throw you a matrix of flight times and licenses and answer many questions with a "yes" and/or "no". He said if he needed 500 pilots, he could walk out into the hallway and say "I need 500 pilots" and it would save everyone time — sadly, that's what a lot of regionals very roughly do. But often, the difference between Candidate "A" and Candidate "B" is largely personality. You're not necessarily looking for a biological autopilot, you're kind of looking for someone with ambition, which is very challenging to ascertain.
Probably wouldn't be a good fit then. Where you've been is important, where you want to go and how you want to get there is paramount.
Diving into the job hunt game with an attitude that you've had the life sucked out of you isn't a winning gameplan. It's like walking into a brothel and Mabel stands up and says, "I'm the most senior!"
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Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
Would age play a negative factor? Let's say someone might be around forty-eight by the time they're ready to move to a legacy from the minor league. How is that viewed?
Nope. My friend says you have to look at the whole picture of the applicant and age is a very small factor, if any.
Cal Goat
Prestige Worldwide™
The job fair "box check" is still a disturbing part of it to me. Paying to attend is one thing, but paying extra for fast passes or standing in line for hours and possibly being unable to see anyone is hardly the measure of "perseverance" or having a good attitude I would expect from anyone reasonable.
That would not be a good description. Does it help? Some airlines, yes. Other airlines, "maybe" but it's not at all a requirement.
My friend says you don't necessarily need to attend a career fair, however, they're beneficial if you internal recommendation is (a) lazy or (b) non-existent. For his particular company, your internal recommendation can "trigger" a review of your application once every six months, but a job fair will trigger the same review regardless of if it was previously triggered by your internal recommendation.
Some airlines are doing "on the spot" interviews for employment.
it kind of all depends.
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
You can be disturbed by it, but it is what it is. No amount of butt hurt is going to change it.
I actually enjoyed my time at OBAP last year because I ran into all kinds of people that I knew.
grkero
fer yer health
I absolutely love these job fairs. For a few reasons.
-They are like mini NJCs. If you aren't a turd, you probably already know a lot of people at the same event who will be fun to catch up and drink beers with. It's also going to be a great opportunity to have a huge saturation of new people to meet right in front of you.
-At this time, there's a huge back log of people waiting to go to the majors due to the lack of hiring the past several years. It is a sensible way, in my opinion, to better screen the THOUSANDS of applicant. I don't believe total time is the best way.
-Finally, mostly all the organizations that hold these events are very beneficial to the industry and aviation in general. I have no problem taking advantage of all the above by paying a small fee to show up to these events. I have only been to OBAP and NGPA, but both were very well put together.
Oh... And what about all the SWAG!!!!
hook_dupin
Well-Known Member
This whole thread demonstrates that there is not a pilot shortage.