If you are external to UAL you most definitely need DX experience. You will be automatically disqualified if you do not possess that requisite amount. So yeah, this is a case of a foregone conclusion.
United 2025
- Thread starter F9DXER
- Start date
Spook Johnson
Active Member
I still haven't heard a peep from United twice except to reapply because they didnt get to my resume and at least 3 people I got hired with have already done f2f interviews and they applied well after
True, I’m sure during the hiring craze things were different, but now I could see this being the case. I applied Thursday but got a rejection already, I figured I would considering I have less than a month of experience lolol so this was of no surprise to me
TAF_Master
Well-Known Member
Yes these postings may be quite competitive for a while. There have been several major carriers experiencing issues within the last few years that may result in a higher than normal amount of experienced applicants looking for a new place to go, as well as the normal flow from regionals looking to move to majors.
Whitesnake
Member
See that’s why I am confused. I have not received a denial yet which means the DX experience can’t be a prerequisite
CrashesDrones
Well-Known Member
No, it doesn’t. They've got hundreds if not thousands of applications, you can't say anything definitive based on not hearing anything yet.
Your logic is flawed. You may not have received a rejection notice, but I can assure you that you will not be receiving an offer to interview at UAL without the required experience.
OttoPilot13
Well-Known Member
Experience is heavily factored into the initial screening and selection process. While it may not necessarily disqualify you, it is a considerable factor when you have a vast pool of candidates that may have considerably more time under their belt. Referrals and internal candidates also have an upper hand, they will almost always be considered first.
Whitesnake
Member
it does not say required it says preferred.
Whitesnake
Member
look at the end of the day I know I won't receive an interview. my point was it never hurts to still try and apply.
Bustedcropdusta
Barry Seal’s Nephew
This is just my personal opinion. However (in the case of those that are fresh out of DX school), one piece of advice I’ve heard get thrown around a lot in the industry is “apply because you never know what might happen”. I think that 1.) it sets a generally unreasonable expectation for those not familiar with how things typically work, and 2.) it dilutes a hiring pool that already has too many people applying for too little positions.
I understand the excitement and optimism that comes at the start of a career—we’ve all been there. I agree with you though.
Joust4Life
New Member
United (at least from my time there and what I know) will almost never hire an external candidate without dispatch experience. If a candidate has a referral they might carry some more weight, but I'd HEAVILY recommend looking into SkyWest or Republic as those have great reputations. Also look into other positions in the NOC if you want to move to Chicago and start your internal networking journey, they like to hire from within as well. There are also a ton of great opportunities at United that are dispatch-adjacent!
MountainsOrBeach
Well-Known Member
I think the only time where it’s ok to apply just to “see what happens”, is when you actually do have some experience or higher education to bring to the table. For example, I worked at a company that was hiring for a management position. Even though I had 3 years of dispatch under my belt, they were asking for 7 years experience and/or a higher degree that I did not have. So I did not have the confidence and talked myself out of it. I then left the company for a better paying job.
Come to find out they ended up hiring someone for this management position with not only less than 6 months dispatch experience, but in fact had about 3 months total. However they also had a higher degree from a well-known aviation university.
When I spoke to a manager later about it, I confided in them that I had been very interested in the role, but I did not apply because they were asking for 7 years experience. The hiring manager told me that they love to hire from within to “keep it in the family”, so they hired this individual on. Which did create some turbulence at first amongst the dispatchers, who did not appreciate having a very inexperienced person now as their manager. If I had known that… I definitely would have gone ahead and applied and then I could’ve stayed living somewhere I love and working for a company I did enjoy. But I was having trouble financially getting by in that area of the country. So I left for greener pastures.
So in cases like that yes, I could see applying because you never know. However, when you have zero dispatch experience to start with and now you’re applying to a legacy of all airlines, unless you’re an internal with a stellar reputation and record, I do feel it wastes the recruiter’s and other applicant’s time. There are hundreds of people applying for this position but some of them do not get seen because the recruiters run out of time. Therefore good quality candidates can get missed. Also, if I was a recruiter and it said we’re looking for a certain amount of experience but I see someone with zero experience applying, it would come across to me like they don’t read the directions or the fine print. Which would not be impressive to me. And some airlines do keep track how many times you applied and were rejected as well. Which can be good or bad, depending on the airline. Delta used to have a “3 strike rule”. Not sure if they still do, but if you had applied 3 times but did not get offered the job, anytime you applied after that third time you were automatically rejected.
Come to find out they ended up hiring someone for this management position with not only less than 6 months dispatch experience, but in fact had about 3 months total. However they also had a higher degree from a well-known aviation university.
When I spoke to a manager later about it, I confided in them that I had been very interested in the role, but I did not apply because they were asking for 7 years experience. The hiring manager told me that they love to hire from within to “keep it in the family”, so they hired this individual on. Which did create some turbulence at first amongst the dispatchers, who did not appreciate having a very inexperienced person now as their manager. If I had known that… I definitely would have gone ahead and applied and then I could’ve stayed living somewhere I love and working for a company I did enjoy. But I was having trouble financially getting by in that area of the country. So I left for greener pastures.
So in cases like that yes, I could see applying because you never know. However, when you have zero dispatch experience to start with and now you’re applying to a legacy of all airlines, unless you’re an internal with a stellar reputation and record, I do feel it wastes the recruiter’s and other applicant’s time. There are hundreds of people applying for this position but some of them do not get seen because the recruiters run out of time. Therefore good quality candidates can get missed. Also, if I was a recruiter and it said we’re looking for a certain amount of experience but I see someone with zero experience applying, it would come across to me like they don’t read the directions or the fine print. Which would not be impressive to me. And some airlines do keep track how many times you applied and were rejected as well. Which can be good or bad, depending on the airline. Delta used to have a “3 strike rule”. Not sure if they still do, but if you had applied 3 times but did not get offered the job, anytime you applied after that third time you were automatically rejected.
PHL_Approach
Well-Known Member
When it comes to management positions in this country. The person with the least amount of time doing said job they will be managing will always get the nod from the company.
The majors will always be a coveted spot due their industry leading pay benefits and time off.
Not many people leave besides for retirement and some quitting for personal reasons.
It is extremely competitive and why they close off applications after they receive enough.
Sure, you could apply having little to no experience but hundreds applying have experience that they want and will very likely be picked over you.
Yes as people said, internals and referrals do help but it's not gonna shoot you to top priority, it's just a nice bonus.
Not many people leave besides for retirement and some quitting for personal reasons.
It is extremely competitive and why they close off applications after they receive enough.
Sure, you could apply having little to no experience but hundreds applying have experience that they want and will very likely be picked over you.
Yes as people said, internals and referrals do help but it's not gonna shoot you to top priority, it's just a nice bonus.