Code Cracking:

• Major has to be hiring (the biggest obstacle)
• Competitive flight times and education (majority of my class had 6,500 hours, over 3,500 121 Jet PIC and a Master's degree)
• Internal Recommendation(s) ... (I had four who had flown with me ... if a mainline guy rides your jumpseat & seems friendly, ask him, don't be shy)
• Take good care of customers ... a couple of "atta boys" at your current airline helps and will give you good stories for the interview
• Be involved in your community (be a giver, not a taker ... a leader, not a shaker)
• Do something extra at your current job (Line Check Airman, Safety, even Pro Standards volunteer)

You want to get hired at the front of the wave. When the door opens the "best" get hired first. 80KTS got in before me. I delayed my interview by a week because or scheduling conflicts and I wanted to be extra prepared. That cost me something around 250 seniority numbers after the merger. Guess the moral of my story is, get the gouge and prepare every time you hear the rumor of hiring ... remain focused on the goal at all times, with every customer interaction.