Syd, maybe I shouldn't have put it in such absolute terms and I actually did get an interview at another carrier with no recs (didn't get the job, though). Offhand, I don't know of anyone hired here without somebody pulling for them on the inside, that includes OBAP, WIA, etc. members (don't know about "scholarships"). Admittedly, it's not a primary topic of conversation ("hey, who got you hired here?"), but it's pretty apparent that there are connections that predate LCAL for everyone I can think of. In addition, the company is very open about the importance of recs, to the point of informally recommending you a) hand walk your LOCs to your ACP and b) if possible, having your buddy come to the Chief Pilots office to personally introduce them. We might wind up like the 60s needing to cold call pilots, but it probably won't happen in our careers. IMO, you will not get a job unless you have some sort of personal connection to UniCal and if you don't know anyone at the company, a job fair might be your best/only bet.