Originally Posted by
MatchPoint
It's not that they're trying to poach those already in class, they're trying to get their hands on those who are interviewing. It’s truly easy; just look for the guys/gals in suits pulling their luggage, offer them a class and there you have it. If SkyWest says no to them or the interviewee isn’t willing to wait for an answer, Mesa has a new hire.
What Mesa is doing works because Skywest isn't changing the way they do business. When I was hired it took me until I could make it to a career fair to get an interview, then after the interview I heard nothing back from them for two weeks. I called them after two weeks of not hearing anything and they told me I had the job. I'm not sure why they couldn't have called me to tell me that instead of waiting for me to call them. That way of doing business probably worked in the past because they ended up with a good pool of people who really wanted to be at Skywest.
I've talked to some current CFIs, and now especially after the ATP rule the SJS is strong. People have been building time for so long that they're willing to take any offer that comes their way. If Mesa offers to put them in class next week, and they aren't hearing back from Skywest for months most of them are going to take the Mesa class date. Almost all of my former students ended up at Republic because Skywest wasn't calling them back despite having my recommendation and ATP mins and Republic offered them an immediate interview.
I'm not sure what kind of game they're trying to play in SGU, or if they're just understaffed and don't have time to look through the applications or get back to people who have interviewed, but it's going to cost them a lot of pilots in the long run.
Originally Posted by
TheFly
To all who take the bait and accept the offer (if the Mesa rumor is true), the sheer fact that these tactics are unethical should tell you a lot about who you are working for. What a bottom feeding, sleazy outfit.
A lot of CFIs don't know much about the regional industry and are sick of instructing waiting for ATP mins. Of course it's sleezy but when a regional offers you a class date on the spot vs applying and waiting months for all of the others like Skywest it looks attractive to a new CFI to take the offer.
I was in the same boat at one point. I had done some research and really wanted to go to Skywest, but at the time I just wanted to get out and I felt like I would be willing to take a class date at a few other airlines (Mesa didn't make my list luckily).