Hey, for all of you that are waiting for the invite...I'm seeing a lot of posts about the "fix it" emails. I've reviewed a lot of apps for guys trying to get on at DAL and here's the biggest things I see when I review them:
1. Flight Schools - ALL flight training goes under the Education section. If you were in the military and in flight school...it goes under Education. It doesn't matter if it was your job and you were getting paid. Every time you were under training as a flight student, it goes under Education! That includes any recurrent training.
2. Employment History - Go back to high school! Everyone always assumes that a 10 year job history is what every employer is looking for. That is not the case on this application. Even if you're retired military, enter your employment history all the way back to high school. Additionally, dates matter. Ensure all of your time is accounted for. Education time bounces off of employment time, so those should be fine. But any unemployment time (with no corresponding education time), should be accounted for in unemployment time with references, as requested.
3. If it doesn't apply to you...put "N/A". Check every box. The obvious omissions are "If 'yes', explain here" when there was no "Yes." But if there is a question that requires an answer (i.e., maiden name, alias, FE rating, etc.), and it doesn't apply to you...simply put N/A. It shows them that you reviewed that section.
4. Languages: If you check that you are fluent in English, DO NOT put English under the "Additional Languages" box. You've already covered that. English is not an additional language if your first language is English. Put "none" unless you are fluent in additional languages.
5. Military guys: DO NOT put "US Air Force" or "US Navy" in every job title for your employment history. Put the actual unit that you worked for in that block. You never know when a human is going to look at your app and that unit might catch their eye because they have an affiliation with that unit themselves. It might get you noticed. I only point this out to the military guys because I haven't seen this problem with the folks coming from the regionals. They always include the outfit they were working for.
6. DAL Addendum: If you have traffic violations in your regular application, read the addendum section carefully. Most of the DAL addendums that I've seen recently have a question that asks about "Any infractions, fines, violations, etc" and DOES NOT specifically eliminate minor traffic violations. My advice would be to include them here if the question does not EXCLUDE them. It's easier to explain it away as already answered than to have to explain why it was excluded.
7. Volunteer Work: "I worked with needy kids." I can't tell you how many times I've seen this. Specify "who" and "where". It's not just important to back up your statement...but it might gain a hit from a person who is actually reading your app. They might have a connection with the group that you are volunteering for. Include as much information as you can in this section. Everyone knows DAL loves volunteer work. Don't cheapen your efforts by minimizing it.
Those are just some quick tidbits of stuff I've seen over time. I hope it helps. I'm seriously not looking to see a myriad of apps in my inbox. That's not my intent. Use the info, review your app, and then have everyone you know look at your app as well. Review, review and review. Read everything over and over again. If your app is solid and you meet the standards, you will get the email interview invite. Best of luck to you all! Cheers!