Originally Posted by
Saabflyer
Does anyone have a rough estimate on how long before a candidate could get invited after an endorsement is given? I want to make sure I am fully prepared and don’t want to get caught off guard with the endorsement being put in prematurely.
Here's a little life advice. When you apply to an airline, EXPECT to get called and be ready. I wrote a piece called "avoiding square corners" on this very subject. This week I was contacted by a guy who has corresponded with me informally for over 2 years about airlines, GA, etc. I thought he had already gotten his ducks in a row (prep, logbooks, etc). He texted me this week after he got a "fix it" email, asking "is this good? Will I get called?" Before I could even reply, his next text was "hey...they are calling me in...."
Now--he wants to do an interview prep course. He needs to make complex travel arrangements and get time off from work. He needs to tighten up his logbook and paperwork. I expect he also needs to get a suit, as I doubt he's done that either.
That's a lot of crap to work though in 2-3 weeks.
Use this rule: IF I APPLY, I EXCECT TO BE CALLED..... Get your stuff ready now. If it sits in the closet 3, 6, 12, 18 months.....so what. All you have done is make sure you'll be less of a stress grenade when the email/phone call finally arrives. Conversely, if you don't prepare you may find yourself in a miserable thrash.
Murphy also says when it rains, it pours. I see a lot of pilots getting 2-3 interviews in a short period. Even if you don't get called from your first choice, be ready for option B and C as well if they call first.
So--get your stuff ready. Can you get it done in a month? Then apply ASAP. Scrub the logs, get the suit, do a prep course (if you want) and do some test study. Make the process systematic and not a rush. Then you will be ready whenever the opportunity finally does show up...