Originally Posted by
Keizer Soze
Applying is never a waste of YOUR time. However, I used to hire pilots and it was really frustrating to post a job with minimum requirements and then have to sort through every Tom, Dick, and Harry without the required minimums that felt applying wasn't a waste of their time. Now, that was as a chief pilot with a lot of other job responsibilities, so I was not a full time recruiter. Maybe it is different with someone who only gets paid to sift through resumes looking for the next best employee....
Personally, I feel the right time to apply at any job you are interested in is exactly when you meet the minimum requirements, or when you have already met the requirements and are available to accept the job.
This may be so, but let's be honest: as an applicant I care more about what opportunities exist for me than whether I'm wasting the recruiters' time. If there's a 1 in 100 chance that they will actually call you it's worth submitting the application in my opinion. I was shocked to get an interview with Spirit at around 2600 TT but ever so thankful for it and the job.