Ive been noticing fewer and fewer direct regional guys hired and more ACMI and internal WB peeps. Many of the ACMI people were at a regional previously. That being said, pretty much every regional guy I either know or met that was hired in this wave (‘14 and later) had extra items on their resumes such as training, safety, etc., and higher TT - back in the beginning we all had around 10K TT. Obviously PIC times were higher as well. Internal contacts, or the necessity of having any, have been hit or miss. One thing that has been consistent in is the company hiring to its core values. Perhaps they aren’t looking for regional guys with check airman status but instead evidence of a true hard work ethic / grit? Maybe they want people who have a sincere desire to be a UPS pilot vs those with tons of internal rec’s? My humble opinion here but I think extending the idea outwards it’s generally true for any company these days. Some companies might focus on personality profile a little more but UPS doesn’t seem to. One thing that is true is that there are no magic items to have on a resume that will get you an interview so as WhaleSurfer stated above, apply and see what happens. You never know, as many new hires will tell you. And when you get in, please come back here and share some of the insights you gained. Paying it forward/backward is always a good thing (taxes not included).

Best of luck.