Learflyer

Still something weird in my old school mind about dudes attending a woman's conference. Good god fellas.

But at the same time I am a fighter for the white Anglo man who has been last in line behind woman, blacks, and other minorities when it comes to airline hiring. So I can see trying to get a leg up. For me I'd feel weird at this conference.

sandstorm

I am so glad I went on the first day. From what I've been hearing the lines on the second day were quite a bit longer. Here's my take on it all.

I met Atlas first. When I got to the booth, there was only one person there talking with them. I spoke with a female line FO and the BR from HR. I mentioned to her that I met her previously at another job fair in Sept 12, but that line was 3+ hours long so obviously she didn't remember. She told me that they prefer heavy intl time, but to keep applying.

United was next. Stood in line for 2 hours. I thought that was bad, but obviously not as bad as I've heard about the second day. Talked to the lady for a couple minutes and went over my resume.

Went to US Airways next. Checked in with HR lady who took down your email address to cross check it against your online app. Then talked to a CA in a group of six about hiring and the interview process. Nothing earth shattering. The CA looked over my resume after the presentation, but they weren't taking them.

Next was AA. Talked to a really nice FO for a couple minutes. She didn't have much to say about hiring and did not take my resume.

Talked to DAL at the end right before I left. There was no one in line then. Talked with a female CA. She said no off the street hiring in 2013. Next year would be mainly flowups from their regionals with a few possibly off the street. Real off the street hiring would start in 2015. I was proud that she recognized that I'm an ex-Laker and talked about how hard their training is and how it's not the best place to work and she respected that.

One common topic that came up with UA, AA, and DAL was volunteer work and outside activities. Every single one of them asked about it. If I was joining the priesthood I would understand. Don't get me wrong. I admire and respect those that volunteer their time for the good of mankind. I'm not a bad person. I'm just not one of them, commuting and working a regional schedule. So I guess this is another requirement to get hired and another loop I need to jump through. Off to the soup kitchen and homeless shelter I go.

SUX4U

If they want volunteer type people and you want to work there then go do what they want. I commute and I am at a regional and I find it rather easy to go volunteer a couple hours a month at habitat for humanity. If you honestly can't find the time to do just alittle something good for your community as well as do what these airlines are asking for than perhaps you won't mind missing the start of the hiring wave? Food for thought my friend. How bad do you want it?

kingairip

I hear this is a very big deal at Alaska too; and, I know JetBlue asks about it in interviews.

Lobaeux

Volunteering doesn't have to be earth-shattering or all-time consuming either.
I collect blankets, newspapers and dog food for some of the local animal shelters. Extremely easy to do, doesn't take that much time and the shelters really appreciate these donations. During power outages, my wife and I will run down to the shelters with coffee, donuts, maybe some soup for the people who work at the shelters, they really appreciate that.
And don't overlook job fairs at your local schools. If you hear of any, giving an hour or two is quite easy. Most kids are fascinated by pilots, and what pilot doesn't love talking about their job?
That's an easy, quick two suggestions for the volunteer route. The main purpose though, as it was explained to me, was the airlines are looking for sense of community, their hiring the "whole" person, not just something with thousands of hours.
Nearly everyone that applies at an airline is qualified, having 10,000 hours doesn't make you more qualified than someone who has 5,000 hours, so what sets the two apart? Education, volunteerism, type ratings, continuing education, this is what the airlines now are looking for.
Think about in these terms: the airlines are doing the exact same thing! JetBlue touts their community involvement, Alaska their "Green Initiatives", etc. Why? It has nothing to do with flying and everything to do with gaining the slightest competitive edge.
Give yourself a competitive edge and volunteer for a couple of hours a month!
Best of luck!

JamesNoBrakes

It's pretty rare day that I see "a woman, black or other minorities" up there in the cockpit.

JamesNoBrakes

This is where you can get pretty creative in the interview process, applications and resumes. You don't lie, but if you got some imagination you can make some pretty routine/boring/normal stuff seem pretty amazing and outstanding. Promote yourself.

Learflyer

It's rare to find a woman in the cockpit?

Yoda2

Volunteering or community service is very important and usually very rewarding. Most professionals avail themselves of volunteering opportunities at some point. Although realizing the "No good deed goes unpunished" deal, I try to not miss a chance to build someone up; just don't misrepresent them or inflate their ego. It is normally good to give someone an assist or a leg up; especially in this business. The court systems, also, call it community service. It is often offered in lieu of a fine or imprisonment. It might be inconvienent, though if approached with the correct attitude, it is actually a reward of sorts and the benefits can be enormous. It also teaches people to get out of themselves and help others less fortunate and to not be so selfish. Most of us, me included, are far more selfish than we would care to realize or admit.

Yoda2

I'm sure he meant % wise.