I'm a retired military pilot heading to my 1st job fair next week. I think I'm good on the general basics of marketing myself (good suit, shiny shoes, plenty copies of documents and logs), but would like to know of any nuances specific to the aviation industry that I should keep in mind. I'd hate to unknowingly say or do something that would kill my chances.

 

You should be fine, try not to overthink Job Fairs. There isn't any "gouge" to worry about like an interview. The recruiters generally do not ask any TMAAT questions (although it is certainly not unheard of) but usually try to get to know you better, normally using your resume as a guide.

What Job Fair are you attending? OBAP or FAPA.aero's Regional event in LAX?

-FAPA.aero

 

I'm sure you saw the movie Animal House, just channel you're inner Eric Stratton (rush chairman, damn glad to meet you). You'll do fine!

The job fairs are informational grip & grins that allow you to collect info on airiness as much as they're an opportunity for recruiters to meet you.

 

Las Vegas this Thursday.

 

Bumping an old thread. I'm heading to OBAP in Atlanta in a few weeks. I'm also a retiring military pilot, and this is my first job fair. Can someone give me a quick rundown of what to expect when I get face-to-face time with the recruiters? Beyond a good suit, shiny shoes, a big smile, and a firm handshake, how should I expect the conversation to progress? Should I expect to take the lead in the conversation, or will the recruiter be guiding the conversation? I plan on bringing resumes and cover sheets targeted to each of the major airlines in attendance. Should I bring any other paperwork? Someone mentioned having your hours printout. Is that really necessary? Just trying to make sure I make the best first impression I can.

 

Also...

For a three day event, should I plan on bringing more than one suit?

 

That's up to you and how long you like to wear the same suit. Everyone pretty much wears the same dark navy suit.

It's summer, you should rock a seersucker one day.

 

I took 1 suit, but with a few different shirt/tie combos to keep it interesting. I wish I'd worn my mini Naval Aviator wings on the lapel though.

I may have gone a little over board, but I had folders for each of my targeted airlines. Each folder had copies of my online application specific to their airline, resume, last OER, DD214, last 10 pages of my logbook, passport, FAA certificate, FCC license, ATP written results & medical certificate.

Be sure to brush up on Jeppesen charts/plates. I had a full interview with one regional & a tech interview with another & those pubs caught me off guard.

If you haven't already, write down some interesting stories from your military flying experience that you can mold to fit various "Tell me about a time" questions.

I wasn't all that attractive to the majors because I had been out of the cockpit for 18 months when I went to the job fair. However, I received an offer from the regional I interviewed with, and I accepted the job. As a result, I'm a big fan of the OBAP job fair experience.

Good luck!

 

It is good you did that, but for everyone doing it double check your folders. I had a friend accidentally misplace a CV/resume for an airline in the wrong folder.

 

I'm separating and OBAP is my first job fair as well. With the appt slots being 30 mins, I'm hoping it'll be an in-depth meet and greet, but not sure what to expect. Also, does anyone have a good cover letter template? I have no idea what should be on there.