How to improve JL's meet and greet program
11-02-2006, 10:01 PM
#2
Organizational Learning
Joined APC: Nov 2005
Position: Directly behind the combiner
Posts: 4,948
User friendly...
Well, first we'd need to identify the user. Is it Flight Management, or is it the sponsor, or is it the applicant? Who are we working to serve?
We've gone from sponsors hand-carrying applications in to sponsors hand-carrying applicants in, and it's gotten out of hand, and become less fair than it ought to be. It takes luck to get them scheduled, inconvenience for the prospective applicant to be here, and an incredible amount of time that Flight Managers could be using to update landing currency.
How about a monthly mini-job fair? Every second Tuesday a small number of ACPs host sponsors and applicants at a luncheon provided by Flight Ops. Throw in a PowerPoint presentation and a quick tour of the AOC, and maybe a brief appearance by the SCP. Wrap up the day with an informal gathering at a local watering hole.
Applicants get to take a look around.
Sponsors get to brag that they got their guy in.
And SCPs get to do their jobs.
Let HR screen the applications for the best qualified. Recommendations required, Meet-n-Greets not required.
OR... do away with M-n-Gs altogether. Randomly award "Purple Stars" to line pilots. Pilots give their stars to applicants, who then immediately go to the front of the interview list. Line pilots only get one Purple Star per lifetime. If the pilot doesn't have someone to sponsor immeidately, they save it until they do.
There are times when I think the reference system we have is a good thing, and then there are times when I wonder if a broader spectrum of pilots might not have improved our safety record. Maybe we need fresh line of blood.
.
Well, first we'd need to identify the user. Is it Flight Management, or is it the sponsor, or is it the applicant? Who are we working to serve?
We've gone from sponsors hand-carrying applications in to sponsors hand-carrying applicants in, and it's gotten out of hand, and become less fair than it ought to be. It takes luck to get them scheduled, inconvenience for the prospective applicant to be here, and an incredible amount of time that Flight Managers could be using to update landing currency.
How about a monthly mini-job fair? Every second Tuesday a small number of ACPs host sponsors and applicants at a luncheon provided by Flight Ops. Throw in a PowerPoint presentation and a quick tour of the AOC, and maybe a brief appearance by the SCP. Wrap up the day with an informal gathering at a local watering hole.
Applicants get to take a look around.
Sponsors get to brag that they got their guy in.
And SCPs get to do their jobs.
Let HR screen the applications for the best qualified. Recommendations required, Meet-n-Greets not required.
OR... do away with M-n-Gs altogether. Randomly award "Purple Stars" to line pilots. Pilots give their stars to applicants, who then immediately go to the front of the interview list. Line pilots only get one Purple Star per lifetime. If the pilot doesn't have someone to sponsor immeidately, they save it until they do.
There are times when I think the reference system we have is a good thing, and then there are times when I wonder if a broader spectrum of pilots might not have improved our safety record. Maybe we need fresh line of blood.
.
11-02-2006, 10:23 PM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Apr 2006
Posts: 675
Some great ideas. That's why I ask. I don't think the Purple star thing will work. Most of the pilots at this company do exactly what we hire them to do: come to work, do an incredible job getting things done, and go home. So I wouldn't want anybody to feel like they have to save an aircraft or anything just to get a good app in. But the customer is definitely us in the long run. The guys/gals we are hiring will be our LCA's, our Flex instructors, our Union leaders, and, God forbid, our Chief Pilots. So it's not only in Fred's best interest to hire the best we can, it's also in ours.
11-03-2006, 12:52 AM
#4
Nice lookin' tree, there!
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: MD-11, old man
Posts: 2,198
Originally Posted by TonyC
User friendly...
Well, first we'd need to identify the user. Is it Flight Management, or is it the sponsor, or is it the applicant? Who are we working to serve?
We've gone from sponsors hand-carrying applications in to sponsors hand-carrying applicants in, and it's gotten out of hand, and become less fair than it ought to be. It takes luck to get them scheduled, inconvenience for the prospective applicant to be here, and an incredible amount of time that Flight Managers could be using to update landing currency.
How about a monthly mini-job fair? Every second Tuesday a small number of ACPs host sponsors and applicants at a luncheon provided by Flight Ops. Throw in a PowerPoint presentation and a quick tour of the AOC, and maybe a brief appearance by the SCP. Wrap up the day with an informal gathering at a local watering hole.
Applicants get to take a look around.
Sponsors get to brag that they got their guy in.
And SCPs get to do their jobs.
Let HR screen the applications for the best qualified. Recommendations required, Meet-n-Greets not required.
OR... do away with M-n-Gs altogether. Randomly award "Purple Stars" to line pilots. Pilots give their stars to applicants, who then immediately go to the front of the interview list. Line pilots only get one Purple Star per lifetime. If the pilot doesn't have someone to sponsor immeidately, they save it until they do.
There are times when I think the reference system we have is a good thing, and then there are times when I wonder if a broader spectrum of pilots might not have improved our safety record. Maybe we need fresh line of blood.
.
Well, first we'd need to identify the user. Is it Flight Management, or is it the sponsor, or is it the applicant? Who are we working to serve?
We've gone from sponsors hand-carrying applications in to sponsors hand-carrying applicants in, and it's gotten out of hand, and become less fair than it ought to be. It takes luck to get them scheduled, inconvenience for the prospective applicant to be here, and an incredible amount of time that Flight Managers could be using to update landing currency.
How about a monthly mini-job fair? Every second Tuesday a small number of ACPs host sponsors and applicants at a luncheon provided by Flight Ops. Throw in a PowerPoint presentation and a quick tour of the AOC, and maybe a brief appearance by the SCP. Wrap up the day with an informal gathering at a local watering hole.
Applicants get to take a look around.
Sponsors get to brag that they got their guy in.
And SCPs get to do their jobs.
Let HR screen the applications for the best qualified. Recommendations required, Meet-n-Greets not required.
OR... do away with M-n-Gs altogether. Randomly award "Purple Stars" to line pilots. Pilots give their stars to applicants, who then immediately go to the front of the interview list. Line pilots only get one Purple Star per lifetime. If the pilot doesn't have someone to sponsor immeidately, they save it until they do.
There are times when I think the reference system we have is a good thing, and then there are times when I wonder if a broader spectrum of pilots might not have improved our safety record. Maybe we need fresh line of blood.
.
Itewon make me up a couple of hundred!
fbh
11-03-2006, 03:15 AM
#5
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,931
First we have to understand why it has become what it has become.
Everyone knows it was better when the sponsor didn't have to sneek in to see his buddy the ACP when the meet and greet window was supposedly closed or "already filled up"
So why did it all start going horribly wrong?
IMHO, when hiring temporarily dips or stops altogether the ACPs and the ACPs buddies wanted a way to keep getting the Blue Angels and the Great Santini in ahead of everyone else. It also is a way to keep the undesirables out, whatever the definition of the month on that is. (Not counting the growing crowd of those that actually end up on the seniority list)
How to fix it? It simply is not a system designed to deal with a huge number of qualified and serious applicants. I bet the incoming CP has an idea and his idea will become the law. That is the only way to get all the parties comfortable with the current system in line.
Everyone knows it was better when the sponsor didn't have to sneek in to see his buddy the ACP when the meet and greet window was supposedly closed or "already filled up"
So why did it all start going horribly wrong?
IMHO, when hiring temporarily dips or stops altogether the ACPs and the ACPs buddies wanted a way to keep getting the Blue Angels and the Great Santini in ahead of everyone else. It also is a way to keep the undesirables out, whatever the definition of the month on that is. (Not counting the growing crowd of those that actually end up on the seniority list)
How to fix it? It simply is not a system designed to deal with a huge number of qualified and serious applicants. I bet the incoming CP has an idea and his idea will become the law. That is the only way to get all the parties comfortable with the current system in line.
Last edited by Gunter; 11-03-2006 at 03:29 AM.
11-03-2006, 04:00 AM
#6
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,227
I posted this on the wrong thread - sorry if I sound like a copycat:
Here's mine again: a monthly cattle call at a restaurant or hotel. Tables set up for ACP's to do the face-to-face. Everybody gets a number at the door. While you wait you chat with your sponsor and everybody else and eat. Turn it into a positive experience, sort of a "commander's call."
Make sure you announce the date early enough for people to bid around. Maybe set up some sort of an internet sign up sheet (NO phone call required - I was in Asia on the last one).
If you do it once a month, the first ones will be huge, then eventually it will tail off to something manageable.
It was my impression that Jack really pushed the M&G's in response to some of our accidents. The goal is excellent and I support it fully. It just needs a little tweaking....
Here's mine again: a monthly cattle call at a restaurant or hotel. Tables set up for ACP's to do the face-to-face. Everybody gets a number at the door. While you wait you chat with your sponsor and everybody else and eat. Turn it into a positive experience, sort of a "commander's call."
Make sure you announce the date early enough for people to bid around. Maybe set up some sort of an internet sign up sheet (NO phone call required - I was in Asia on the last one).
If you do it once a month, the first ones will be huge, then eventually it will tail off to something manageable.
It was my impression that Jack really pushed the M&G's in response to some of our accidents. The goal is excellent and I support it fully. It just needs a little tweaking....
11-03-2006, 04:04 AM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: Moving Around
Posts: 184
Rank has its privledges
I know I am going to take a heater in the face for this one but here goes.
It really comes down to managing the numbers. There are a tremendous number of very well qualified candidates out there, and most of us know several. Problem is, how do you prevent the ACPs from being overwhelmed? I would propose having the ACPs available for a couple of hours a day for 2 days a week for any Capt. bring to in one candidate a year. That should generate 15 – 20 meet & greets per A/C per week. These would need to be scheduled on a first come, first served basis so a guy wouldn't come in from out of town and not be able to get a time slot.
Then once a quarter, everyone else can bring in one candidate a year to an all day (1 or 2 days) ACP meet & greet. They should be scheduled for individual time slots as well. You should be able to get through 4 or 5 candidates in an hour.
I think a one on one meeting is the only way the ACPs can really make a good determination on the individual's suitability.
Humbly,
my 2 cents....................jink.......chaff ....... flares
It really comes down to managing the numbers. There are a tremendous number of very well qualified candidates out there, and most of us know several. Problem is, how do you prevent the ACPs from being overwhelmed? I would propose having the ACPs available for a couple of hours a day for 2 days a week for any Capt. bring to in one candidate a year. That should generate 15 – 20 meet & greets per A/C per week. These would need to be scheduled on a first come, first served basis so a guy wouldn't come in from out of town and not be able to get a time slot.
Then once a quarter, everyone else can bring in one candidate a year to an all day (1 or 2 days) ACP meet & greet. They should be scheduled for individual time slots as well. You should be able to get through 4 or 5 candidates in an hour.
I think a one on one meeting is the only way the ACPs can really make a good determination on the individual's suitability.
Humbly,
my 2 cents....................jink.......chaff ....... flares
11-03-2006, 04:41 AM
#8
Thx Age 65
Joined APC: Jul 2005
Position: MD11CAP
Posts: 1,041
When you fill out on online Rec, Just have an additional button that says "Is this your number one candidate?" You can only have One #1 attached to your employee # at a time.
It is then up to the sponsor to reconcile that number 1 choice with a discussion with an ACP at a convienent time for both of them to sell the candidate and get him into the "Interview " pile.
The Face to Face thing is worthless, and relatively new. I didn't have to do one as little as 2 years ago. All it took was a resume walk in then.
Each crew member can have one candidate in the system every two years.
It is then up to the sponsor to reconcile that number 1 choice with a discussion with an ACP at a convienent time for both of them to sell the candidate and get him into the "Interview " pile.
The Face to Face thing is worthless, and relatively new. I didn't have to do one as little as 2 years ago. All it took was a resume walk in then.
Each crew member can have one candidate in the system every two years.
11-03-2006, 05:24 AM
#10
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2006
Posts: 318
Walk ins should end
Originally Posted by fecav8r
I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve the meet and greet process at FE. Anybody got anything they think that will seriously make it more user friendly
I can see having the sponsor do the drive by with an ACP, but having the candidate too is a major logistical pain in the ars. I think the current policy of one guy in the hopper at a time is good (i.e. sponsor one guy at a time). Our goal should be to scarf up the best guys on the street (background and attitude). If we continue to require this walk in thing, we will pass on a lot of great pilots. Just because the pilot walks in with his sponsor does not mean he's the best choice for us.
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