ZapBrannigan

Agree with everything Rick said except this line. Until you have at least 20% of the seniority list below you, continue to check those boxes that will make you more employable if there’s a furlough. (More so if you’re lacking traditional qualifications such as PIC time or a degree that could be disqualifiers in a downturn)

Yourrid

Bad advice - Get that application reviewed before you hit submit. I've looked over quite a few of my friends applications and saw some hilarious lines on there. Reason for leaving job: "Didn't like the job." :eyeroll:

x100000 what TOGALOCK said!

rickair7777

Yeah, you can get invited to an interview next Tues... no way you'll get all your poop in one sock on one week's notice.

Lifeson2112

agreed. Almost like the original answer author read it as interview prep vs app review.

and even then I’d probably already do some interview prep so you’re not scrambling once invited. Then top it off when you get an invite.

Yourrid

Agreed. The days are over of clicking submit and waiting years to hear back.

Might have been thinking about interview prep... But like you said, if you have compeditive experience, you better have your app reviewed and interview prep paid for before you submit it!

I remember pre-covid, your application to Delta would only get graded once a year unless you got a letter of rec, which pinged it to get graded again. Having a missing fax number or wrongly abbreviated street address on your app could mean you've got to wait a year for another shot. Just food for thought...

ImSoSuss

It's a career where millions of dollars are on the table. If you have not already paid ~300 for an app and resume review you are already losing. After you get an interview you may also want to consider paying for an interview prep service.

CatPilot1

All great advice. Kit Darby also provides an abundance of insider pilot hiring knowledge. He heads the 88 Pilots Flying Group; it’s a good club with hiring administrative connections.

Hedley

Definitely pay for application/resume/logbook review before even applying, but I would argue that people should get interview prep before getting a call. Some people are very new to the industry and haven't experienced the full interview process, others are very experienced and haven't interviewed in years. Get prep now to expose your strengths and weaknesses. Build on the strengths and correct the weaknesses. By preparing early you'll be ready when the call comes. It's much easier to fine tune your stories on short notice than it is to start to prepare when the phone rings. Also, with the level of hiring going on right now, there is no guarantee that you can get interview prep when they call you for an interview on short notice. At the end of the day your experience doesn't get you the job as much as how well you present yourself and sell them on why they should hire you.

ImSoSuss

Can't argue with that, some good advice.


To the or anybody else applying to their forever airline, these app reviews are essential and well worth the money. They know what the computers look at, will automatically reject, or how to phrase issues you may have had in the past (like checkride failure(s), speeding tickets, etc.). Well worth the money and peace of mind knowing that if you are not getting a call right away it is not because of some error or bad wording on your app.

CatPilot1

This right here is scary. (Underlined portion). The comments above the underlined are also frightening. This entire post gives ammo to why the 1500hr rule is not necessary.(It is though, to weed out the 3 month ATP pilot zero to hero guy early 2000’s pilot mill). It should take perseverance beyond 3 months for an entry level 121 job). To publicly equate a 10k/20k hour pilot on equal footing with a low time ‘paid for prep’ amazing TMAAT story pilot is a disservice to our industry. Doctors/Lawyers, whom we like to compare ourselves to; aren’t hired this way by patients, defendants, or companies. (I researched the number of surgeries my knee doctor completed.) These hiring practices besmirch our profession. I guess what we might be admitting to is piloting 121 pax jets these days is so safe we probably can elevate interview prep jockeys over experience. Maybe it’s worked so far, because we still have enough experienced based hired pilots in the left seat. I get it, at some point the experience level of the surgeon that operates on your knee won’t matter either, their job becomes monitor of the surgical robot. The bed side manner of the Surgeon autopilot robot monitor will become what’s important. How to nail the Bed Side Manner interview prep, will become the doctors fate too. If current aviators put up with current airline HR hiring methods emphasizing ‘interview pay prep/resume bogus enhancements/ social victimhood status/ over flying experience, we deserve the eventual single pilot ops the aircraft manufacturers/airline employers are selling to the public as safe. If experienced practitioners in a field are easily replaced by novice entrants routinely over a period of time, and continually proven to not effect safety; can that field of work be considered a profession?