You were in the military? And you don't understand networking? You NEVER kept in touch with your "bros"? Are you socially deficient or were you just "that guy"?

Seriously, get in touch with EVERY guy you know that flew a plane. All the way from commission to your fini flight/send off party, whatever.....

I know two guys that got another email right at about a year after their first HPI attempt.

 

Sike-

From one US expat to another, harden the f$ck up mate!

keep whining about rj FO's all you want, it won't help you look like a good applicant. If you can't find one or two guys at the carriers you are targeting, then you just aren't trying.

 

Do you fellas have any recommendations for how to go about networking? There are job fairs, sure, but aside from that? I know a bunch of pilots, but almost all are still in the regionals. Only one or two have moved on to Allegiant. Living in base I rarely get an opportunity to jumpseat and speak with mainline guys; sometimes they ride with us but it's usually brief and hard to make an impression in 45 minutes.

So any specific recommendations about how to get out there, meet people (especially hiring people), and get your foot in the door?

 

Whoever said he was in the military?

 

You're right, I SCREWED IT UP. Must have got his whining confused with another guy's.

I totally blew it, bracing for incoming....

 

Well, you kind of shoved it in his face. I think there's a more tactful way to help the guy/gal than calling him socially deficient. Like I've stated, I understand his frustrations. He has a right to them, but as others pointed out, you have to move beyond those and do you what you can to help yourself.

I'm also frustrated when I see people that I see as less qualified getting interviews. Who wouldn't? Many of you assume they are working their tails off to get that interview while we are not. Well, I am. I have been to job fairs, I have sent out requests to get LORs, I have asked my two whole friends there for internals, I have three years and serious volunteer work, I volunteered for ALPA at a previous carrier....

If an RJ FO gets the call. Good for him!! But don't expect that I won't be disappointed I didn't get it. Just trying to find out the answer. It's an amazing career opportunity and all of us trying to get in. What's the magic answer? No one knows.

 

Thats just it Potato Chip, quit worrying about the other guy and continue focusing on selling yourself. If you think for one minute that those FOs that were hired are not "top Shelf" in some other respect you are fooling yourself. I can guarantee you that some 21 yr old with a GED and great networking skills do not count them selves amongst the UAL pilot group. Some guys just get lucky, but what does that have to do with you. Are you the kind of guy that scrubs the seniority list each month and complain about "less qualified" pilot getting better schedules or the "go getter" that always looks sharp, smiles and says good morning, and is generally the guy that everyone wants to be around?

 

Ah, the "size matters" argument. I would respectfully suggest you don't worry about anybody but yourself. Your belief that you are more deserving of others than an interview because you fly a larger airplane is indicative of a poor attitude and a sense of entitlement.

While I understand your frustration, the fact that you're vocal about it on here and believe the problem is somebody else? Work on you. You should be happy for the twenty three year old RJ pilot that gets hired.

 

Do you like to ski? I know of at least one club that is made up of airline people who like to ski all over the world.

I know of another filled with divers who like to travel.

Do you go to mass, there is likely a Delta pilot in the pews (just joking... for you humor challenged pilots)

There are organizations that have meetings of like minded pilots from all over the country. There are a few major pilots in OBAP, WIA, and AOPA events.

Join any military service or organization associated with military service and you are likely to find a pilot. You can join the Navy League for example without having been in the Navy and they have excellent golf tournaments which always attract many pilots.

Lastly in my area if you want to meet major airline pilots, just go golfing at a decent golf course during a weekday morning.

Or really lastly, go to the WIA convention, turn on the charm and marry a major airline pilot.

Best of luck.

 

I would add that when you have a jumpseater from an airline that you're applying to, if they're not wiped out from their trip and trying to catch a nap, ask them questions about their airline, and see what they have to say. If they seem receptive, ask them if they can provide any insight into the hiring process. Some guys will be kind of dismissive about it, or say they can't really do anything to help, but sometimes they will hand you their business card and tell you to add them as a recommender on your app or send them an email or whatever. I'm not saying to act like a car salesman or anything, but it's definitely possible to point the discussion in that direction without making it awkward.