That pretty much seems to be the prevailing thought. I believe the term that was thrown out at WIA was that you have to be a "rock star" at the job fairs to stand out. And even when I did my M&G, the CP's were a little frustrated that the process doesn't carry more weight.

Agreed.

As long as it helps, even a little bit, I feel fortunate to be given the opportunity to be able to do a meet and greet even if that means 15 hours of travel....actually sitting on the 787 right now getting ready to head west.

Wow...that seems like a giant waste of time. You could do the same thing over Skype or FaceTime. I hope you are at least making a vacation out of it.

Did my M&G one week ago at EWR. I wore my uniform. CP explained the process and reiterated the fact that his rec would not hold too much of a leg up... He reinforced the need for job fair attendance.
EWR CP can recommend 10 per month. He said he can give the largest number of recs because he has the largest base.
CP came across as a great guy...extremely down to earth.
I'm glad I made the effort despite the fact it was max 10 mins.
I was interview ready with resume and any/all supporting documentation.
Leading up to M&G CP asked for a list of volunteer activities dating back to high school more than 35 years ago for me. He said this carriers huge weight!

I honestly don't know if I got the rec but glad I experienced the M&G process.

Don't know what volunteer activities have to do with flying airplanes. They must be looking for people who like to do things without getting paid.

It's all part of the prevailing targeted selection/"we want the total person/we hire employees not just pilots" shift in hiring.

Guaranteed, at a job fair, M&G, as well as interview for most it WILL come up about community service/volunteerism, whatever.

The goal post has shifted so to speak.

Or looking for people that realize they have a pretty damn good job and like to give back a little to their communities to make it a better place. I love to volunteer and help out when I can. Not everything is about money.

And conversely, a mil pilot can be a little too busy with his "pretty damn good job" to be volunteering. Ya know, between deployments and all.

A civ/RJ trash pilot that's commuting to his crappy 10-11-12 day off line because they've been through multiple base closures and just simply isn't moving anymore can be a little too busy just trying to be a father/husband on his limited time off. Versus rescuing kittens and going habitat for humanity. You know, despite his "pretty damn good job" that keeps him away from home.

Plenty of union volunteer positions that don't intrude on your personal life too much.

I have 11 LOR, 2 internal also Had a M&G about 6-7 months ago, the CP said that it does not really help, but it does. I also attended the WIA job fair in Dallas and met with UAL reps there, they said it helps. I did get a letter saying that I my experience with UAL stood out to them and that I should be patient, I really hope to hear something soon.