Can I get hired by FedEx?
11-06-2011, 05:25 PM
#41
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2007
Position: Bent Over
Posts: 531
Actually, the number hired is around 120. So it would make sense someone wouldn't cross paths with too many folks who sponsored someone who then got called in for an interview. They're not hiring the 400 per year like in the past.
11-06-2011, 05:26 PM
#42
Line Holder
Joined APC: Mar 2011
Posts: 35
Where you are wrong is whether my sponsored app gets a call or not the system is flawed so I do have reason to complain. I have two issues with the new system. First, is that they are not using what was put in place. More responsibility of a sponsor and then capitalize on that. Here is another way to look at it, you are told that a new system will be put in place to put more responsibility on you to make a valued sponsorship to a pilot and you are attached to that applicant until either he/she is off probation or doesn't pass the interview. Then, they totally disregard it and just make it a basic point helper for the applicant. If you have an employee that has a great deal of quality service with a company, that employee's word should be worth more than a new hire walking in the door.
11-06-2011, 05:32 PM
#43
trip trading freak
Joined APC: Oct 2010
Position: MD-11
Posts: 673
skeptic,
Valid points. Please understand that just because my sponsored dude hasn't been called thats not why I think there are problems. Change is usually good. I am actually surprised how many people I fly with didn't have a connection here. Of course most of them have been here for at least 7-8 years min. I am all for the best apps getting hired. I am also for putting the trust in the crew force about what a good app would be. I am just shocked at times when I hear that someone doesn't apply because the don't know anyone, especially if that is where they want to be.
Traditionally Fedex hasn't had such a low interview to hire rate. The phrase was if you got an interview, it was yours to throw away. So with the new process, either we aren't selecting the right people to interview or we are selecting the right ones but the process is gooned up. So when folks here about it, it irritates them more. I hear it is getting better. Not justifying just saying another factor to their frustration. In the end it is the biggest grey area in the world....airline interviews and hiring. That's why I liked the old way. Simple process for people like me to understand. I am also glad I didn't have to go through this when I applied!!!! If so I would still be saying, "welcome to good burger, home of the good burger, can I take your order?"
Valid points. Please understand that just because my sponsored dude hasn't been called thats not why I think there are problems. Change is usually good. I am actually surprised how many people I fly with didn't have a connection here. Of course most of them have been here for at least 7-8 years min. I am all for the best apps getting hired. I am also for putting the trust in the crew force about what a good app would be. I am just shocked at times when I hear that someone doesn't apply because the don't know anyone, especially if that is where they want to be.
Traditionally Fedex hasn't had such a low interview to hire rate. The phrase was if you got an interview, it was yours to throw away. So with the new process, either we aren't selecting the right people to interview or we are selecting the right ones but the process is gooned up. So when folks here about it, it irritates them more. I hear it is getting better. Not justifying just saying another factor to their frustration. In the end it is the biggest grey area in the world....airline interviews and hiring. That's why I liked the old way. Simple process for people like me to understand. I am also glad I didn't have to go through this when I applied!!!! If so I would still be saying, "welcome to good burger, home of the good burger, can I take your order?"
Last edited by Pakagecheck; 11-06-2011 at 05:32 PM. Reason: typo
11-06-2011, 05:56 PM
#44
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2009
Position: low hanging fruit
Posts: 116
The old way worked just fine. Who cares where a guy went to college, what community service he performs, if he swears or not...this PhD guy has probably never left his cubicle.
There should be Sponsors and Rec's. There should be alot of wieght put on your personality, definately on an applicant's flying experience and on the DC-10 hand flown Sim at 0300.
Hey Skeptic, too bad you're not part of the 'club'...alot of us weren't part of the YoNited club and all of the other touchy feely airline interview selection systems. That's life.
We need to keep Fedex stocked with good guys who can fly jets and act like normal people who can pull thier wieght on the long hauls as well as the wonderful AM out and backs. So guys, let's keep getting our buds hired out there! What's wrong with that? Tired of the whiners out there, complaining about the 'club' too bad.
This new hiring process sucks. I have one guy I'm sponsoring and three I've recc'd and not a peep. I went to recruiting and we have no input on the process period. The more I hear Skeptic talk, the less I feel like hearing anymore out of him...find a way to join the club, go hit the boat...
There should be Sponsors and Rec's. There should be alot of wieght put on your personality, definately on an applicant's flying experience and on the DC-10 hand flown Sim at 0300.
Hey Skeptic, too bad you're not part of the 'club'...alot of us weren't part of the YoNited club and all of the other touchy feely airline interview selection systems. That's life.
We need to keep Fedex stocked with good guys who can fly jets and act like normal people who can pull thier wieght on the long hauls as well as the wonderful AM out and backs. So guys, let's keep getting our buds hired out there! What's wrong with that? Tired of the whiners out there, complaining about the 'club' too bad.
This new hiring process sucks. I have one guy I'm sponsoring and three I've recc'd and not a peep. I went to recruiting and we have no input on the process period. The more I hear Skeptic talk, the less I feel like hearing anymore out of him...find a way to join the club, go hit the boat...
The "old way" of hiring candidates was much better. The meet & greets were very valuable because it was a mini-interview. It allowed the interviewer, who was usually an Assistant Chief Pilot, to see what you were like, i.e. your personality, how friendly and professional you were, your flying experiences, etc. It was far more informative than reading a name and flight hours off an application. It also showed the candidate's motivation level. The aspiring candidate had to fly down to Memphis on his/her own dime just to talk for 30 minutes… just for the hope it would lead to a future interview. You immediately saw a person's desire to do whatever it took to get the job. If they were willing to fly across the country and spend hundreds of dollars on their days off to improve their chances of getting an interview, that said something about their character. Everyone who applies to FedEx wants to work for FedEx but not everyone is willing to jump through the hoops of having to do a meet & greet just to get an interview. That's not to say there aren't extremely motivated people out there who just simply have no connections because there clearly are. However, personally vouching for someone's work ethic, integrity, and like-ability then witnessing a small piece of their character up-close in a meet & greet tends to increase the chances that FedEx will offer interviews to quality people. The recommendations are usually effective because if you recommend someone who gets hired and then that person turns out to be a complete moron, the guy who did the recommending gets a phone call as well as his ability to recommend anyone in the future is gone permanently. Your reputation is on the line so the people you recommend better be good or you'll hear about it. It's like being in a Reserve or Guard unit. Who would you rather have in your Reserve squadron… a good friend whom you've worked with in the Fleet who can operate under difficult conditions and keep a sense of humor or someone you know nothing about other than their name and work history on an application? One is a known quantity, the other one isn't.
11-08-2011, 10:58 PM
#45
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jan 2008
Position: MD11/FO
Posts: 31
11-09-2011, 02:43 AM
#46
China Visa Applicant
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: Midfield downwind
Posts: 1,928
In what I've seen over the last decade, thanks to OEF and OIF (and all the other 'contingencies' that make headlines for a day and then are forgotten), military flyers (USAF ones, at least, and I assume my USN and USA brethren are in the same boat) are up to their eyeballs in simply doing their job, and barely have enough time to even have a family life outside of work.
I can honestly say that in my last operational fighter unit assignment, I spent the majority of my time (greater than 50%, not to make it sound too dramatic) physically deployed or TDY away from home station. Of the time I spent at home, the majority of days I went in to work before my kid woke up and got home after he was in bed. Even right now, as I type this, I'm sitting at a deployed location, in my 7th month of a 6-month deployment (yes, friends, 'Operation Deny Thanksgiving' and 'Operation Deny Christmas' are still in full swing!) out of a 'non-deployable' training job. I have only been home for about 45 days of this entire year, thanks to the TDY training pipeline which led up to this 6-month deployment.
It is a brutal, brutal lifestyle...and one in which it's folly to expect that any normal person would have the time to perform (m)any of the things you're talking about. I consider it a victory just to be able to be a successful husband and father in addition to those official duties and the time/effort they require.
One of the biggest jokes amongst the USAF flying community is a YouTube video which mocks the way Performance Reports are written. In it, a pilot who has been deployed endlessly performing the assigned combat mission of his aircraft is being lectured by his Commander that he doesn't have enough "additional" work to warrant getting a good OPR. One of the lines in it which hits home goes something like, "how can flying combat missions possibly be less important than planning a f-ing Christmas party??"
Unfortunately, comments like yours above (and in post 14) hit on that same nerve. Not that it's you, personally (I imagine you're just relating what you think looks good to FedEx in their hiring process), but the sentiment sounds like the typical shoe-clerk tripe that says, somehow volunteering to serve, working my butt off on duty, and all of the personal and family sacrifices I make in the line of performing that duty just aren't enough.
I'm all for community service. Before I was a pilot in the military, and wore BDUs for a living, I actually had time that I could devote to community service. I was proud to do it, and happy that I was able to additionally contribute to the local community.
Unfortunately, there are some folks -- military pilots especially -- who are expending an enormous amount of effort just to hold the basics of duty and family together and don't have such spare time to devote to community service.
It would be disappointing if a company like FedEx used community service as an indicator of merit in the hiring process, yet failed to recognize that military flyers are all ready for the most part doing everything they can.
11-09-2011, 04:02 AM
#47
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: FAA 'Flight Check'
Posts: 13,839
In what I've seen over the last decade, thanks to OEF and OIF (and all the other 'contingencies' that make headlines for a day and then are forgotten), military flyers (USAF ones, at least, and I assume my USN, USMC, and USA brethren are in the same boat) are up to their eyeballs in simply doing their job, and barely have enough time to even have a family life outside of work.
Near (to slighty more than) 50% gun squadron deployment time was the standard during my time in the Corps even outside of OIF/OEF/other contingencies.
USMCFLYR
11-09-2011, 04:12 AM
#48
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: Retired
Posts: 404
Did you fly for the military, or are you just "ex-military"? There's an incredible difference in terms of both lifestyle and point of view.
In what I've seen over the last decade, thanks to OEF and OIF (and all the other 'contingencies' that make headlines for a day and then are forgotten), military flyers (USAF ones, at least, and I assume my USN and USA brethren are in the same boat) are up to their eyeballs in simply doing their job, and barely have enough time to even have a family life outside of work.
I can honestly say that in my last operational fighter unit assignment, I spent the majority of my time (greater than 50%, not to make it sound too dramatic) physically deployed or TDY away from home station. Of the time I spent at home, the majority of days I went in to work before my kid woke up and got home after he was in bed. Even right now, as I type this, I'm sitting at a deployed location, in my 7th month of a 6-month deployment (yes, friends, 'Operation Deny Thanksgiving' and 'Operation Deny Christmas' are still in full swing!) out of a 'non-deployable' training job. I have only been home for about 45 days of this entire year, thanks to the TDY training pipeline which led up to this 6-month deployment.
It is a brutal, brutal lifestyle...and one in which it's folly to expect that any normal person would have the time to perform (m)any of the things you're talking about. I consider it a victory just to be able to be a successful husband and father in addition to those official duties and the time/effort they require.
One of the biggest jokes amongst the USAF flying community is a YouTube video which mocks the way Performance Reports are written. In it, a pilot who has been deployed endlessly performing the assigned combat mission of his aircraft is being lectured by his Commander that he doesn't have enough "additional" work to warrant getting a good OPR. One of the lines in it which hits home goes something like, "how can flying combat missions possibly be less important than planning a f-ing Christmas party??"
Unfortunately, comments like yours above (and in post 14) hit on that same nerve. Not that it's you, personally (I imagine you're just relating what you think looks good to FedEx in their hiring process), but the sentiment sounds like the typical shoe-clerk tripe that says, somehow volunteering to serve, working my butt off on duty, and all of the personal and family sacrifices I make in the line of performing that duty just aren't enough.
I'm all for community service. Before I was a pilot in the military, and wore BDUs for a living, I actually had time that I could devote to community service. I was proud to do it, and happy that I was able to additionally contribute to the local community.
Unfortunately, there are some folks -- military pilots especially -- who are expending an enormous amount of effort just to hold the basics of duty and family together and don't have such spare time to devote to community service.
It would be disappointing if a company like FedEx used community service as an indicator of merit in the hiring process, yet failed to recognize that military flyers are all ready for the most part doing everything they can.
In what I've seen over the last decade, thanks to OEF and OIF (and all the other 'contingencies' that make headlines for a day and then are forgotten), military flyers (USAF ones, at least, and I assume my USN and USA brethren are in the same boat) are up to their eyeballs in simply doing their job, and barely have enough time to even have a family life outside of work.
I can honestly say that in my last operational fighter unit assignment, I spent the majority of my time (greater than 50%, not to make it sound too dramatic) physically deployed or TDY away from home station. Of the time I spent at home, the majority of days I went in to work before my kid woke up and got home after he was in bed. Even right now, as I type this, I'm sitting at a deployed location, in my 7th month of a 6-month deployment (yes, friends, 'Operation Deny Thanksgiving' and 'Operation Deny Christmas' are still in full swing!) out of a 'non-deployable' training job. I have only been home for about 45 days of this entire year, thanks to the TDY training pipeline which led up to this 6-month deployment.
It is a brutal, brutal lifestyle...and one in which it's folly to expect that any normal person would have the time to perform (m)any of the things you're talking about. I consider it a victory just to be able to be a successful husband and father in addition to those official duties and the time/effort they require.
One of the biggest jokes amongst the USAF flying community is a YouTube video which mocks the way Performance Reports are written. In it, a pilot who has been deployed endlessly performing the assigned combat mission of his aircraft is being lectured by his Commander that he doesn't have enough "additional" work to warrant getting a good OPR. One of the lines in it which hits home goes something like, "how can flying combat missions possibly be less important than planning a f-ing Christmas party??"
Unfortunately, comments like yours above (and in post 14) hit on that same nerve. Not that it's you, personally (I imagine you're just relating what you think looks good to FedEx in their hiring process), but the sentiment sounds like the typical shoe-clerk tripe that says, somehow volunteering to serve, working my butt off on duty, and all of the personal and family sacrifices I make in the line of performing that duty just aren't enough.
I'm all for community service. Before I was a pilot in the military, and wore BDUs for a living, I actually had time that I could devote to community service. I was proud to do it, and happy that I was able to additionally contribute to the local community.
Unfortunately, there are some folks -- military pilots especially -- who are expending an enormous amount of effort just to hold the basics of duty and family together and don't have such spare time to devote to community service.
It would be disappointing if a company like FedEx used community service as an indicator of merit in the hiring process, yet failed to recognize that military flyers are all ready for the most part doing everything they can.
So, while all you say about your sacrifices are true, please be careful about limiting them only to those who fly. Be safe and I hope you get home soon to be with your family for a belated holiday celebration.
11-09-2011, 04:17 AM
#49
China Visa Applicant
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: Midfield downwind
Posts: 1,928
I have been both a non-flyer and a flyer in the military. There is a significant difference in the workload and deployment scheduled between the two. In the non-flying world (in the USAF, at least), there was ample time for off-duty volunteering. In the flying world, that time is a lot less available, and hence there is a notable difference between the two worlds in terms of ability to perform off-duty community service.
It's not to say, in any way, that non-flyers don't have burden and sacrifice in their service.
11-09-2011, 06:21 AM
#50
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2011
Posts: 307
Skypig, I agree completely.
The "old way" of hiring candidates was much better. The meet & greets were very valuable because it was a mini-interview. It allowed the interviewer, who was usually an Assistant Chief Pilot, to see what you were like, i.e. your personality, how friendly and professional you were, your flying experiences, etc. It was far more informative than reading a name and flight hours off an application. It also showed the candidate's motivation level. The aspiring candidate had to fly down to Memphis on his/her own dime just to talk for 30 minutes… just for the hope it would lead to a future interview. You immediately saw a person's desire to do whatever it took to get the job. If they were willing to fly across the country and spend hundreds of dollars on their days off to improve their chances of getting an interview, that said something about their character. Everyone who applies to FedEx wants to work for FedEx but not everyone is willing to jump through the hoops of having to do a meet & greet just to get an interview. That's not to say there aren't extremely motivated people out there who just simply have no connections because there clearly are. However, personally vouching for someone's work ethic, integrity, and like-ability then witnessing a small piece of their character up-close in a meet & greet tends to increase the chances that FedEx will offer interviews to quality people. The recommendations are usually effective because if you recommend someone who gets hired and then that person turns out to be a complete moron, the guy who did the recommending gets a phone call as well as his ability to recommend anyone in the future is gone permanently. Your reputation is on the line so the people you recommend better be good or you'll hear about it. It's like being in a Reserve or Guard unit. Who would you rather have in your Reserve squadron… a good friend whom you've worked with in the Fleet who can operate under difficult conditions and keep a sense of humor or someone you know nothing about other than their name and work history on an application? One is a known quantity, the other one isn't.
The "old way" of hiring candidates was much better. The meet & greets were very valuable because it was a mini-interview. It allowed the interviewer, who was usually an Assistant Chief Pilot, to see what you were like, i.e. your personality, how friendly and professional you were, your flying experiences, etc. It was far more informative than reading a name and flight hours off an application. It also showed the candidate's motivation level. The aspiring candidate had to fly down to Memphis on his/her own dime just to talk for 30 minutes… just for the hope it would lead to a future interview. You immediately saw a person's desire to do whatever it took to get the job. If they were willing to fly across the country and spend hundreds of dollars on their days off to improve their chances of getting an interview, that said something about their character. Everyone who applies to FedEx wants to work for FedEx but not everyone is willing to jump through the hoops of having to do a meet & greet just to get an interview. That's not to say there aren't extremely motivated people out there who just simply have no connections because there clearly are. However, personally vouching for someone's work ethic, integrity, and like-ability then witnessing a small piece of their character up-close in a meet & greet tends to increase the chances that FedEx will offer interviews to quality people. The recommendations are usually effective because if you recommend someone who gets hired and then that person turns out to be a complete moron, the guy who did the recommending gets a phone call as well as his ability to recommend anyone in the future is gone permanently. Your reputation is on the line so the people you recommend better be good or you'll hear about it. It's like being in a Reserve or Guard unit. Who would you rather have in your Reserve squadron… a good friend whom you've worked with in the Fleet who can operate under difficult conditions and keep a sense of humor or someone you know nothing about other than their name and work history on an application? One is a known quantity, the other one isn't.
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