skater3260

Which one is that, that's a steal!

Albief15

My own opinion is that by 2020 or so there will be more flow throughs with the regionals, and perhaps the Air Force and A4A (or whatever the industry calls itself now) will work on some kind of Phoenix Aviation v2 or similar. The Air Force is hemorrhaging pilots. The airlines need a dedicated source of new pilots. Both could combine their issues and find a win/win solution for their needs. The problem is I suspect the pilots would be in for 15-20 years instead of 10-12 if they worked something out.

The latest SWA open house is an example of what I see happening, and Jetblue has had open houses for some time. These airlines will host events on their own similar to job fairs, but not requiring the "kiss the ring" entry costs WIA, OBAP, and NGPA charge. Airlines will start going more VFR direct to the pilots with info about their companies.

Here's what I see that gets a guy multiple calls from different airlines:

Military IP/SEFE time
> 1000 PIC Turbine Fighter, 1500 is a lock
WIC Grad or Test PIlot
>2000 PIC Transport
121 time (SWA is the new FedEx lead in. One or two SWA pilots in about every class in 2016) Regional time is also attractive and makes a resume "pop" up.
No busted checkrides, DUIs, UCMJ

Now-plenty of pilots without the above get calls, but guys/gals with the quals above or similar seem to get more than one offer.

Regional/121 pilots

Recruiter experience
LCA experience
Training Department experience

Regional guys tend to not get as many 3-4 offer sets but the guys I see that do get called have LCA or other semi-management type gigs. They are looking for pilots who want to do more than just show up and fly the line. (Not judging-I am a "go to work, do my job" guy right now too.)

Networking helps. Job Fairs help. Biggest help is move up. If Allegiant isn't your dream job, I'd take it to leave a regional, even if it meant going to right seat. The 1000 PIC verses leaving for bigger equipment is always a tough call. Overall, if within 500 hours of PIC requirement of 1000 I'd give it one more year and get the time, but sitting around at ASA or Republic for 12 years doesn't seem to make an application sweeter. Look to get to Spirit, Allegiant, Atlas, or something else and keep adding to your experience. I see guys hired from Kalitta and Atlas all the time at the Legacies, FedEx, and UPS. Stay thirsty, and if you have been at your regional more than 7-10 years you probably need to try something else if you aren't getting called.

One last note--we "save" a bunch of guys with app reviews. If your app doesn't have the right boxes checked...like "English Proficient" or "FCC Radio operators permit" the computer skips right over you. I recently QC'd a friends app that was an F-22 SEFE. He failed to check the "have you ever been an evaluator" block despite it being in his job title. You don't get called--your application does. Do whatever it takes to make sure its right. Print, review, and have a friend review it. There are some great professional services (we are affiliated with one of them run by former UAL hiring chief) but even if you don't use one PRINT IT OUT and review it. Guys will sit and ***** about not getting called for months, only to find their own mistake probably kept them from getting called for months (or worse).

Binksy

You're kidding, right? That's exactly why people go to job fairs, because they AREN'T waiting for it to "fall in their lap." They are taking the extra step to show real interest and enthusiasm about a position that 20,000 other applicants want as well. That's called initiative and ambition. Seems to me that just clocking in and clocking out and waiting on the phone to ring is hoping the job will fall in your lap. Time in a logbook isn't enough anymore.

rmcbear08

There's a big difference between expecting to get a job because you attended one of these career fairs and understanding that they are only a piece of the puzzle.

Sliceback

This thread is about job fairs not being necessary. That's true, it's not necessary. But the guys who attend have much better odds of getting hired which is the ultimate goal.

DrunkIrishman

Exactly. People are just venting frustration about taking their time and money (much more than $100 my friend) while still getting the same uninspired canned conversation they could've read online.

Binksy

Agreed. I think most of the people that do go have a very well put together "puzzle" (flight time, type ratings, bachelor and possibly graduate degrees, volunteer time, training department/LCA experience) and they are hoping the job fair may be the last "piece" that completes the picture. Is it a requirement to go to one? Obviously no. Does it help? Quite possibly. Does it hurt? Can't see how it does.

Moonbeam

If your talking about Spirit, Frontier, Atlas, etc.. I would agree that your odds are good. I still believe at the Legacies it's not going to matter unless you fall in the category that Albie has observed.(thanks for that info!). But those guys don't even have to attend a job fair to get a call. Spending a large chunk of money each year over and over explaining why you don't have this or that is not going to make the robot recruiter go in and change the robot algorithm for your situation. The time and money would be better spent at getting this or that if you can.

I think a large majority, maybe 80%, that go to OBAP and WIA are regional F.O.'s and the statistics just don't play out on the guys actually getting interviews anywhere. It's actually nice to see that more then a few are starting to see these as a waste of money based on current hiring practices. Are any of these hiring managers willing to put in writing that attending a job fair adds points to your application?

3inthegreen

What is the name of your affiliate?

Sliceback

Where'd you come up with 80% are regional FO's? Have you been to a big job fair? Talked with your peers? How many were FO's?

Look at the pictures in this thread - does that group look like it's 80% FO's?

If you went to a job fair, and actually spoke with the other guys, you'd quickly realize it's not 80% regional FO's. I'd guess it's maybe 25%.

And yes, regional FO, from my observations, is probably under-represented in the hiring classes. No surprise when there's that many more experienced pilots out there. So does not attending a job fair improve their chances? Or does perhaps attending job fairs get them a call shortly after they upgrade, which has happened to several people. New box checked - eg. upgrade/type rating/CKA for civilians or IP/121/type rating for prior military/reservists, also seem to be possible triggers.

Is your resume, beyond just flight hours, better than it was 3-6 months ago? What new boxes have you checked? There are lots of guys that have had success shortly after getting a new qualification. Maybe that generates points "ah, he just passed a flight examination" which triggers the call.

None of this is guaranteed. It's just an attempt to generate as many possible triggers that you can control. Or you can do nothing and hope they find you.