Things airline recruiters have done wrong

[mar]

I have a hunch. My gut tells me the pitiful job market has bottomed out. In other words, I think things are about to get better.

Before anyone trounces my optimism I'll admit that I know that American Airlines has announced another furlough. I also realize that another bankruptcy looms around the corner. And that's not all. Another terrorist attack is regarded not just as a possibility but more like an inevitability.

Nevertheless, my friends, there are rumblings from deep within the bowels of airline recruiter's offices--mostly freight.

I take this as a sign. I think it's a sign of a rebounding economy. Maybe that economy isn't American but that doesn't mean it can't be good for us.

So, as I've ridden a couple hiring waves in my short career I'm encouraged to report that I have a hunch that says, Shine your shoes and get a haircut because the games will begin shortly.

And this brings me to my point, finally...

Do you remember several years ago when the hiring was going strong but perfectly good pilots were being rejected from airlines because of ridiculous criteria?

Let's use this thread (albeit according to PilotYip probably two to three years too early) to point out the errors of airline recruiters in the hope of stopping the madness of psychological tests, confrontational interviews, application fees and absurd sim profiles.

I'll start with my favorites:

--Psychological Tests: Why? These are just an added expense and besides what better psychological test is there for being a pilot than slugging it out in a piston twin at night over the mountains or coming from a military background. Doesn't that say enough? Not only that, but we all visit a health professional every six months to a year. There are plenty of other effective screens to filter out pilots with learning disabilities (if you believe these actually exist) and/or various mental disorders.

--Confrontational Interviews: Why? Do you want to get to know us or not? I know, I know, it's just another test to see how bad we really want the job. Unfortunately the result is a class of phonies who have lied to you.

--Application Fees: Why? Oh I forgot, it's a scam to make money off of hungry ambitious pilots. Sick.

--Absurd Sim Profiles: Why? Why especially when the gouge is on the internet and any nerd with a credit card can go buy the sim time and practice until he's got it right or he maxes out his credit card? What does that tell you about his skill or ability to learn quickly? Nothing! Try this instead: Teach the applicant a lesson in the sim based on his experience level. Look for objective criteria such as steady improvement, ability to control airspeed, altitude and heading and solid IFR procedures. If you conduct the same profile for each applicant the only thing you're testing is their credit limit and ability to memorize---Great! That's who I want to fly with...

...what else?...

--Speaking of absurdity: Stop asking questions like, Why do you want to work for ABC and not XYZ. Stop asking us which company value we most associate with. Stop asking us if we've ever broken a regulation or what would we do in the dumbest hypothetical situation. I say again, Do you want to get to know us or not? Don't you understand you're begging us to LIE to you? But simultaneously you'll say, Just relax and be yourself.

Well, which is it? 'Cause I ain't telling you the truth. There are some stories I only tell my closest friends and that's only after an awful lot of whisky.

--Irrelevent questions: If you ask me technical questions about operations that you know I have no experience with then you're just testing my ability to memorize again. Try asking questions about *my* airplane and *my* operations. Then you can gauge the depth of *my* experience and knowledge. Why do I need to know about Mach Tuck and Mach Trim and Deep Stall if I fly a DC6? Sure I can study it and regurgitate the information but what does that say about me? Nothing! Ask me about control tabs! Water injection! Pressurized Carburetors! Then you'll find out what I'm made of.

--Silly Hoops to Jump Thru: Why? Attend this conference...email your resume in this format...join this service...write an essay...Why? Why, I ask? Why can't I just send you a resume, possibly with a recommendation attatched, and if I'm qualified you call me. Almost every other industry does it like that. Which brings me to the oh-so-coveted "Recommendation."

--The Recommendation: This is a double edged sword for everyone. Some airlines use this tool better than others. Let's look at it. A good recommendation says, "I've personally flown with this guy, I know he's a good stick and a great guy, I think he'd fit in really well and do a great job." A bad (in the sense it hurts the hiring process) recommendation says, "This guy is the nephew of my cousin's husband who helped get me a job once so I owe him a favor so I'm gonna forward his stuff 'cause he meets the mins." Believe me, I'm not against recommendations but I am against shortcuts and favoritism.

Well that should get us started. Feel free to contribute what you think is wrong with airline recruitment, selection, hiring and retention

Airline retention. That could be a whole thread all by itself.

 

[avoidingmyboss]

This is off the beaten path MAR but these are a few things that bug me besides all the silly things recruiters do. Let's start with the PFT’s and crooked flight schools which is one of the same IMOP. Nothing like setting up shop in a town and getting some suckers to plop down their hard earned cash on block time then skipping town. The same applies for the PFT’er

Then there’s the guy that will hire you to fly and all you do is wash his airplanes and pump fuel. When you’ve had enough hell hit you with a training fee to try to get you to stay. He’ll tell you if you don’t pay it you’ll never get a job because you’ll never get a good recommendation. And by the way he is always late with your pay and always shorts you by a few bucks.

Oh yeah lets not forget “I always wanted to fly guy.” This guy is in his mid 40’s and is always hanging around wanting to fly for less money. Because “it’s fun.” And he'll say crap like this “your lucky to have a job like that.” HEY $HITHEAD THIS IS A JOB FOR MANY OF US. WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DECENT WAGE AND RAISE FAMILES AND BUY HOMES. IF YOU WANT TO FLY GO OUT GET ALL YOUR RATINGS TAKE A JOB AS A CFI. HAVE SOME NUMB SKULL TRY TO KILL YOU FOR 8 HOURS A DAY IN –30 DEGREE WX OR 98 F IN THE SUMMER. ONCE YOU HIT 1200 HRS GET A JOB IN AN A/C THAT’S OLDER THAN YOU, PUTZ AROUND IN THE ICE AND THUNDERSTORMS AWHILE THEN GET A JOB WITH A RAISE MIND YOU MAKING $18,000/ YR.

A recruiter once asked me “ So why do you want to work for XYZ airlines” I was sure I wasn’t getting the job so I let him have it, the truth “so I can bang disgruntled flight attendants and make $18,000/yr.” I told him I was killing two birds with one stone because that’s why I became a pilot too. I guess the joke is on me.

When I go to work I see “I always wanted to fly guy” who always telling “washes airplane guy” how good he has it. “Washes airplane guy” is always complaining about the rich PFT’er taking his job. The PFT’er is always complaining about all the silly questions the recruiter is asking. I wonder who he recruiter likes best.

 

[bafanguy]

Mar,


I couldn't agree more ! What you describe is nothing more than corporate empire building and bureaucracy carried out by people who don't know that the pointy end goes in the front. Of course, management "pilots" are up to their eyeballs in this process because that's how they avoid having to soil their hands by strapping into an airplane. Being a "pilot" is enough of a management career killer without actually having to BE a pilot.

I've seen Delta turn down the best imaginable people for the worst imaginable reasons. If they're going to play God with people's lives, at least let it be for solid reasons.

But, the main function of bureaucracy is to grow more bureaucracy...you know, like cancer.

 

[TurboS7]

Avoiding my boss---If I was a recruiter I would have hired you right away, then I would have sent you to our disgruntled FA's, you would be earning your keep......LOL.

 

[Snakum]

If I was a recruiter I would have hired you right away, then I would have sent you to our disgruntled FA's, you would be earning your keep

LMAO!

 

[coolyokeluke]

MAR I agree. You work for NAC or Big Ace? I'm on the same field.

I think the companies that got it right interview for attitude, look at experience for aptitude and then expect to train to their standards.

I don't like arbitrary requirements like 20000 lb aircraft (JetBlue). Maybe because what I'm flying is on the wrong side of their requirement.

 

[pilotyip]

Why we do it

Having been involved in interviewing for 7 years here, we have come up with a successful applicant profile. To find out if a candidate fits that profile, we probe, ask questions, have you take a phys profile test, give math tests, FAR tests, and have you fly a sim. We take you to lunch and see what you talk about over lunch. We make you sell yourself to us; we try to talk you out of coming to work here. We hired based upon #1 criteria can you fly an airplane? Will this candidate have the ability to make Captain someday? Most people can, but will they be a good employee? Next, we look at could I stand being around this person for five days in a row, and lastly what is this candidates likely hood of making a career at USA Jet? We charge a fee to apply; it eliminates shoppers who are not serious about making commitment to intervew. We try to match candidates to successful pilots we have hired in the past, who also took all the tests. They turned out good, so there is a good chance the candidate will also. It all must work we are getting dynamite new hires right now.

 

[jetexas]

I think one thing recruiters have done wrong (in general, especially at majors) is to not look at what 'made' the pilot. At least on applications there appears to be a tendency to look at things like flight time, education, etc without taking into account 'how' the person got there.
If I was hiring I would much rather hire someone who is 'self made' and may have less flight time, lower GPA in college, older, etc than someone who was helped along by the parental wallet, etc.

 

[xdays]

We charge a fee to apply; it eliminates shoppers who are not serious about making commitment to intervew.

Do you refund the application fee to those you hire?? Seems only fair to me.

 

[pilotyip]

In a way we repay them

We start them at what I believe is the highest F/O starting salary in the 135 on-demand business. $33K/yr first year. So there is kind of a repayment in sense by the starting guarentee. Recruiting costs are a burden to all companies, both in man-hours to administer and actual cost of interviewing non-qualified individuals, and our company is no different. We are in a tuff business climate right now and have to everything we can do to control costs. We have contracted to an outside company, HRPQ, to do our screening for us, much like we do for engine overhauls, wet ditching, etc. HRPQ is in business to make money; they charge a fee for that service, the money does not go to us. Our pool is full at the present time and our turnover is very low so something must be working with our process.