How many of you get a reply?

MichaelP · Post by **MichaelP** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 11:47 am

It is always delightful when a potential employer responds to one's enquiry about employment.
Why is it that most aviation companies are so rude as not to respond?

I'd be happy even for a rude reply: "Go away", at least you know that your response to a job advertisement has been received!

xsbank · Post by **xsbank** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:03 pm

I agree, it is nice to know one way or another. I think that you'll find there is a loose correlation between the replies and the calibre of the company you applied to.

Most companies are overwhelmed with paperwork so it takes a real effort to produce paper just to be polite, with no boost to the business or for attracting clients.

husky · Post by **husky** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 1:26 pm

If mr. 1000 hours applies to a company and receives no reply, he's less likely to apply again to said company later on when he's now the desirable mr. 3000 hours they they so desperately need.

Of course, to at least give a reply for the above reason, said company would have to posess some degree of forethought, and we all know how rare a comodity that is in this industry.

MichaelP · Post by **MichaelP** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:01 pm

Personally I think the lack of replies is rude.
Most of us apply online these days.
Simply clicking 'Reply' and sending a standard paragraph like: "Thank you for your interest in this company.
We are sorry that there are no positions to suit your qualifications at this time." would suffice.

newalliance123 · Post by **newalliance123** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:12 pm

I get excited when I get the auto reply haha

saucer_driver · Post by **saucer_driver** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:23 pm

Replies are very much appreciated, in this electronic world you have no way of knowing really if the email was recieved.

Also i think chief pilots ought to be a little more accessible, nothing worse then hearing "he doesn't take calls".....wtf, its part of the job to hire and talk to potential new hires....if you dont want to , then dont take the job.

Kelowna Pilot · Post by **Kelowna Pilot** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:14 pm

Chief Pilot get 300 email applications, most of whom probably aren't even qualified.

Say, spends 1 minute on each.

That's 5 hours of time wasted that could be better spent doing something that will make the company money.

So I have no problem with CP's who don't bother to reply.

MichaelP · Post by **MichaelP** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:37 pm

If it's a proper company the CP delegates the task to his secretary

I don't mind so much when it's a one man band, but some of the bigger operators do have the resources to retain their credibility as professional organisations by being somewhat civil in their behaviour.
These organisations have Human Resources departments to take care of such matters.

sarg · Post by **sarg** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:06 am

As above it still takes the secratary the 5 hrs to reply. Reducing productivity and raising cost. The problem with electronic age is the easy that people can apply. The wife can have 500 e-mails on a Monday half applications and the rest from employees with issues to be resolved, which do you think gets her attention? A surprising percentage of resumes don't even come with cover letters. Another night at the computer with a beer hitting the send button.

Swerved · Post by **Swerved** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:51 am

Agreed...sadly, it just takes too much time. This past December, my company put an ad in the paper, and got hundreds of replies within days. I had the enjoyable task (heh) of sorting through them, and it took longer than you can imagine. It's not as easy as "one minute per application". If you're actually looking for the best available candidate, you're going to spend hours going through all the resumes, sorting them, looking carefully at experience, background, and maybe references. It takes way more time than you'd think.

On another note, if you're applying to a company, DON'T LIE. I saw so many cover letters with lines such as "I've long been watching __________, and see it as an industry leader"...or "I would love to have a long and rewarding career at ___________". BS! Unless it's your retirement job, tell it like it is! My CP used to laugh his ass off at lines like that, and quite often moved them to the bottom of the pile, if not the recycling bin. Be honest, straightforward as to why you want the job, and why they should hire you, and hope for the best...

Swerved.

MichaelP · Post by **MichaelP** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 9:45 am

BS! Unless it's your retirement job, tell it like it is! My CP used to laugh his ass off at lines like that...

At least he saw the funny side of it... If you can live with humour you go a long way to surviving in this industry.

I used to get a reply to a job application or a letter of interest every time, but that was in another country and another culture, and prior to e-mails existence.
In Canada I have almost never had any response even though I have applied for jobs for which I am qualified.

I do see the argument regarding the time it takes to reply to 300 applications, and I agree that it is an onerous task for many companies.

I wonder about the effect of this silence is on people who apply.
For me it was very disappointing, but I have learned this culture and adapted to it.

Doc · Post by **Doc** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:49 am

I think a standard "FOAD" letter, automatically generated by a CP's computer would be better than "ignore".

Clearwater · Post by **Clearwater** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 12:36 pm

TG · Post by TG » Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:41 pm

One time, for the fun of it I tried to apply to the company I was already working for.
I just wanted to see if they would notice my resume in the pile and kind of "hire" me (again)

Couldn't get hold of the fax line, busy for hours...
I ended up throwing my own resume to the bin before even sending it.

And I was too cheap to spend a stamp for it.

newalliance123 · Post by **newalliance123** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:46 pm

I dunno about ignoring companies if they dont send a reply. But I sure the ones that send a generic auto reply a LOT better.

Justwannafly · Post by **Justwannafly** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 5:28 pm

newalliance123 wrote:I dunno about ignoring companies if they dont send a reply. But I sure the ones that send a generic auto reply a LOT better.

But an auto reply atleast lets you know that they have recieved your resume...otherwise you have no way of knowing if they even got it

SuperchargedRS · Post by **SuperchargedRS** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 5:36 pm

Perhaps this is why it is best to show up in person??

Rudder Bug · Post by **Rudder Bug** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 9:13 pm

SuperchargedRS wrote:Perhaps this is why it is best to show up in person??

As I was reading, that's exactly what I was gonna write. A resume is paper. You'll send hundreds to get a job. Show up, meet with the people. They want to see the person, not the BS

tsgas · Post by **tsgas** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 10:36 am

It's all about class. If its a low level.dirt bag operator,then don't expect much. If on the other hand its a first class operation that expects the applicant to make a career with this prospective company, then a polite reply,is well worth the investment.

RVR6000 · Post by **RVR6000** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:35 am

I've applied to about 20 jobs in the past 3 months. 7 of them replied, they range from small float operators to coporate charter companies. None were job offers.

Elessar_44 · Post by **Elessar_44** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 2:05 pm

My numbers are similar to RVR. I applied to around 25 companies (all entry level jobs, 250hr wonder here) in the past 3 months and 7 in total replied back. 3 were "no thank you / not hring", 2 were "we received your resume", 1 was an interview request, and the last one was a job offer.

MichaelP · Post by **MichaelP** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:38 pm

A company that sends a reply especially a polite one, is probably a company that people want to work for.

I know that it is the nature of people to complain... I hear Air Canada pilots doing it all the time and they have the jobs that many on this site aspire to

I also am responsible for putting more than a few CPL hopefuls out into the 'industry' and I get feedback from them too.

The ones who fly for Virgin, BA and other airlines from my previous life are always upbeat and happy.

The ones here in Canada are almost inevitably on some sort of disappointed moan.

But I was pleasantly pleased by the few I know who are now flying for Pasco and CMA, they seem to be happy.
But these two companies are in a minority as far as I can see.

I am not sure how Pasco and CMA are about replying to job enquiries, perhaps readers of this forum can enlighten us on that.

I believe that any company that has the courtesy of sending a reply is probably a company that has an interest in the people it might employ in the future.
Such companies are probably worth working for.

just curious · Post by **just curious** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:21 pm

Oddly, I have sent out zero resumes.

I have a dozen letters from companies who are keeping me in mind.

thx1138 · Post by **thx1138** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 12:55 pm

hit and miss, usually bigger companies send something

frog · Post by **frog** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 3:58 pm

Clearwater wrote:So let me see if I understand.

Only companies with Chief Pilots that have secretaries are "proper and credible"?

Clearwater,

would you trust a company if the Ops Manager answers the phone himself?