Cumbersome part of hiring a pilot

[howso]

What is the most cumbersome part of hiring a pilot when the operator is small~medium?
I'm guessing this is how it goes.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
An operator posts a job ad on the internet.
The operator receives hundreds if not thousands of resumes.
The CP or an HR staff goes through thousands of resumes one by one.
The operator shortlists candidates and carefully compares the candidates before making offers.

[mmm...bacon]

Last time I worked in 703, Cp came into the pilots' room and asked if anyone knew anyone who was qualified; if that was negative, he put a few of us to work sifting through resumes..but then, that was back in the days 'before' when there was relatively a surplus of pilots..

[‘Bob’]

Pretty sure the hardest part of 702/703/704/diet-705 these days is getting your underqualified and quite possibly mentally challenged candidate to actually show up for the job, make it through training and line indoc, and stick around for more than a few weeks or months.

The way things are a job at a small-medium company is only a backup if you get a PFO from all the larger companies.

Remember when it was 8 years to get a captain’s spot at Jazz? How the turn tables.

[rigpiggy]

I was CP of an end of the road 703. Got numerous cv's, persistence paid off, also if you made the drive, we put you up over night in CQ and if you didn't come across as a total dipshit, would put you on ramp or dispatch in the next round with a 3-4 month wait for a spot on the KA

[howso]

I was CP of an end of the road 703. Got numerous cv's, persistence paid off, also if you made the drive, we put you up over night in CQ and if you didn't come across as a total dipshit, would put you on ramp or dispatch in the next round with a 3-4 month wait for a spot on the KA

What is CQ?
Did you go through the CVs yourself ?
What was the hardest part when hiring a new pilot?
what did you hate the most?

[howso]

Last time I worked in 703, Cp came into the pilots' room and asked if anyone knew anyone who was qualified; if that was negative, he put a few of us to work sifting through resumes..but then, that was back in the days 'before' when there was relatively a surplus of pilots..

What year was that?

[cdnavater]

I assume CQ is crew quarters, we had some attached to the hangar back in the day.
As for hiring in the 90’s, you had to keep on top of résumés, they wouldn’t be in the thousands but certainly hundreds, I would file them under captain or fo headers in a binder, yes an actual binder. There was no software to sort through the faxes we received via an actual fax machine. Some we filed in the round bin!
I have to imagine nowadays, hiring has some type of computer program to weed out the resumes in the inbox and what bob said, trying to find competent pilots now is the challenge, I have certainly seen a degradation in the quality of new pilots.
It’s getting pretty bleak, a pulse and barely dry ink on a licence should get you a job these days.

[rigpiggy]

I was CP of an end of the road 703. Got numerous cv's, persistence paid off, also if you made the drive, we put you up over night in CQ and if you didn't come across as a total dipshit, would put you on ramp or dispatch in the next round with a 3-4 month wait for a spot on the KA

What is CQ?crew quarters
Did you go through the CVs yourself ? Yes, separate into capt/fo/ramp
What was the hardest part when hiring a new pilot? Training/getting a date for a ride
what did you hate the most? Researching the references. Thankfully know enough people to ask the would you hire them? Back?

[mmm...bacon]

Last time I worked in 703, Cp came into the pilots' room and asked if anyone knew anyone who was qualified; if that was negative, he put a few of us to work sifting through resumes..but then, that was back in the days 'before' when there was relatively a surplus of pilots..

What year was that?

early 2000s..

[howso]

Thank you.
What were the challenges in securing a date for a ride?
Is it not similar to regular crew scheduling?
Did you perform additional research apart from the references provided by the job seeker?

I was CP of an end of the road 703. Got numerous cv's, persistence paid off, also if you made the drive, we put you up over night in CQ and if you didn't come across as a total dipshit, would put you on ramp or dispatch in the next round with a 3-4 month wait for a spot on the KA

What is CQ?crew quarters
Did you go through the CVs yourself ? Yes, separate into capt/fo/ramp
What was the hardest part when hiring a new pilot? Training/getting a date for a ride
what did you hate the most? Researching the references. Thankfully know enough people to ask the would you hire them? Back?

[RaymondWilson]

What is the most cumbersome part of hiring a pilot when the operator is small~medium?
I'm guessing this is how it goes.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
An operator posts a job ad on the internet.
The operator receives hundreds if not thousands of resumes.
The CP or an HR staff goes through thousands of resumes one by one.
The operator shortlists candidates and carefully compares the candidates before making offers.

Here is an expanded overview:

Job Posting: The operator typically starts by posting a job ad on relevant platforms, including aviation job websites or industry-specific forums.

Resume Screening: As you mentioned, the operator may receive a large volume of resumes. The Chief Pilot (CP) or the Human Resources (HR) staff will go through these resumes one by one to assess the qualifications, experience, and skills of the applicants.

Shortlisting: After the initial resume screening, the operator will shortlist candidates who meet the basic requirements and possess the desired qualifications. This shortlisting process involves carefully reviewing the resumes and identifying the most suitable candidates for further evaluation.

Assessment and Interviews: The shortlisted candidates will typically undergo a series of assessments and interviews to evaluate their technical skills, knowledge, decision-making abilities, and overall suitability for the pilot position. This process may involve written tests, simulator assessments, and face-to-face interviews.

Background Checks: Once the operator has identified the preferred candidates, they may conduct thorough background checks, including verifying the applicants' flight hours, licenses, medical certificates, and references. This step ensures that the candidates meet the regulatory and safety requirements.

Offer and Negotiation: After completing the assessment and background checks, the operator will extend job offers to the selected candidates. Negotiations may occur regarding compensation, benefits, and other terms of employment.

Onboarding and Training: Once the candidates accept the job offers, they will go through an onboarding process, which includes completing necessary paperwork, undergoing company-specific training, and familiarizing themselves with the operator's policies, procedures, and aircraft systems.

[flyinhigh]

Thank you.
What were the challenges in securing a date for a ride?
Is it not similar to regular crew scheduling?
Did you perform additional research apart from the references provided by the job seeker?

What is CQ?crew quarters
Did you go through the CVs yourself ? Yes, separate into capt/fo/ramp
What was the hardest part when hiring a new pilot? Training/getting a date for a ride
what did you hate the most? Researching the references. Thankfully know enough people to ask the would you hire them? Back?

Curious where this is coming from? Are you wondering as a perspective employee, or are you trying to develop an APP to handle it?

Each individual will have a different answer as to what works, pros, cons ,etc.

I.e, I despised getting text book answers to standard HR questions like “why do you want to work here”. Don’t give boiler plate that so many do, show personality.

[‘Bob’]

Why do I want to work here?

To make money/get the skills so I can make more money.

Good god.. seriously HR must know that we will hate the place 0.02 microseconds after signing the contract… or the bond….

[lownslow]

Dealing with resumes. I wouldn’t let anyone else do it for fear of missing out on a good candidate but wow was it ever a lot of work.

Change one word on Pilot Career Centre and suddenly hundreds of applications pour in from all over the world. The best were the Russian ones. Europe in general has a thing for including a portrait on the first page but the Russian applicants had this menacing glare like the goal was to intimidate me into hiring them. Sometimes they’d just cold apply to me for my job.

I could post a job ad requiring min 2,000TT, previous turbine PIC, and time on type with a threat of anyone who applies without that will be black listed from the entire industry forever. Some doofus with 46TT and ‘a projected CPL completion date in 16-20 months’ would still apply.

Parts of it were actually rewarding and I think I got a lot of good pilots off to a good start in their airline careers, but it took a tremendous amount of time.

[ads-b]

Remember when it was 8 years to get a captain’s spot at Jazz? How the turn tables.

You mean 15 years?

[howso]

Thank you.
What were the challenges in securing a date for a ride?
Is it not similar to regular crew scheduling?
Did you perform additional research apart from the references provided by the job seeker?

Curious where this is coming from? Are you wondering as a perspective employee, or are you trying to develop an APP to handle it?

Each individual will have a different answer as to what works, pros, cons ,etc.

I.e, I despised getting text book answers to standard HR questions like “why do you want to work here”. Don’t give boiler plate that so many do, show personality.

I'm developing a platform that will save time for employers during the hiring process.
As lownslow mentioned, employers are spending a lot of time going through hundreds of resumes from unqualified pilots, and I can solve this issue.

[Squaretail]

What is the most cumbersome part of hiring a pilot when the operator is small~medium?

When upper management decides they need to "help" with the process.