I have to agree with 126.9
I did an Easy selection day last year. Passed it. One of the questions asked was:
"Would you accept an offer of a right hand seat position?"
My reply was:
"No, I would under no circumstances take a right seat position. I am currently a captain and would like to remain one".
Subsequently told I had passed the selection day, and eventually did a command sim check. This was a few days after Sept 11, and of course suddenly there were a stack of 737 type-rated folk around.
Had a call from JL who offered me a right seat position- which I sadly declined, explaining to her that I couldn't afford the pay cut. I pointed out that I was still interested in EJ, and should a DE command come up, I would accept it. She then rather bizarrely told me that I couldn't have a command as I didn't have enough factored hours- complete nonsense as my assessment was for command and by both my and their calculations, I had far more than enough factored hours.
And my point is...???
Easyjet seem to getting rather arrogant with this stuff about not considering those who have previously turned them down. I can fully understand not considering those who have failed some aspect of the assessment, but not those who have declined a job offer.
Circumstances change. People have shifting ambitions and goals. For any number of reasons, a person might decline a job but have a change of circumstances that enable them to reconsider. Declining a job offer is not a personal insult (which EJ seem to take it as), it is an inability to say yes for one reason or another. Anyone who has gone to the trouble of taking part in the selection process is obviously interested in the company.
On the other hand, a colleague of mine is fond of saying "I work for money. If you want loyalty, get a dog". Pilots are not generally a loyal bunch, they go where the best opportunities are until they settle down and their career path is dictated by other considerations, like kids and houses. Most EJ pilots would probably move if offered a better job- as in any job market, the main factors are money and quality of life.
I would have liked to have worked for EJ, and I don't think I was being unreasonable in holding out for a command- they are still looking for DE captains where I live. What attracted me was the Southwest ethos, but it seems that EJ have just picked out the bits of the Southwest model that suit them, and discarded the rest. Sadly, it doesn't work like that.
The sort of petulance that leads to this "If you turned us down, we are going to return the favour by not re-considering you" behaviour is highly unprofessional. The professional HR person will look for the right staff, and patiently wait until they are ready to work for them. That way, you get the right people, not just the ones that know how to press the right buttons. Also, I detest being handed reasons and excuses that are patently untrue.
I know I will end up getting a better (next) job than EJ, but it is a missed opprotunity- for them, as well as for me.