I think we are now looking at a very different market for low hours pilots and this is where the problems getting employment stem from.
I do not discount the 'who you know angle', it certainly can pay dividends, especially in the current climate. However, the last two years have been particularly hard and airlines have been cutting back, not expanding and this is where the problem lies. I still stand by my statement about determination, luck and ability. Low hours guys are still being employed in airlines where who you know carries no sway, just in very small numbers considering those out there in 'low hours land'.
The biggest problem I see is that many do nothing to improve their hours upon licence issue, hence in 12 months time they are still wallowing around the 250hr mark. I've said it before on these pages and will repeat it here; in the eyes of the airlines you are still a 'low hours' pilot with 1000hr TT and nothing bigger than a piston twin on your licence. You are however, moving in the right direction and making yourself more marketable.
Buying ratings and not getting any time on type is a huge risk IMHO and only makes you more desirable if an employer has asked you to do it, or are desparate for someone quick. In the current market I think you have to seriously think before going down that road.
I would also say that 'just sending CVs' is currently not enough. It's all too easy to not reply to them and take on someone who has really been showing keen, possibly through networking and contacting 'those who can make decisions' with regards to recruitment.
Sheepguts, regarding low hours guys in a two crew environment;
Do you think this combination is conducive to good CRM environment. To me sounds like a fromula for disaster, all of a sudden the Flight deck has become a single pilot version of itself.
I think you have missed the point about the two crew environment and CRM. Lets not think of low hours guys as braindead until they reach some magical figure of total time such as 1500hrs, upon which they instantly become great at CRM and useful to a captain. CRM is about attitude and many very low hours guys have an extremely good attitude towards their flying. Granted they don't have vast experience, but that's why there is a captain there. He's the one who gets paid to handle the non-SOP type emergency (if it is outside the capability of the F/O, with the input, support and monitoring by that F/O) The standard stuff is in the book and the F/O has been trained and assessed as competent to deal with these 'QRH type' failures/ emergencies.
Most 250hr guys being employed at any time tend to be very sharp indeed, very adaptable, willing to learn and pretty damn good at flying the machine as well. They are keen as mustard and in some circumstances put others more experienced to shame.
The above does not make up for experience, but I still think a guy with 750hrs is little better than one with 250, except in the aircraft that he flies regularly. Certainly here in the UK he would not now be gaining time in something valuable like air taxi due to JAR, so that leaves circuit bashing and local area with students, para dropping and a few others (non-airline I was thinking). So the guy with 750hrs probably has little of the experience that you quote, apart from a bit more exposure to ATC, unless he is not in the EU.
PP