fATPL March 2002
Job in night freight Ops department July 2002
Job on 757 with night freight operation May 2003 - 250TT
I know how lucky I was. However, it was not without a huge amount of graft on my part too. I had 2 near misses at jobs and the third one stuck. The airlines will look at the low-timer who makes him/herself stand out.
Take every opportunity to talk to absolutely anyone who is in commercial aviation, the vast majority are more than willing to take a bit of time to chat. It may well not lead to anything, but it has several benefits: It keeps you in touch with a business that unless you are closely involved with can prove elusive and you never know who or what they might know.
ANY job within aviation is better than sitting at home alone and hoping, especially with the smaller outfits - if you have the skills you are then in a position to make yourself known to the MD/Chief pilot who would otherwise have put your CV in the enormous pile with all the other suitably qualified individuals they have never heard of, other than by mass mailing. There may not be immediate opportunities for them to use you, but you are ideally placed for the time that WILL come eventually when they have got it their crewing levels wrong and are suddenly stuck for pilots. If that time doesn't come with that airline, you have still not wasted your time, but given yourself something else aviation related on your CV that may well set you apart when the others recruit.
I was very lucky, I got my job when a pilot from the airline I was working in OPs for tipped me off that the 757 operator I work for was recruiting low-timers. I called up IMMEDIATELY and had a CV in the recruiter's computer about 10 minutes after initial contact. Much hoop jumping ensued and here I am.
That's my story, obviously not the only way to do it, but it worked well for me. Have faith - it can be done. There are the jobs out there for the low-time pilot if you are persistent, and be sure to act on all rumours promptly - they can only be refuted, and if not you're ahead of the competition...
Good luck of you all...