I guess what info I have is only the bits that I felt applied to me and noted down. Some were taking furious notes throughout so they might have a more comprehensive account.
Some of the things I took away from the day:
General..
- Industry is in a good position, best its been for a long time. A lot of airlines hiring. Easyjet/Ryanair all have big quotas of pilots the need to fill next year. Massive growth in the Far/Middle East, drawing pilots away and opening up more vacancies.
- Note tudeski's comment about SSTR. They are here to stay in one form or another. Whether you pay up front before getting a job, or pay the TR back through bonds/reduced salary.
- Get your foot in the industry, its easier to move sideways and up in the inudstry once you're in, than go for the one job you want from the beginning.
- At the same time have a 'go get em' attitude and be ambitious. Keep pestering/contacting the airlines, target your CVs and applications and don't give up.
CVs..
- At the top: DOB, Hours & experience. Have the most important things at the top so the recruiter can see them straight away.
- Photos, coloured paper. No big deal either way, be don't over do it and be circumspect. No gaudy paper and huge photos, keep it professional.
- Don't fudge your experience and try and inflate things. Be accurate and clear.
- Low hours pilots - need a selling point, a hook to catch the recruiter. Find something to sell, e.g. Working under pressure, leadership/management experience. Always try to relate jobs/experiences listed on your CV to useful qualities and responsibilities etc.
- One A4 page, don't worry about a cover letter unless asked for one.
Interviews..
- Be ready for those spur of the moment questions to put you under pressure - most embarassing moment etc.
- Know your context
- Good company knowledge and background knowledge of the industry
- Ask knowledgable questions at the end
- Read forums like Tech Log/Airlines, Airports & Routes to get more background knowledge, useful little bits of info
- Be ready for the caught between a rock and a hard place kind of questions, e.g. 'Tell us about a low fuel situation' or how you deal with other people or 'What was your worst incident in commercial aviation'
Thats most of the general stuff I had noted down, there was a lot more..some specific to my situation and some not relevant to what I was looking at..but all useful.
At one point before lunch they were a bit worried they had put us all off the idea of flying with an hour of doom and gloom stuff but there was a resounding NO from the audience! Its good to be aware of the state of things, its not the glamourous job it used to be, Ts&Cs are being eroded slowely, its tough to get the break into the industry etc. But from all the people that spoke they all said it was definately worth it (either directly or from the enthusiasm with which they spoke about their jobs).
Hope thats of use to some. For the full version and the chance to get it from the horses mouth, make sure are quick to book a place when it next happens!
Plus it was good to put some faces to names on this forum!
