Thanks Capt.Weird, just the musings of yet another number looking for a job. It has been seven years now since I came on the airline job market and the CX scheme was the first call to interview so I was understandably thrilled at the prospect of having the opportunity to impress recruiters face-to-face at last. Seriously, I doubted my chances from day one as everyone knows that CX are the toughest of toughest to impress, such was the irony that they were to be my first airline interview!
Stage one was not spectacular from my point of view but obviously I did something right as they invited me to HK for stage two, which was a good feeling and ignited some self belief which is oh so important with these type of affairs. I wont bore you with the blow by blow experience I had at stage two, suffice to say I knew there were areas I had screwed up but dogged persistance through to the end of the day seemed to be the order and the interview right at the end probably was the coup de grace. The HR interview was okay but the tech interview was pretty horrific towards the close. The chap interviewing me gradually upped the level of questioning "in order to find the limits". Fine, bring it on captain! It was okay but eventually ended up with ridiculous mental maths calcs about height deviation with ISA ground temps at +30C, +40C and being 3 miles out on approach, 5 miles out... etc. Lovely stuff! Not. I knew it wasn't going well at this point and he knew I knew but I kept on with tenacious determination as I figured that maybe this dude is trying to see me break? Hmmm. But it was when he asked if I knew anyone working at the airline that I knew I had failed. That question came right at the end when he stroked his chin with a pained expression on his face. As I said before, if there's one thing I am good at in life it is weighing peoples reactions up very quickly.
I could elaborate more on my experiences but unfortanately by doing so would highlight an apparent favouritism towards guys who either had experience working within CX or with, Anzac origins. To go any further would incriminate to some degree those who were selected above myself on that particular day so I shall keep some finer points to myself for the sake of all concerned. Suffice to say on my particular day, some of the successful candidates did not get any technical questions in the so-called technical interview. Furthermore, one successful candidate was even completing his logbook in the waiting room prior to the interview. Interesting huh? But hey, that is all water under the bridge and I am not personally bitter because in aviation you take the leg-up if it's offered you, right? But what it does mean is that as wannabes we are not on a level playing field and this has deep implications when it comes to assessing ones career in the larger sense, as I shall elaborate below....
So what am I doing now? Well, I am still involved in general aviation and work more in a ground capacity because in all honesty, over 3000 hours spent in light aircraft is quite enough thank you! I am earning decent enough money and am enjoying life after spending 5 years on the rough end of GA, barely earning enough to eat at times. My plan now is to reassess my station in life, take a step back, keep my ear to the ground but to move forwards financially (hopefully) and maybe ultimately be in a position to rekindle my airline flying aspirations via some IR sim training/ type rating in maybe 5 years time when A) I have more money behind me and B) the job market has hopefully picked up.
I am not giving up, just taking a step back and reasoning, given my age, what is the best way forward from here. Pay off debts, save some money, get back on my own two feet again and then get a type rating in a few years time before I hit 40 seems like the most sensible option. I really cannot justify borrowing any more money to further my career given that I appear to have very little or no control (see above) over some aspects of recruitment. You hear people talk about the 'lottery of pilot jobs' so it simply does not stack up in my mind that my career balances on the luck factor to the degree that it currently does. To hang in there, whilst all evidence suggests I'm on a hiding to nothing really does go against the logic that we are all supposed to possess in abundance as potential commanders of aircraft with hundreds of lives on board! Do I gamble decisions when I fly? Of course not. Yet my whole career seems a gamble at this point in time, and I already have all the licences and ratings, would hate to be at the start.
Does that answer your question? Sorry to ramble but by actually putting these words down for public consumption it kinda crystalizes my thoughts and helps put the past behind and move forward. Globally, we are entering very unpredictable financial times and it is with a heavy heart that I have to say that aviation is not the most financially stable industry to be getting wrapped up in with a shedload of debt right now. It is still risky at the best of times, nevermind the worst!
Think very carefully about everything - that is my advice.
VFE.
Last edited by VFE; 30th Nov 2011 at 20:54.