My answer to the above question.....
Sleep with as many people in Management/HR as you can......thats the best way to get your name KNOWN to EVERYONE within the company.......and when you've finished slip a CV onto the desk.
Forget this crap about "customer service rolls" and trying the back door into the airline. It's pathetic but true that most companies have the mentality to think that YOU as the employee are lucky to work for them and as such should be willing to bend over when they want for nothing in return apart from a sore Ar#e.
Unfortunately the world seems to be hooked on this devotion to the company....what happens when the company has to "cut back expenses" the employees get told to p!ss off and are left unemployed and without a living..I suppose the company wants to pay them back for all their hard work and devotion by doing UNPAID overtime....then the market gets flooded with qualified people scrambling for jobs (pilots, F/A's, ground crew etc)......Fact is there are too many people fighting for all jobs (flying or not) and it is an EMPLOYERS market......
So what do you do between ATPL and first job......DON"T OFFER TO WORK FOR FREE.
But like myself...wouldn't give up flying for the world....and it's this passion for the job that makes us to put up with cutbacks on benefits, salary and other things.
Life aint fair so enjoy anything you get your hands on!