Airline Techincal services jobs,... what the secret to getting in?

[aok47]

I am looking at moving from a product development/production stress analysis job into a airline technical services role. I have 8yrs of experience in commercial/GA aircraft...

I have registered my resume with companies like Emirates/Lufthansa/Cathay Pacific that advertised job opening in this area, but they all have this "if you havent heard back from us assume we dont want you" style of online recruiting service. I have no way of knowing why i may have been unsuccesful, or even if the application was complete... very frustrating!!! :{ :{

Does anyone have any tips or advice on a better approach?

Appreciate your thoughts,

Cheers

Angelo

[Blacksheep]

The airlines are looking for people who can qualify to hold Design Approval for structural repairs or stress analysis for cabin interior work. Make sure your CV demonstrates your capability in this line of work. Then find out who is in charge of Technical Services in your target airline and send your application direct to them. If they like the look of you, they'll ask their HR people to hire you.

How do you find out who's the Head of Tech Services? If you can't do that, you won't be able to hack the job. ;)

Good Luck!

[aok47]

I do hold Design Approval for structures , maybe i'll highlight it a bit better in the CV ;)

I thought about tracking down someone from within the Airline tech services via phonecalls/emails... I'll pursuit that angle cause i have gotten nowhere through their official channels :ugh:

Cheers

Angelo

[aok47]

hehehehe, no Masonic qualifications as yet... i dont even have any special handshake technique :p

Its a bit of a worry when technical qualifications and experience arent a prerequisite for such a job :eek:

Appreciate the replies so far...

Angelo

[whiskeyflyer]

I persumme you have registered with a recruitment agency. If not do it now!!! (back of flight magazine a good place to start) and the daily jobs email from flightinternational.com


About last month had an agency on the phone to me desperate for stress people for C130s in Canada

[3bars]

currently working in such a role...Are you really sure you want to!!!!!:E

Any airline I've worked for recruit mostly from aircraft maintenance personnel...line engineers etc

[h73kr]

"
In the old days Tech Services was the place the Line and Hangar Engineers retired to when their knees gave in and they could no longer clamber in and out of freight bays or they no longer wanted to (or couldn't) work shifts.

Many a cold wet winters night on the ramp we envied our Tech Service Colleagues thier comfy swivel chairs, warm cosy offices full of totty, sipping endless cups of tea surfing the net and drawing up the occasional mod.
Come the summer they envy our ramp tan :cool: and outdoor lifestyle coming and going as we please (alledgeldy) spending our days in the fresh air tinkering with aeroplanes and chattting up hosties:E "


^^^^^ excellent! The man speaks the truth!

Many places expect or would like you to be B1 or B2, but it's not always necessary, I'm just A licenced but been doing it for years. Good luck, keep trying.
Drawing up mods and in service fleet support are not the same thing though, maybe that's why no responses as yet, depends what they are after.

[N1 Vibes]

comfy swivel chairs - Check
warm cosy offices - Check
full of totty - Check
sipping endless cups of tea - Check
surfing the net - Check
and drawing up the occasional mod - Sounds too much like work to me

Shift Pay - Negative
4 on 4 off - Negative
Manager Proximity - Negative
Galley Raids - Negative
Fresh Air - Negative

There are 2 sides to every story. There are definitely days when I would much rather be back on the spanners up to my armpits in ATA 28 or ATA 79, than dealing with the political horse puckey.

aok47 keep trying, you don't necessarily need to have a license. Being a powerplants wallah with overhaul background means I've never held a licence, and people who come from manufacturers like AIB or BOE won't have licenses either. Selling yourself and finding the right niche is the key.

Good Luck.

PS - The totty is the only bit keeping me in the office :ok:

[matkat]

I am also in tech services and agree with all of the above, no manager proximity for me though as I am it!!!!! will be leaving the cushie lifestyle soon though as have taken the QA Managers role.

[Ladytech]

Actually it is really easy in today's market.
First you need to be 28yrs old with 20yrs
experience and willing to work for peanuts or less.
It also helps if you are willing to work all 3 shifts per
day in absolutely abominable conditions of weather and
facilities.

"We the unwilling,led by the unknowing
do the impossible for the ungrateful.
We have done so much for so long with so
little- we are now qualified to everything with
nothing."!!

[Managers Perspective]

Ange,

I am not sure there are that many "airline tech services" jobs that involve much stress analysis anymore.

Most airlines now go straight back to the manufacturer for a factory endorsed repair or they put it out to companies specialising in this service for mod work.

Tech services seems more like a service literature review team nowadays rather than a design team.

By the way..... is this your theory of flight?????

http://www.myfishingpictures.com/img/060391.jpg

[aok47]

MP,

The way you put it.... sounds like its become a service bulletin filing job. I have worked with a couple of structures guys who started their carreers at an airline and they are extremely knowledgeable people.

hehehehe it was a 10/10 landing and not just because we could walk away from it, but because we ended up with that pic ;).

Cheers

Ange

[Bus429]

comfy swivel chairs - Check
warm cosy offices - Check
full of totty - Check
sipping endless cups of tea - Check
surfing the net - Check
and drawing up the occasional mod - Sounds too much like work to me

Shift Pay - Negative
4 on 4 off - Negative
Manager Proximity - Negative
Galley Raids - Negative
Fresh Air - Negative

There are 2 sides to every story. There are definitely days when I would much rather be back on the spanners up to my armpits in ATA 28 or ATA 79, than dealing with the political horse puckey.

aok47 keep trying, you don't necessarily need to have a license. Being a powerplants wallah with overhaul background means I've never held a licence, and people who come from manufacturers like AIB or BOE won't have licenses either. Selling yourself and finding the right niche is the key.

Good Luck.

PS - The totty is the only bit keeping me in the office
N1 Vibes is offline Reply

N1, after years of the shift work in various extremes of temperature, swivel chairs etc are very welcome (I'm sure Blacksheep will agree!)

[Blacksheep]

Bit short of Totty round here though Bus ;)

As to EASA Part 21 ASFKAP, the rules are already in place. Go to the EASA website and download them. Basically EASA intends greater regulatory oversight of "Minor Mods" and a Part 145 approved Operator or MRO company will need full Part 21 design approvals to produce even simple mods and repair schemes. The bigger airlines will go for their own Part 21 approvals because they won't want their arms and legs ripped off by manufacturers and OEMs. That's why I advised aok47 as I did. The new Part 21 will create greater demand for people with the right qualifications and background.
Meanwhile, the FAA are also planning to pull the rug from under the independent DERs.

[h73kr]

MP,

.....The way you put it.... sounds like its become a service bulletin filing job......


Nah, that's b#llocks I'm afraid! It's much more than that.

Reminds me of when we had a really cock-sure liney guy in office for a while, big attitude ....'we get 'em flying, you lot just sit here, this is just an admin. job'....etc etc. Quite amusing considering this was also the guy who'd phone us regularly at 3 in the morning for advice and help. By the end of the second week he was tearing his hair out with a project.

couldn't resist chipping in with 'what's the matter, it's just an admin job!'

I have equal respect for all roles (having done most of them over the years), horses for courses.

[nodrama]

Talk to Wynnwith (agency).