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Join Date: Jan 2003
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Because it takes too long. Even for a little air taxi operator we get literally hundreds of applications, mostly from people asking for FO positions (we operate single crew) or people who can't be bothered to check our minimum hours requirements and are unemployable based on that.
Recently I sent a one line reply about our minimum hours and was bombarded with abusive emails because I did not put enough care and attention into my reply.
Words of advice. Apply for a job that may be available, addressed to the company you are applying to, if you just SPAM the airlines with poorly merged emails expect no replies.
Treat airlines as you would like to be treated, en-masse (I know some people target their emails and mailings well) and the operators may not have to deal with so many waste of time mailings.
Rant over.
Phil
Recently I sent a one line reply about our minimum hours and was bombarded with abusive emails because I did not put enough care and attention into my reply.
Words of advice. Apply for a job that may be available, addressed to the company you are applying to, if you just SPAM the airlines with poorly merged emails expect no replies.
Treat airlines as you would like to be treated, en-masse (I know some people target their emails and mailings well) and the operators may not have to deal with so many waste of time mailings.
Rant over.
Phil
Join Date: Feb 2002
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I take your point but there is a lot of "silent recruiting" that goes on where jobs are never advertised in the aviation press or on company websites. Companies say "why pay several hundred pounds to put an add in Flight International when we get sent 500 CV's each week?".
Yes you can do you research and target certain companies who you know are recruiting and those you are likely to gain employment with (ie I don't send CV's to Virgin but I do to flybe), but to be in with the best chance you have to have a little bit of the "be in it to win it" approach. The worst thing that can happen when you send a CV to somebody is that they put it in the bin. 26 pence for a first class stamp is not that much of an investment when you're looking for that first job.
Most of the people I know who fly in the airlines did not receive any form of reply from sending their CV until said company phoned up asking "can you come for an interview next week" - one case many months after the CV was sent.
Yes you can do you research and target certain companies who you know are recruiting and those you are likely to gain employment with (ie I don't send CV's to Virgin but I do to flybe), but to be in with the best chance you have to have a little bit of the "be in it to win it" approach. The worst thing that can happen when you send a CV to somebody is that they put it in the bin. 26 pence for a first class stamp is not that much of an investment when you're looking for that first job.
Most of the people I know who fly in the airlines did not receive any form of reply from sending their CV until said company phoned up asking "can you come for an interview next week" - one case many months after the CV was sent.
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Phil, just out of curiosity (Im not looking for a job 
) do you post your minimum....or even perhaps desired qualifications/hours on your website?
Not having looked for a fair old while I'm not in the know. I take your point about not having either the time..nor the inclination to reply, when clearly you have no requirement etc.
One approach that requires a little more time and effort..is the personal approach..take your details..find out who to contact..then arrive on their main entrance (office!) when you know they are there...(this got me my first job)...beware however to tread carefully..and not be too pushy, horses for courses as they say.
Just my thoughts...I know I've sent loads of CV's over the years...and probably got only 10% replied too.
Cheers H
) do you post your minimum....or even perhaps desired qualifications/hours on your website?Not having looked for a fair old while I'm not in the know. I take your point about not having either the time..nor the inclination to reply, when clearly you have no requirement etc.
One approach that requires a little more time and effort..is the personal approach..take your details..find out who to contact..then arrive on their main entrance (office!) when you know they are there...(this got me my first job)...beware however to tread carefully..and not be too pushy, horses for courses as they say.
Just my thoughts...I know I've sent loads of CV's over the years...and probably got only 10% replied too.
Cheers H
Join Date: Jan 2003
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We dont post the minimum requirements, thanks to the wonders of PPrune forums we probably expect people to know the JAA requirements for single crew ops.
I have no problem with speculative emailing, just that if you don't spend any time researching my company / spelling my name right etc, don't expect me to spend time replying, I think this is fairly broadly understood that we don't mind if you spam us, as long as you don't mind if we don't reply / bin it etc. Its worked for years.
Had a few private messages on this one, if we can keep to the forums it'll save me time writing the same stuff a few times.
Thanks,
Phil
I have no problem with speculative emailing, just that if you don't spend any time researching my company / spelling my name right etc, don't expect me to spend time replying, I think this is fairly broadly understood that we don't mind if you spam us, as long as you don't mind if we don't reply / bin it etc. Its worked for years.
Had a few private messages on this one, if we can keep to the forums it'll save me time writing the same stuff a few times.
Thanks,
Phil
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I recently sent 24 speculative CVs to airlines and received 16 replies. 66% - not bad. I send mine to the recognised contact person in HR and this seems to be the best way to elicit a response. In other words, the CV is processed straight through the administrative system they have set up, rather than languishing on the desk of the Chief Pilot or whoever. On the other hand, I might be getting lots of nice letters from HR while those of you who approach the Chief Pilot directly are getting jobs!!
It's luck of the draw and what works in one airline won't work in another!
It's luck of the draw and what works in one airline won't work in another!
Join Date: Jan 2003
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Now heres a thaught that just came to me, so this is little more than thinking aloud. One of the main delays in getting new (read never flown commercially on AOC before) online is the fire, first aid and wet drills.
I don't want this to get bogged down with the whole paying for type rating argument, but would anyone be interested in sitting on one of our courses, I think the outlay is minimal, and it would make you more attractive to the GA operators. (I am fairly sure that it is global and not operator specific)
Anyone interested send me a private message and I will contact you next round.
From memory I think the whole lot is about 120 quid, if we get enough together it may even be less.
Phil
I don't want this to get bogged down with the whole paying for type rating argument, but would anyone be interested in sitting on one of our courses, I think the outlay is minimal, and it would make you more attractive to the GA operators. (I am fairly sure that it is global and not operator specific)
Anyone interested send me a private message and I will contact you next round.
From memory I think the whole lot is about 120 quid, if we get enough together it may even be less.
Phil
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I don't understand why you want a reply each time you send a cv, from my own experience, when you receive a letter or an e-mail it's always negatif. For an interview it's always a phone call, sometimes long after you send the cv.
I think that's all the companies need to use a system like the BMI baby one, a computer database of all the CV.
But by the way if you don't have something more than the other ab-initio's don't loose your time by sending cv everywhere it's useless. Just choose one or two companies, send them a terrific cv, and contact them by phone, even take your car and go there...Put a face on your cv, try to be sympatic and unforgetable, and you can be sure that for the next ab-initio interview you will be in.
Good luck to all.
I think that's all the companies need to use a system like the BMI baby one, a computer database of all the CV.
But by the way if you don't have something more than the other ab-initio's don't loose your time by sending cv everywhere it's useless. Just choose one or two companies, send them a terrific cv, and contact them by phone, even take your car and go there...Put a face on your cv, try to be sympatic and unforgetable, and you can be sure that for the next ab-initio interview you will be in.
Good luck to all.
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Phil, take your point about reading the specs and getting your approach accurate and germane. But we job-seekers do have to take the hour requirements with a pinch of salt. Of course employers are going to set them high, knowing they'll get truckloads of responses from those with fewer, but also a good handful of the wildly OVERqualified. Trouble is, I guess this sets up a vicious circle; we apply the pinch of salt, so advertisers hoick the Required Hours ever higher... Reality vanishes.
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We don't set the hours requirement, JAA do. You are missing my point, I am not complaining that people apply for jobs that they are not legally qualified, I have a delete button, no problem. But, I do get a little hacked of at the perma-whinge that is "I spent 2 and a half minutes making a poor mail merge and these arrogant airlines don't even reply".
Phil
Phil
