Careers

Finding That Opportunity On The Internet

You are resolute in your pursuit of a flying career. Despite what the pundits have stated in their gloomy predictions about the state of the economy; no matter that there are still qualified aviators on furlough from their airline jobs; regardless of forecasts that predict a soft job market and a slow recovery for the aviation industry - your goal of earning a living as a professional flyer has not been diminished one iota. You charge ahead earning ratings, building time, and gathering experience.

Once it is time for the job hunt, there is an absolutely fabulous resource available to every airman that simply was not available a decade ago. Back in the "old days," the job seeker invested hours and hours researching potential openings. Trips to the library to scan newspapers and magazines from across the country coupled with countless phone calls to aviation employers asking, "Are you hiring?" were the norm. If an interview was granted, the applicant scrambled to learn something about the company by contacting acquaintances who might be employed there, or obtained a printed annual report through some source.

The Internet has become an essential search tool. Although networking is still the best avenue to securing employment, the Web is brimming with opportunity.

Employer web sites: From Atlas Air to Zantop, virtually every aviation business has produced a Web site. Not only can information be found about the history and financial performance of the enterprise - always a good bit of knowledge to have in an interview - but the hiring criteria is often spelled out. Many companies post current job openings.

One of the industry's robust regional airlines is SkyWest. These folks fly into such easy-to-like places as Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Monterey, California; and San Francisco. Simply by visiting www.skywest.com , you will learn about the following requisites for employment: 1,000 hours total flight time, including 100 hours multiengine time and 100 hours instrument time; must be at least 21 years of age with U.S. citizenship or legal residency, work permit, or green card; good communication skills and fluency in English, both verbal and written; positive and professional image; excellent decision-making skills; and stable employment history.

Comair is a premiere airline training academy. By simply logging on to its Web site ( www.comairacademy.com/sections/jobpostings.html ), you can find positions at the school, sometimes entry-level assignments. At the time of this writing, Comair was in search of both a chief flight instructor and manager of flight standards.

Free job information sites: Numerous Web sites advertise free job information. One of the best, although postings are generally oriented toward highly experienced professional pilots, is www.climbto350.com . This address will lead the job miner to myriad current positions, many of them overseas. However, a recent visit revealed that a major New Hampshire-based college needed flight instructors. The site also lists nonflying jobs for maintenance personnel, management staff, and more.

Another source of free job listings is at www.aviationjobsearch.com . This site, unlike others, does appear to have a current database of job openings. Positions are listed within 20 different categories.

Subscription job information sites: Some caution is advised here. There are some "entrepreneurs" who tout the fact that they have the "real scoop" on available employment and will happily take your money to deliver useless or outdated information. Before conveying cash to any of these providers, inquire about a free trial period.

A sound and unique service is offered by the Aviation Employment Placement Service (AEPS) at www.aeps.com . For a subscription fee of $12 monthly, the subscriber will not only be able to access a database of available job opportunities across the entire spectrum of the industry, but AEPS also will build a personal r�sum� for the member. Potential employers have the power to access information on each AEPS member and may, indeed, select individuals for initial contact. AEPS subscribers also receive e-mail alerts each time a potential employer posts a job or sends an inquiry targeted to the member's interest. AEPS has offered a 10-day free trial period.

For the CFI who is ready to forsake Cessna Skyhawks and Piper Cherokees for something more substantial, click on www.fcilax.com . This site is managed by a veteran airline pilot who has to be one of the most "wired" individuals in the professional flying community. Although Capt. McNicol's Flight Crews International publishes a "hot sheet" of pilot openings across the globe for a fee, the company's Web site does feature a modest list of vacancies. Just one visit revealed two interesting FAR 135 positions with operators in Wisconsin and the Virgin Islands. FCI will permit the Web surfer to retrieve details on one job posting on its site free of charge.

Entry-level mining: Someday, some enterprising individual will launch a Web site for the 250-hour commercial pilot. Until that happens, the low-timer hunting for jobs will have to be creative. Of course, the newly minted professional pilot will most likely seek out that first CFI job. Here are some ideas.

The first stop should be to AOPA Online, the Web site of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Right there at www.aopa.org/classifieds/, flight schools are soliciting r�sum�s from fresh and veteran flight instructors. CFIs can also post r�sum�s.

A quick tour of www.beapilot.com , the industry's new-pilot promotional effort that has yielded attractive results, lists a large number of flight schools that are affiliated with the program. One can be assured that the links to participating training organizations will be "hot." Furthermore, these flight training enterprises are more likely than not to be active marketers and, thus, offer possibilities for employment.

No matter what your interest, a creative way in which to narrow the field of potential employers is at www.airbase1.com . This site is essentially a "Yellow Pages" directory for aviation. Banner towing is one path towards bigger jobs down the road. By entering "Banner Towing" in the keyword search engine at airbase1.com, some 25 companies pop up.

Getting the "gouge" Web sites: The Web is brimming with insider information on how to snag a pilot seat or prepare for an interview.

If that job at SkyWest is firmly in one's career sites, surf www.skywestpilot.com. This address will take the prospector to pages of useful information on how best to survive the recruitment process.

One operation, willflyforfood, had almost developed a cult following among those headed to the regional airlines. This site has been up and down and has changed servers periodically. The last known address is www.megaone.com/willfly4food/.

Willflyforfood has served as a clearinghouse for information on exactly what to expect in airline interviews by receiving input from both successful and unsuccessful applicants. This feedback, which can be quite detailed, is posted in the form of messages to specific airlines' message boards. From time to time, the site's webmaster apparently has shut it down temporarily. If the address above has changed, go to a search engine like Yahoo or Google and type in "willflyforfood."

Other resources not to be overlooked are aviation bulletin boards hosted by online providers such as America Online. By typing in the keyword "Aviation," you will be taken to several bulletin boards aimed specifically at careers, major airlines, and regional carriers.

Where do I start? If all this is confusing, bear in mind that only the surface has been scratched.

A good starting point for anybody looking to extract information from the Web is www.landings.com . At the bottom of the home page is a mix of topics for any aviation interest. By clicking on "Miscellaneous," you will be taken to a page where another click on "Careers/Employment" will offer nearly 50 links to a variety of paid and free job information resources. A click on the site's "Airlines" topic will reveal the Web site addresses for all kinds of large and small airline and charter operators. Similar to Landings.com are www.aero.com and www.aerolink.com .

Even your everyday search engine can yield results. Going to www.yahoo.com and typing in "Pilot Jobs" resulted in 16 addresses. Changing the entry to "Pilot Employment" yielded 22 links to job resources.

Now, about those naysayers who proclaim that aviation is on the skids: just ply the Web as suggested. There's work to be had! We're alive and well, thank you.