“Should I stay with my turboprop position or move up to a jet job?” Joe was a first officer flying freight throughout the Midwest on a medium-size turboprop. He had a job offer to fly right seat on a small jet for another small Part 135 cargo carrier.
It’s always important to consider all the factors—including type of aircraft, position offered, advancement prospects, pay and benefits, company stability, working conditions, and maintenance of aircraft. Equally important, how would a change look in Joe’s career progression? What’s the size of the pilot force he would be joining, and how long it would be before he moved up to the left seat? How many hours would he accumulate weekly or monthly and in what kind of weather conditions? This decision could boil down to a choice between a relatively rapid upgrade to captain on his current turboprop or long-term stagnation in the right seat on the jet.
Since he had been working at his present job for slightly more than four months, the new position would have to be a great improvement in working conditions and career advancement possibilities to overcome the tendency of future interviewers to label this move as glamour-seeking and regard it as job-hopping.
You should be careful not to jump at the first carrot that’s dangled in front of you, lest you label yourself as impatient and unwilling to pay your dues. Think about your ultimate goal and imagine a major airline interviewer asking you what you have done to demonstrate your dedication to an aviation career.
If you’ve done your homework and considered the alternatives carefully, you will have some good reasons to explain your move and its place in your career advancement plan. Later, when an interviewer asks you to give an example of your decision-making skills, you’ll have an excellent example from your own background that demonstrates your ability to make logical choices after carefully considering all the options available to you.
When the opportunity arises for a job change, consider carefully the consequences of your action, just as you would when you’re flying. Use as many of your crew
resource management skills as possible—including inquiry, risk assessment, situational awareness, planning, problem solving, and decision making—to gather all the facts before you make your final decision.
Never quit one flying job until you have another, unless you have an ironclad reason for doing so. Consider each job offer carefully, research it to the best of your ability, consult with others experienced in the field, and then weigh all the options to reach an enlightened decision.
Capt. Karen Kahn is the author of Flight Guide for Success: Tips and Tactics for the Aspiring Airline Pilot and a career counselor. She flies the Boeing 757/767 for a major U.S. carrier.
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