Ah, the first flying job [http://www.friendly-skies.com/articles/flying_job/flying_job.html]. You can't get a flying job because you have no experience, and you don't have experience because you can't get a flying job. I remember being fresh out of flight school, crawling the local airports in the hope that some airline would hire me. Getting your first flying job is not easy, but it is definitely possible. In my experience, those that truly want to be a pilot get hired. Those whose hearts are not truly into it, do not get hired.

There are different ways to go about finding a job. There are some pilots who have uncles or fathers who just so happen to be the chief pilot of XYZ airline. Others have no easy airline leads like that, and are forced to try something else, such as mass-mailing their resume to 200 different airlines across North America. I have known some pilots who have jumped in their cars and driven to some remote location to plead for a job face-to-face. Then there are others still, who find a flying outfit that they like, and repeatedly bug them until they are hired.

In order to know which of these strategies is best, all you have to do is close your eyes for a moment, and put yourself in the shoes of a chief pilot. We are talking about a smaller outfit, such as a float plane base, a flying school, or possibly a passenger service that operates aircraft such as the Beech 1900 that seats 19 passengers. An outfit like the one we are discussing may have a dozen or so pilots, each trying to work their way up the company ladder into the left seat of the largest airplane in the fleet. The pilots who occupy this seat are more than likely doing the same as you: trying to find themselves a flying job, but at a larger outfit.

The airline has enough pilots right now, and there are a few lucky young individuals sitting on the company's short list for future hire. Outside of the office, there is a mailbox that is jammed with pilot resumes. Many airline outfits do not keep these. As soon as they see it is a resume, they toss it into their round file (their garbage can). Other airlines are respectful enough to keep them, like the last outfit I flew for. At my last outfit resumes were sorted into different piles, based on total hours. 500-or-less, 1000 or more, 2000 or more, that type of thing.

The sad fact is that a resume won't get you hired. Not by itself. If you think that sending a resume to an outfit located at the end of the earth will get you hired, think again. I guarantee that airline has enough pilots, and likely has a short list of individuals they may soon hire. The trick is to get yourself onto one these lists. But how? Read on.

To get on a company's short list, they have to know you well, and like you too. That's it. You have to romance them until they hire you. This will involve a great deal of time and effort, and is not something you will be able to achieve with more than two, maybe three different companies at the same time. Do not expect things to happen quickly. As a pilot with no experience, you have no credibility yet. You have to prove yourself over time, either as a dock or ramp employee, or as someone who persistently shows up to say hello.

Another way of getting a job is to apply as a flight instructor at the school where you trained. Or, find a reputable school and see if they will offer you an instructor job in exchange for conducting your instructor rating at their school. They may bring you on, but you may have to bring in your own business.

Good Luck!

William Jennens