Australian Aviation — January 2018

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018 125

The industry and career

opportunities can change

dramatically in as short a period

as two weeks.BOEING

S

eventeen years ago I was asked

by his girlfriend to assist a pilot

with his preparation for a Cathay

Pacific interview. “He is 23

years old and literally cannot string a

sentence together,” she approached

me saying. That was the beginning

of Pinstripe Solutions – Interview

Coaching. The pilot was successful

and started referring every pilot

he knew, and within 12 months we

had become known as “the aviation

interview specialist” and our success

rate reflected that.

Coming up to our 18th year we now

offer coaching and interview services

for 45 different airlines around the

globe. Our unique business plan means

we can reach pilots wherever they are

to support them with their career goals.

I still have a chuckle when a

pilot calls me and says, “Hi Kirsty,

remember me? You coached me back

in 2007.” After the thousands of pilots

I have worked with, that should be a

resounding “no” but more often than

not the name is vaguely familiar. I

always enjoy receiving photos when

kids come along, weddings, new

house builds as well as from the

flightdeck. When I think about it I

have known some of our clients from

the very beginnings of their careers,

whether military pilots transitioning

to commercial aviation, or airline

cadets, instructors and charter pilots

progressing on to turboprops and

jets, and finally to that long-awaited

multi-crew command upgrade.

Every success makes our day and

we feel privileged to work with such

interesting professionals. They can

challenge us, but what analytical mind

wouldn’t...we just say, “bring it on”.

I think if you speak to people who

have worked with us, they will say we

are straight shooters, and we provide

practical SOPs for you to work with.

We are a down to earth team who you

can trust and who will work hard for

you. We are a soft place to land if you

have experienced some career hiccups

and a sounding board that cuts

through the industry gossip mill.

My favourite saying is “ask us

anything”... about aviation careers

that is.

I am thrilled to be able to

contribute to Australian Aviation and

you may be wondering what to expect

from my articles for 2018. Well, here

are some of the topics I have selected:

yWhat airlines value in flightcrew,

from ego maturity to empathy and

lateral thinking.

yYou didn’t get the job, what now?

yHandling career hiccups.

yWhat to expect during the airline

assessment and how to prepare.

yHow to talk about yourself

effectively.

yWhat shoes to wear, is my second

most asked question, guess what the

first one is?

yGetting started in your flying career.

yIt’s all about relationships, with

crew, management, engineering and

passengers.

As we ease into 2018 we all

wonder what it will bring as far as

the aviation industry is concerned.

We also know that the industry and

career opportunities can change

dramatically in as short a period as

two weeks. Therefore, projecting

trends is difficult, but if we base it on

what has occurred during 2016-2017,

2018 looks set for continued growth

and job creation around both flight

and cabin crew.

Although the pilot shortage itself

is being questioned, it does exist and

the regional and mainline airlines will

continue to recruit over the next 12

months – some airlines are indicating

shortages of 160 pilots per fleet.

We have also seen some minimum

requirements for first officers

reduced. Australasian pilots are

sought after and Chinese and US

airlines are likely to continue to entice

candidates. All of the airline cadet

programs have reopened and more

programs are likely through 2018 –

the standard per airline is two intakes

per year.

We are seeing airlines under

pressure with regard to availability of

training facilities and therefore ‘active

hold files’ for successful candidates will

continue until this can be resolved.

From a recruitment perspective

most airlines have moved to a more

staged recruitment process, they are

including a telephone/Skype or a

recorded video interview as the first

stage. Often without much notification

so preparation is crucial.

Psychometric/aptitude testing

is commonplace, but a much wider

variety of providers are now being

used, not just the good old standard

SHL or WOMBAT testing.

The assessment days are also

changing and now differ dramatically

between airlines. Many carriers are

employing HR specialist consultants

to create criteria specific to their

culture, something every crew

candidate needs to be aware of before

facing the recruitment team. You may

have come across documents entitled

“capability framework” or find airlines

including psychologist interviews and

a barrage of group exercises.

Don’t be fooled, there may be more

opportunities and a lot of movement

in the industry but every candidate

must still meet the standard during

their assessment. It is also not merely

your ability to do the job that is being

assessed; it is just as important that

you fit the airline’s culture, values and

standards.

That’s it for now, get ready for

an exciting 2018 and remember,

preparation is key and most things

can be managed.

I’d love to know what you would like to read about,

drop me a line [email protected] with

your ideas.

‘2018 looks

set for

continued

growth and

job creation.’

Introducing Pinstripe

And what 2018 holds for pilot recruiting

PINSTRIPE

KIRSTY FERGUSON