I had the type and was hired by UPS. When asked about it I gave them my honest answer: my preferred employer was UPS, but in case I was not successful in obtaining employment at Big Brown I had an OBLIGATION to provide for my family and would seek pilot employment elsewhere. Period.
If you have prepared for an airline interview and know "why" you desire employment at each carrier you interview with and relay that convincingly to the interviewer (easy to do for UPS, FedEx, SWA) then this employer "concern" is easily assuaged. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say it is a POSITIVE in an interview. If handled correctly, it reinforces that this candidate is not the type of individual to sit back and wait for opportunities to come his way. Rather, this pilot applicant has invested in advancing his qualifications and is motivated to obtain employment. This is the opposite of the disgruntled applicant that portrays an attitude of: indifference, a sense of entitlement (you OWE me this job) because of my background (common with ex-mil folks unfortunately), the world (YOUR hiring practice) is unfair, etc...
As a potential employer I'd be more favorably inclined to hire a pilot applicant with the type rating (for the reasons above) than one without provided the applicant can sincerely and in convincing fashion explain why airline"A" is his preferred employer.
This is a classic case of turning what might appear to some as a negative into a positive during an interview. It's another opportunity to relay all the positives you know about airline "A" and why you'd be a tremendous addition to their team! If you always follow the golden rule of interviewing (turn all negatives into positives/learning experiences) this is an excellent opportunity to turn a potential strikeout into at least a double.
BBB
