CAL Hiring Policies

[SlapShot]

Does CAL require internal recommendations? Or does meeting them at an AirInc conference even the playing field for someone that does not know anyone there?

I live in NJ and would LOVE to work there. But since I do not know anyone there I am wondering what my chances are. I am planning on going to the next AirInc conference and wondering if I should stand in line for CAL. If I need an internal recommendation to get the interview I guess I will not even stand in line for them and give up on that dream.

 

[nimtz]

Little bit of bad news, CAL withdrew its name from the Air Inc Job Fair at DFW this month. From what I hear it is highly about internal recommendations. Buddy told me HR's logic is that they have 10K apps from people overly qualified. Internal recs are the easiest mechanism for shrinking the pile down to the two hundred or so they actually interview. Plus just getting a written rec with the application doesn't do you much. The golden ticket seems to be getting someone who is willing to sit down with a base chief pilot and talk you up. That gets the word down to the people in IAH to give your app a good look. I'm sure the CAL guys on here who have recommended people will give you alot better story then me. I'm on the outside looking in just like you.

 

[geshields]

Little bit of bad news, CAL withdrew its name from the Air Inc Job Fair at DFW this month. From what I hear it is highly about internal recommendations. Buddy told me HR's logic is that they have 10K apps from people overly qualified. Internal recs are the easiest mechanism for shrinking the pile down to the two hundred or so they actually interview. Plus just getting a written rec with the application doesn't do you much. The golden ticket seems to be getting someone who is willing to sit down with a base chief pilot and talk you up. That gets the word down to the people in IAH to give your app a good look. I'm sure the CAL guys on here who have recommended people will give you alot better story then me. I'm on the outside looking in just like you.

Pretty much dead on....

 

[Ben Franklin]

Little bit of bad news, CAL withdrew its name from the Air Inc Job Fair at DFW this month.

Apparently to someone who knows, this is because CAL has canceled new hire classes for the rest of the year and may even furlough after they buy UAL and merge the lists in three months.

The above "facts" were posted on a message board operated and visited by primarily by XJT pilots so it must be true.

<sarcasm offf>

Sincerely,

B. Franklin

 

[Palomino]

CAL needs pilots and they continue to hire them. from what i've seen on this board, several guys have received the call solely through their attendance at an Airinc conference. face time with anyone who does hiring at airlines gives you a much better shot than being a sheet of paper with some numbers on it.

by no means am i endorsing Airinc and their conferences. i think they make way too much money off of people who can't afford their services. the word i'm trying to avoid is 'crooks'. however, if they increase your opportunities then i see no reason not to try it.

read some past posts about CAL. you will find many who had no internal recs and got punched through with help from the Airinc deal. aviationinterviews.com can also provide some insight into this.

just make Airinc will refund your money if your carrier of choice isn't at the conference

btw - the message board mentioned above with XJT pilots contains about as much fact as a political convention. i find it is a gathering place for the insane.

 

[CAL EWR B737]

Well I'm in the know and just becase you read some BS on the CALEXP side of CALForums doesn't make it so. Hiring continues as I confirmed with the executive assistant in pilot recruiting last week. They may reduce original numbers projected for 2006 but I'm still hearing around 500 new hires this year. If I hear differently as I have several sources both within CAL managaement and CAL ALPA, (I only called pilot recruitment as I didn't have time to check my sources) I will repost the new numbers.

 

[acbarney]

Last rumor I heard yesterday, straight from a guy in the schoolhouse in IAH was, 16/week till April then slowing down to 8/week for "sometime". However there seems to be a bunch of XJT guys coming over soon, so the off the street hiring may slow down for a little while.

 

[Mr Hat]

Last rumor I heard yesterday, straight from a guy in the schoolhouse in IAH was, 16/week till April then slowing down to 8/week for "sometime". However there seems to be a bunch of XJT guys coming over soon, so the off the street hiring may slow down for a little while.

I hope thats the case but the Express thing is inaccurate. Currently about 1/3rd of each class is Express pilots who passed their preferential interview back in 2000. Those guys are almost gone. Then CAL hired a few interns, family members and people who worked for CAL in some other capacity and they will leave after the preferential interview folks leave. As for the rest of us, just hanging in there hoping for a call.
I was right outside the preferential interview program by 2 months.

 

[CAL EWR B737]

Little bit of bad Buddy told me HR's logic is that they have 10K apps from people overly qualified. Internal recs are the easiest mechanism for shrinking the pile down to the two hundred or so they actually interview.

Not exactly correct. The reason they take internal recommendations so highly has more to with the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree theory. Continental like most companies that prefer internal recommendations feels those who are held in high regards by company are likely to refer those with similar traits. Yes, it does reduce the number of qualified applicants but it's more about getting good employees than anything else.

I was fortunate enough to have the head of the training department who has direct oversight of pilot recruitment on my jump seat for three hours a few months before we started hiring. At that time they were still evaluating online application companies. Needless to say I learned quite a bit during that flight.

 

[scarlet]

Great Company and Great interview process--I was flight attendant there for 9 years and interviewed there last month. Not sure why did not received the job, was ramper,f/a,flight controller,pilot. But I will not give up on Continental as they are very employee friendly!!

YOU DO HAVE TO HAVE A CHIEF PILOT RECOM.!!