Industry Memberships - WIA/OBAP, etc. Do they help?

[buxflyr]

Wondering if any of you out there who are NOT women or african-american ARE members of these two organizations?

For instance, United's application asks if you are a member of either of these.

Does support of these organizations, no matter your race/gender, etc. make a difference within h.r. departments?

 

[CesnaCaptn]

It does at Alaska. If you join and check that box, be prepared to answer interview questions about your level of dedication.

Being a member will help you if you are active. It will be a detriment if you pay money just to check a box.

 

[zawillif]

Speaking of WAI, does anyone know if the conference ever sells out? Or will they keep selling tickets until the day it opens? I'm wanting to wait until the month before so I know my schedule before committing to the entire 3 days.

 

[ASA_DFW]

Speaking of WAI, does anyone know if the conference ever sells out? Or will they keep selling tickets until the day it opens? I'm wanting to wait until the month before so I know my schedule before committing to the entire 3 days.

The Women in Aviation conference does not sell out. It will cost you more to purchase a ticket the day of the event.

 

[Tweaker]

Membership definitely has its privileges, as does having a fashionably generous tan or internal genitalia.

Oh, yer a honky man? No, not for you it doesn't.

 

[Lear70]

One of my first recruiting events at PCL with me on the team helping out was WIA here in Nashville.

Our HR people made fun of some of the guys who were obviously there just looking for an "In" over their Kit Darby-attending counterparts, they were pretty easy to pick out. It was a great opportunity, I met a lot of fine folks at the higher levels of recruiting at different Major/Legacy carriers, even those who weren't actively hiring attended (which they won't at AIR, Inc in most cases) and an entirely different set of HR people, higher up the food chain, come to the WIA events than AIR, Inc (not sure if OBAP is the same), but I also didn't even attempt to hand out a resume or card. The event wasn't for me, it was for... Women... In... Aviation.

As a white male, if you're going to join WIA or OBAP, you'd better have a good reason and be highly supportive of the organization outside of the conferences. Otherwise you look a little opportunistic. Just my .02 cents.

 

[kj6991]

I'm a white male, member of OBAP and attended a few conferences, and have never been asked about it in two seperate interviews.

 

[Flyer1015]

If you are a white male, tell them you joined WIA or OBAP because MIA or OWAP don't exist. Just be truthful.

 

[igneousy2]

I was an OBAP member and a WIA member, interviewed at Delta, Southwest, and Alaska, was never asked a word about the memberships. I got the Southwest and Delta interviews solely because of meeting the recruiters at an OBAP job fair. A friend of mine really wanted to work here at Alaska and had had an application on file for a couple of years under the old system with no whisper at all. I convinced him to go to an OBAP event, met our then System Chief, had an interview within a month and was in class within 3.

The recruiters are there to help them filter through the 3,000+ resumes of qualified applicants they have on file. A lot of them go to so many of these events that once the fair starts, they barely remember what the event is.

The OBAP/WIA "warnings" you hear on here are just urban legends in my opinion, perpetuated by those that are still stuck at the regionals. At least at the major/legacy level, PFT, GoJets, OBAP/WIA...these recruiters couldn't care less.

 

[puddlejumper101]

I was an OBAP member and a WIA member, interviewed at Delta, Southwest, and Alaska, was never asked a word about the memberships. I got the Southwest and Delta interviews solely because of meeting the recruiters at an OBAP job fair. A friend of mine really wanted to work here at Alaska and had had an application on file for a couple of years under the old system with no whisper at all. I convinced him to go to an OBAP event, met our then System Chief, had an interview within a month and was in class within 3.

The recruiters are there to help them filter through the 3,000+ resumes of qualified applicants they have on file. A lot of them go to so many of these events that once the fair starts, they barely remember what the event is.

The OBAP/WIA "warnings" you hear on here are just urban legends in my opinion, perpetuated by those that are still stuck at the regionals. At least at the major/legacy level, PFT, GoJets, OBAP/WIA...these recruiters couldn't care less.

ditto, I ended up with an interview at Continental because I was at the OBAP conference. It also helped tremendously with SWA, bottom line it helped tremendously and I am not a woman or african american. I am hispanic though, but highly doubt race had anything to do with it. I know for a fact I would have never gotten hired at Continental if it wasn't for both organizations. The recruiter at CAL mentioned how he recognized me from being at previous conferences...probably because I was neither a woman or black...but I got hired so it definately wasn't a deterrant. It's all about how you sell yourself reguardless of anything else.