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

[Crucianpilot]

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.

Great post!

 

[igneousy2]

I meant to write this in my original reply...the original poster seems to be asking about the WIA and OBAP checkboxes on the application. If these boxes matter, it doesn't seem to be that much. To gain the advantage of these orginizations, you have to follow through and network by attending their events.

 

[Remington]

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.

Did either hire u?

 

[igneousy2]

Did either hire u?

Keep in mind that I was in the middle of my first year with Alaska when I did SWA and DAL so...

I am fuzzy with SWA, I either was never called back, or I didn't schedule "the next thing" if there was one for SWA. I don't remember getting a "no-thanks" letter. By the time I actually interviewed with SWA I was pretty sure I wasn't going to take it.

DAL, on the other hand, I did want, but I screwed up. Condensed version, I didn't properly prepare. I blew the crazy, x-box video game, computer test, and I also unfortunately blew the panel...which is a whole nother story for another time, but I assure you, I am positive it had nothing to do with my OBAP or WIA memberships. Anyway, apparently I can never interview at Delta again...but I do think that I am eventually going to work there

Good luck.

 

[RT8VA]

I joined WIA as a white male with 3 other friends we all got hired where we wanted to after attending the conference, not sure if it helped but it didn't hurt.
one swa
one cal
and two netjets