Inside info on FedEx pilot hiring

[Goose17]

The following was an email describing the pilot hiring within FedEx:

Planned aircraft acquisitions . . . pilot retirements . . . expansion and future growth
opportunities . . . all the ingredients to turn on the green light for pilot hiring, have resulted
in 168 new-hires in the past 10 months. And, although nothing regarding pilot hiring or manning
levels is carved in stone, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that at a rate of 24 per
month, we could have another 600 new smiling faces on campus in the next few years!

Currently, there are more than 8,000 applications on file, and because FedEx is the only major
hiring at a healthy rate, we have the luxury of picking the best of the best from the applicant
pool.

In an effort to ensure we select the best folks to participate in the interview process, Flight
Management has implemented the Pilot Applicant Selection System (PASS). PASS is designed to help
us identify best-qualified, zero-risk pilots, and a key feature of PASS is to get information about
applicants from current FedEx crewmembers.

We’re honestly not trying to hire all our old buddies, friends of friends, or family members, etc.
(unless they are best-qualified, zero-risk). Simply, pilot hiring is just too important to be left
to chance and we can’t afford to goon this one up! If done right, we end up with safe,
professional, personable pilots that will enable FedEx to financially thrive and succeed in the
future. And if done wrong, well, you know how that story goes . . .

The key role crewmembers play in PASS is to provide recommendations and to become “sponsors”. The
following information will assist you toward becoming a good sponsor:

1. Sponsor applicants only if you have directly observed their personal and professional abilities.
The same thing goes for giving recommendations – if you don’t know them, don’t give them a
recommendation. Remember that it’s not about quantity, it’s about the quality of the
recommendation.

2. Sponsor applicants that will be good employees. What we’re looking for are folks with
established records for operating aircraft safely, legally, and with the highest professional and
ethical standards. Additionally, our collective desire should be to hire pilots that are honest,
productive, and that will contribute to the future success of FedEx.

 

[Goose17]

continued

3. Only sponsor “best-qualified” pilots. We should only hire pilots with strong personal and
professional recommendations; pilots with more than minimum flight time qualifications; pilots with
additional aviation skills and professional skills (instructor, evaluator, management, etc.);
pilots with aircraft / mission experience compatible with FedEx flight operations; pilots with
demonstrated leadership ability. Further, we’re not going to hire someone that needs to be trained
to be a captain – we need to hire guys that are already good captains and polished aviators.

4. Only sponsor zero-risk pilots. Pilots have “risks” if: they have weak or negative
recommendations; they are minimally qualified regarding total, PIC, or recency of experience flight
times; they do not have additional aviation skills (instructor, evaluator, management, etc.); there
is some concern regarding their experience level or compatibility with FedEx Flight Operations;
they are currently employed or furloughed by another major airline. (Applicant’s with risks are
not precluded from consideration; however, amplifying information may be required prior to
consideration. For instance, if an applicant is furloughed from another airline, it is probably
necessary to sit down with them face-to-face to get a "warm and fuzzy" that FedEx isn’t just an
easy divert until the weather improves at their previous airline.) When we hire a new crewmember,
we do so with an expectation that they will be a productive member of the FedEx crewforce through
their normal retirement.

5. Don’t sponsor or recommend every person you’ve ever met. This dilutes the quality of your
recommendation, so if you know 10 very qualified applicants, pick the best one to move forward
with. Remember, it’s not about doing something nice or doing a favor – it’s about making good,
safe business decisions.

Now that you know what’s expected of a sponsor, here’s how you can participate in the process.
Simply, contact your ACP to schedule an interview. (The applicant is not required to be at this
interview, though it may be beneficial in some cases.) The interview takes about 30 - 60 minutes
and gives the ACP an opportunity to assess the credibility of you as a sponsor, and to find out
more about the applicant.

As part of the interview, your ACP will ask you to complete a “Sponsor Interview Worksheet.” (If
you contact your ACP in advance, he can forward the form to you via e-mail so you can have the form
complete prior to arrival.) Take your time to fill this form out with great detail – remember, you
know the applicant better than we do, and this is your opportunity to let us know why this
applicant should be considered for an interview ahead of the other 8,000 pilots in the pool.

With a completed worksheet in hand, your ACP will talk to you to assess the applicant’s
qualifications regarding: aviation experience (flight time, professional development, FedEx flight
operations compatibility, career progression, etc.); and, applicable personal qualities
(leadership, honesty, integrity, etc.).

 

[Goose17]

continued

Once you’ve completed the above process, your job as a sponsor is done, and you should feel
satisfied that you’ve done everything you can to help a good pilot get hired at FedEx. However, it
is very important to remember that while sponsoring is critical, it in no way guarantees that a
particular applicant will be selected to participate in the interview – it’s merely the first, very
important step along the way! As you can well imagine, the final decision to call an applicant and
invite them to the interview is made much further up the food chain.

Finally, if your applicant is invited to come for an interview, encourage them to show up well
rested and prepared – you may have helped them get in the front door, but they have to earn the
right to stay in the house by passing the interview. At a minimum, I’d let the applicant know that
the job is theirs to lose because we only invite folks to the interview that have “the right
stuff,” so encourage them to take whatever actions are necessary to ensure they do their best on
interview day. (For example, if they need some large aircraft simulator experience, by golly, give
them the bucks and let them get some practice – they can always pay you back later when they
upgrade to Captain!)

However, please don’t get too detailed about the interview process – let your applicant know that
they’ll pass the interview because they’ve got the right skills, not because they had the best
gouge. (And besides, we all signed a form when we got hired saying that we would protect the
confidentiality of the Pilot Interview Process.)

Thanks for being involved in this very important process. Together, we can make a difference that
will positively affect the make-up of our crewforce, that will increase safety in our flight
operations, and that will ensure the future success of FedEx.

 

[GasPasser]

Thanks

Thanks for the 'scoop' Goose! I'm hoping and waiting for my call! I've got the sponser and additional recommendations covered. Just waiting now, and practicing hand flying w/o the FD every opportunity to get the cross-check back up to speed.

 

[Los1]

Goose17-
where did you get the info from?
tx
Los1

 

[Goose17]

source

FedEx internal email.

Goose17

Goose17-
where did you get the info from?
tx
Los1

 

[TriStar_drvr]

We're honestly not trying to hire all our old buddies, friends of friends, or family members, etc.

Well, after reading that e-mail, my response is they may not be trying to, but all they're going to get are old buddies, friends of friends, or family members. Nothing wrong with this as I'm sure they'll get a lot of very good, low-risk pilots from these groups. Unfortunately, other good, low-risk pilots, who aren't old buddies, friends of friends, or family members will be left out in the cold...

 

['72Gremlin]

Goose17,
How many people would a typical FedEx pilot sponsor?

 

[Goose17]

typical?

Dunno. I am sponsoring 1. I'm sure guys sponsor more than one, but you don't want to sponsor too many - it dilutes your "sponsorness".

Goose17

 

[VaB]

[QUOTE='72Gremlin]Goose17,
How many people would a typical FedEx pilot sponsor?[/QUOTE]

Definitely only 1 at a time.