What kind of time does FEDEX prefer?

[Ty Webb]

Re: Inline - you were out of line!

Originally posted by Falconjet

There are people who wanted to work here since they were in HS or college and threw boxes during the sort at night while going to school. They had vision and smarts to do that because it helped them land a job in the show.

That's pretty much an old wive's tale. When you complete your 12 months of throwing boxes and sit down at the table, the interviewers see you not as "a pilot who was willing to sweat it out on the ramp for a year" . . . . but as "a ramper who wants to become a pilot".

I had a friend who did it for a year. (1991-1992). HE already was a B1900 Capt at Lakes, and also a 135 Learjet Capt, with about 5000 hrs, most of it turbine.

Worked for a year on the ramp, busted his butt, did a great job, got letters of recommendation from Fedex pilots, got high marks from the station manager. When he finally got his interview, they basically said, "Well, looks good. Why don;t you apply again next year, and we'll see how you're doing".

Needless to say, he gave his notice, quit in disgust, went right to Midway, then on to NWA . . where he is to this day.

That's right . . . two other airlines hired him right away, but the one he tossed the boxes for blew him off.

I also spent a year tossing boxes, and applied to the corporate pilot dept at FEDEX about six years later, when I had three years of corporate jet PIC time . . . heard nothing, not even a "thanks, but no thanks".

We've got a Captain at AirTran who had the same thing happen at AMR. While it does work on occaision, it is hard to get that "ramp stink" off of you in the interview room, I guess.

But it sounds good, when they say they hire from within, right?

 

[ILStoMinimums]

As Falcon mentioned, night time is very important but on top of that probably the most valuable time would be "coffee pouring time." As a flight engineer with FedEx, not only are you going to manage the systems of the aircraft and do performance calculations but the most important job is going to be managing the coffee. If you were to already have some of this valuable experience then I think that would make your application stand out among the others. If you were to have coffee pourer in command time (cpic) or multi-coffee jug time then so the better. Good luck to ya.


NightFlyer

Funny man - CPIC. LOL

 

[Falconjet]

Ty

Wow Ty: you really must have had to search far and wide to find this post to continue the attack from the other thread. Fair is fair I guess.

I haven't been here that long and I have personally flown with all of the examples I discussed above. I never said that any of those methods was a guaranteed path to the seniority list. I was using first hand examples that I have flown with to dispute the posts that said that we would only hire former Marines or other military pilots. That is simply not the case, as evidenced by my own experience for the past 18 months.

Once you do get to the interview, you need to pass on your own merits, so lets just say that perhaps its possible that your buddy didn't ace his. These things happen, it doesn't deter from the fact that he at least got a chance, perhaps quicker than he might have otherwise. And it certainly doesn't mean that the guy isn't an excellent pilot and individual.

Promoting from within is definitely one of the factors that Fortune magazine takes into consideration when they name FedEx to their list of 100 top companies to work for each year. I have seen it first hand several times though, so its more than just talk to make people feel good.

Evidently the folks at FedEx coprorate could tell what an enlightened rogue you were back then and decided that perhaps they would take a pass. Perhaps your friendly attitude and cheerful disposition didn't play as well while you were throwing boxes as it did during your interview with Air Tran.

I'm sorry to hear that, but it doesn't mean that there aren't any others who have been successful via that route.

Take care.

FJ

 

[Ty Webb]

Re: Ty

Originally posted by FalconjetEvidently the folks at FedEx coprorate could tell what an enlightened rogue you were back then and decided that perhaps they would take a pass. Perhaps your friendly attitude and cheerful disposition didn't play as well while you were throwing boxes as it did during your interview with Air Tran.

Ha-Ha, Touche! I do have a sense of humor- much that I write is written tongue-in-cheek, maybe you picked up on that.

Actually, I didn't get the opportunity to interview for the FEDEX corporate job; I sent in a resume and cover letter that mentioned my year on the TPA ramp. They just never contacted me for an interview, or returned my phone calls, even though I was a former employee and a present bizjet captain (this was back in 2000). If they had bothered to look into it, though, they would have found I had high recommendations from the ramp mgr.

I actually enjoyed working the ramp. It was a part-time job that I picked up when my wife became pregnant with our first child (I also worked EMS full time). The only reason I quit was that it wasn't very flexible (M-F) and I needed more flexibility to keep flying. The EMS job was perfect, because I only owrked 3 or 4 days a week and could trade shifts to accomodate flights.

Anyway, their loss is AirTran's gain . . . . or something like that. The sad thing is there are too many of us, and too few jobs . . . . so someone always gets left out. I have a decent job at AirTran. It doesn't pay like Fedex, but it's a young company, I'll make Capt early, and in the end, we all make our own happiness, right?

TW

 

[Falconjet]

TW

I can buy that, we do all make our own happiness.

Lets keep trying to help those who are trying to get into our shoes.

Peace.

FJ

 

[thebluto]

T-34 and T-6

Any turbine PIC, except single engine turboprop... that doesn't count.

Sounds like a conspiracy against T-34 and T-6 time. I know T-37 folks are getting hired and T-34 folks seem to be getting the Hesimann (not in a good way). The T-34 has similar performance specs and there's little difference in the intensity of the flight training we give in the T-34, than is given in the T-37.

 

[firstthird]

from the pilot hiring portion of the FEDEX website,
http://www.pilot.fedex.com/careers/qualifications.shtml

1500 hours total fixed-wing time as pilot-in command (PIC) or first officer (SIC) including a minimum 1000 hours PIC in fixed-wing jet, fixed wing multi-engine turbo-prop, or multi-engine recip over 20,000 LBGW or combination thereof.
Note: PIC for this purpose is defined as Captain/Aircraft Commander of record, not simply the sole manipulator of the controls.
Note: FedEx considers only pilot time in fixed wing aircraft toward minimum qualifications. This does not include simulator, helicopter, flight engineer, bombardier, navigator, RIO, EWO, WSO, NFO, or Special Crew.

Things that haven't really been mentioned so far, the 1000 hours PIC minimum in jet or multi-prop over 20,000 LBGW. Apparently the B1900 weighs in just under that, if I remember the discussions on the old board correctly. Also, none of the standard military trainers (T-34, T-37, T-6, or T-44) are heavier than that meaning a guy would need the minimum time from somewhere else, which I think makes it tough for lots of helo guys who went training command to get their fixed wing time to meet the mins. Not sure how hardover FEDEX is on the above requirements, but that is what they list. And frankly, they have a pool right now and aren't hiring, and when they resume a new chief pilot could decide to change the mins or the application or interview process. Although, since this is what they wanted before, there is a high likelihood it will be similar next hiring wave.

 

[TonyC]

Re: Re: Inline - you were out of line!

I also spent a year tossing boxes, and applied to the corporate pilot dept at FEDEX about six years later, when I had three years of corporate jet PIC time . . . heard nothing, not even a "thanks, but no thanks".

We've got a Captain at AirTran who had the same thing happen at AMR. While it does work on occaision, it is hard to get that "ramp stink" off of you in the interview room, I guess.

Your situation, Ty, is not what we think of as internal hiring. My brother-in-law drove a tug when he was in college, and then went off to the USAF to fly. Having had the previous FedEx job didn't make him an internal candidate; it just made him an external candidate with tug driving experience. Now, if he had applied and gotten a job with FedEx, his previous experience would have meant he got to get his old employee number back, but that's all.

You were not a FedEx employee when you applied for a flying job SIX YEARS after having "thrown boxes." The internal hiring preference did not FAIL you - - it did not APPLY to you.

But it sounds good, when they say they hire from within, right?

And they do. I know of numerous examples, myself included. I don't have any statistics to support my claim, but I'd venture a guess that 95% of internal candidates are hired.

 

[ILStoMinimums]

Tony,
could you define "internatl Candidate"? They have to meet all the posted minimums just like everybody else - right?

 

[TonyC]

Tony,
could you define "internatl Candidate"? They have to meet all the posted minimums just like everybody else - right?

Internal Candidate: (I'm making this up, not copy/pasting from somewhere, so I might miss a nuance - - forgive me in a advance)

A permanent employee (full-time or part-time) of FedEx Express who meets the posted qualifications for the open position.

Temporary employees, or contract employees don't qualify, and permanent employees of other FedEx units (Ground, Freight, Corporate, etc.) do not qualify.

The posted qualifications are the same for internal candidates as for external candidates - - you can see them on the website.