what percentage of those interviewed get hired typically?

[he_monkey]

So I've been thinking about the transition from CFI to the career commercial pilot once you have the 1000+ hours. The main three it seems are Louisiana, Nevada and Alaska. Depending on where you're coming from and the current cost of airfare, a pilot may have to spend thousands to travel to some of these locataions for an interview. That's a big kick to the wallet by any standard especially a CFI who has only made 20,000 in the past year. The ray of hope is that I've heard that if they interview you, they've almost already decided to offer you a job (most of the time at least) but obviously they know they won't be hiring everyone they interview.

 

So what sort of percentage do they assume they will hire versus the total number they interview? Do they hire maybe 80% so a guy who spends 1500 bucks to travel and interview can at least have the good feelings that it will most likely be worth it?

[Goldy]

So I've been thinking about the transition from CFI to the career commercial pilot once you have the 1000+ hours. The main three it seems are Louisiana, Nevada and Alaska. Depending on where you're coming from and the current cost of airfare, a pilot may have to spend thousands to travel to some of these locataions for an interview. That's a big kick to the wallet by any standard especially a CFI who has only made 20,000 in the past year. The ray of hope is that I've heard that if they interview you, they've almost already decided to offer you a job (most of the time at least) but obviously they know they won't be hiring everyone they interview.

 

So what sort of percentage do they assume they will hire versus the total number they interview? Do they hire maybe 80% so a guy who spends 1500 bucks to travel and interview can at least have the good feelings that it will most likely be worth it?

 

Everybody is different and I would not expect an 80% hire rate. Some will pay you to fly out for the interview, some will pay you if you are hired, many do nothing. I suggest you spend the 4-500 to go to Heli Success, then you not only network, but you meet hiring managers/operators from all over the US at the same time. Best money you will spend on your career.

[TXFirefly]

The ray of hope is that I've heard that if they interview you, they've almost already decided to offer you a job (most of the time at least) but obviously they know they won't be hiring everyone they interview.

 

True!

 

Era pays for your hotel and I think they pay part of your travel expense. Obviously, they wouldn't want to throw money away on candidates they are NOT going to hire. It's your job to lose at that point.

 

Papillon pays for nothing. It's all on your dime. At least at the South Rim.

[helonorth]

PHI will pay all your travel, .55 cents a mile if you drive. They gave me a check for $700 and put me up very nice. Bristow will not pay your travel, but pays the hotel. RLC used to be the same. If you get an interview, the job is yours to lose. They don't expect perfection, but you will need to do well on the written. I don't think they put as much emphasis on the flight portion as they know you probably have no time in the airframe. You will need to be able to navigate, hold altitude, do a passable approach and take off and seem trainable. If you have 1500 hours as a CFI and have a good attitude, you should have no problem. If they bring you down, they want to hire you.

[Flying Pig]

Written? Do they give you a practice FAA written or is it an in-house test with other things on it?

[TXFirefly]

Written? Do they give you a practice FAA written or is it an in-house test with other things on it?

 

They all have their own in-house written. The ones I've taken have been very basic... definitions, charts, approach plates etc. Things you should already know if you have an instrument commercial rating. Pass and you move on to the flight and the interview.

[Wally]

I was part of one interview group (20 or so) at a large company 30 years ago. I think about half that lot were hired. It could well be that an agreement on compensation, etc. wasn't achieved with those that didn't end up employment. After that, I wasn't in the "head shed" very often, and didn't track the process.

In house written, they had a pretty good training department.

The travel arrangements were mileage to/from the interview, unless you accepted employment, in which case only mileage "to".

Room provided, direct billing.

[Azhigher]

Judging from my personal experiences I think the closer you are to an "Entry level" job the more candidates they bring in and the lower the interview to hire ratio is. I had heard if Papillon (Las Vegas) brought you in for an interview you were golden. Then when I showed up I saw there were 10 people there to interview for 4-5 spots. I've heard horror stories of the quality of people that make it in for an interview for some of the "Entry Level" turbine jobs. Seems like they have to bring in a heap of candidates just to find the few quality guys (And gals) that will work out for them.

 

After that first "foot in the door" job it seems to me that the higher the requirements for the job the more likely it is for the prospective employer to expect you to ace the interview and get hired. It also seems like they are much more likely to cover some costs related to making it in to interview. Granted, this is all from my personal experiences so your experiences may vary.

[Rotortramp]

I've heard horror stories of the quality of people that make it in for an interview for some of the "Entry Level" turbine jobs. Seems like they have to bring in a heap of candidates just to find the few quality guys (And gals) that will work out for them.

 

Any particular horror stories? Aside from being funny, I want to make sure its not me one day.