Just how effective is hand delivering a resume?

[Astro]

I told my parents I was going on a 6 hour drive to hand deliver a resume and they looked at me like I was crazy?

 

Is it really worth the effort?

[charlie kilo]

Astro,

Don't waste your time. I've got 18,000+ hours and no one is talking to me either. They're not hiring right now.

[WolftalonID]

I tell ya what......no its not crazy, its about passion for what you do, and dedicated networking. Even if you know they will say no, do it. These types of networking efforts will lead you down a successful road in this industry.

[Flying Pig]

I hand delivered a resume to a part time flying job. I walked in to the hangar and started talking to the owner, told him who I was and handed him my resume. We did have some mutual friends in common, but we started talking about politics, local issues, flying. After an hour or so of just shooting the breeze, he says "OK, well, I pay $30 an hour if you are interested." I worked a little with him off and on for a while and I moved on a couple years later.

[Astro]

My father is also telling me I should call to see if they accept resumes in person. Did you guys do that, or just show up one day after seeing their job ad?

[Flying Pig]

I just showed up after I heard around the airport that the guy was looking for some help. Mine wasn't a job ad. I kicked a guy in the knee who was running for the hangar door at the same time I was.

[helipilotm]

It's worth it my mind, got my first turbine job that way. Made a big loop starting in Vegas handing out resumes. I swung by the south rim and my last spot impressed the CP enough to interview me on the spot. Walked out of there with a job! The next day driving home I got a call from two other companies wanting to know if I was still in town. In this day and age you need to do that kind of stuff to stand out. It's a long shot but it might pay off. It also puts a face with a résumé when you email or fax one your a sheet of paper that's it. Dont get discouraged if you don't get to talk to management. Follow up with them and politely remind them you hand delivered it. Good luck!

[aeroscout]

If nothing else, it's a character and faith builder.

[gary-mike]

Let us know how it goes Astro. I would listen to the advice you received so far here. My parents don't understand the aviation world much either, maybe they saw one of them ads about the "severe pilot shortage" and think jobs are just handed out to anyone interested? Not sure, I explain every year when I ask to use their timeshare in Las Vegas in November.

 

Wish I had the stories of how it worked for me, until then I'll just have to steal the advice from your thread ;-)

[Jaybee]

No one knows the answer to that, whether or not its worth your time or not is up to you. Are you working ? Will the expenditure of a trip put you in a financial bind ? If no and no then why the heck not.

 

I've hand delivered a few resumes in this business didn't get a single call back, shot off a random resume to a place I wasn't even that interested in and got the job.

 

In my first career I got every job I ever interviewed for and also in my military career also, just got chosen for a specialty assignment (and already in a spec op field). The most important thing to know and to convey is what do you bring to the table ? Every pilot out there has stick wiggling skills, hopefully a modicum of people skills (probably not, if you read the forums much) and basic computer skills.

 

So what are you going to do, drive all the way down there to tell him you can do the exact same thing as someone else ? What sets you apart from the competition is what is going to get you the job unless they just randomly pick a warm body - which happens.

 

Good luck.

[Spike]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained……

 

It should go without saying and maybe there aren’t any, but, seek out every operator on the way and do the same, qualified or not…….

[Little Bird]

Do it. You've got nothing to lose & everything to gain. I did a road-trip (in Australia) nearly 4 years ago, still keeping in touch via email every 6-9 months with the CPs, and guess who got a reply recently asking what I was up to & if I was available for an interview...

At the very least, it's a f*&^in' road-trip man!

[Astro]

When I got there I couldn't find a business with their name at the address from their website, so I called them up. The guy who answered seemed reluctant to tell me where they were, so I mentioned the job ad and that I was interested in introducing myself and perhaps speaking with someone about the operation. He said there was no need to bring in a resume, just email it and they'll get a hold of me if they're interested.

 

So I got in my car and drove the 6 hours back home.

[Flying Pig]

Hmmmmm that sucks. If you couldnt find a bunch of helicopters Id be a little concerned about their operation! Some days you eat the bear and other days the bear eats you.

[Cheeto9]

That really does suck. Why wouldn't they tell where they were?

[aeroscout]

That really does suck hard. Sorry to hear it. Maybe the operation is a bit on the shady side.

[Cheeto9]

Where was this place by the way?

[avbug]

My father is also telling me I should call to see if they accept resumes in person.

 

 

You should approach every job with research; know your target. Know the people to whom you want to speak when you get there.

 

I once drove several hours for a job, called the employer when I got in the area, and was told that if I had come seeking work, don't bother dropping in. No, I said, I had heard your name and good reputation, would would just like to stop by to shake your hand.

 

In that case, come on over. So I did.

 

After a chat for a while in the Chief Pilot's office, he asked for my resume. I went back down to the car and got it, along with a cover letter I'd typed in advance with his name. The resume, of course, was already made out to the specific position and company, by name, as the professional objective. I left there with a job.

 

I got my first ag job by driving and asking every operator I encountered, for work. I finally broke down in a town in Kansas. Nearly out of money, I had two flat tires and the car wouldn't start. The operator hired me, and put me up in his house. That was my first job after high school.

[rotornut67]

That sucks! I would be leery about them if they wouldn't even tell you where they are located...might have thought you were a repo guy. LOL

 

Keep your head up and don't get discouraged...

 

"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth"...Mark 9:23

[helonorth]

I told my parents I was going on a 6 hour drive to hand deliver a resume and they looked at me like I was crazy?

 

Is it really worth the effort?

If you get the job, I would say it was worth the effort.

[Wally]

Hand delivering a resume is very much a "cold call" situation if you've ever sold for a living. If you've got the resources to spare and you really want it, get out and sell. Or watch a few more episodes of "King of the Hill". Aside, Boomhomhauer is a good role model in this situation.

Will you get the job? You definitely won't if you don't try harder than everybody else. What's so special about your resume that your smiling face won't improve? You probably won't be hired even if you do make the call, that's sales. You might get this job, or the next one, or the tenth, twentieth or whatever. What you will get is a contact who knows you as more than some print on paper just like dozens of other resumes. You'll get experience (you'll do better the next time) and you might just get leads, maybe your next call won't be as cold.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Wally

[avbug]

Hand delivering isn't cold calling unless you simply show up out of the blue. That's cold calling, whether you're there in person or on the phone. The same is true for sending an unsolicited resume.

 

One can work smart when looking for work, or one can waste a lot of time and effort.

 

Investigating a company to find out if they're hiring first is always a good step. If you're going to show up on their door step, then you should be prepared to interview on the spot. i've had it happen several times when dropping off resumes, and have been offered jobs on several of those occasions.

 

One wouldn't go to a job interview unprepared. I usually have a fairly well researched report ready on any company with whom I'm interviewing. The smallest I've done was 35 pages, the largest almost six hundred pages (it was a big deal). Go prepared. This doesn't mean you need to do six hundred pages worth of research to drop off a resume, but you should know about the company, and that should definitely include details about whether they're hiring, what they do, who they are, who their chief personnel are, the aircraft they fly, their mission, their financial status (if publicly traded), recent events or history, etc. Know. That research should also be telling you if they accept cold calls or unsolicited resumes.

 

By and large, a resume in person is nearly always a better choice. When its hiring time, particularly at a smaller company, its often the person standing in front of the Chief Pilot's desk, hat in hand, that gets the job, rather than #97 in the stack of resumes on the edge of the desk. Remember that it only takes a slight tremor of the wrist to dismiss all 212 resumes sitting on that desk, sending them off the edge into the round file without a second thought. How much more effective to shake that hand instead, put a name with a face and a memory with your resume, to put it on the short list, instead?

 

If you're going to drive several hours, have several companies you can go see. I did that a few years ago, driving in a big loop to drop resumes. One of the first companies was accepting resumes. I was invited in, given a written test, asked to fill out a job application, go get something to eat, then given a full inflight checkride. Six hours south to the next place, and I was put up in a hotel overnight and asked to interview the following morning. I was given a tour, then asked to make a short flight for the president to a nearby airfield, and return. Before we made it back, I had an attractive job offer. Would I have had that treatment if I mailed the resume or sent an email or fax? Absolutely not.

 

Know before you go. You shouldn't take off on a flight without knowing all the details of your flight. In fact, it's illegal. It's not illegal to go to a job interview without being fully prepared, but perhaps it ought to be. You should never drop a resume without being fully prepared to interview on the spot. Approach your effort at that level, and you'll probably see more success.

 

Something Wally alluded to is equally important when you make that contact. If you're politely declined and told that the company isn't hiring, you may politely in return enquire if that person knows of anyone else who is hiring. Look for a referral.

 

If you're traveling that distance and there are other operators in the area, research them too, and be prepared to deliver as many resumes as you can during that trip. Make them personalized. Each resume should be made out to the specific company, so that it says "Professional Objective: "Employment as AS-350 Pilot with Boomerang Helicopters, Inc." The cover letter should be addressed not only to the company, but also to the person doing the hiring, and that comes back to research. "Dear Ms. Lowenson" is far better than "To Whom it May Concern."

 

Don't neglect your resume paper. Local walmart discount paper is fine for home copies, but not for resumes.

 

If you're driving that distance, did you bring your logbooks and a headset/helmet in case your'e asked to take a flight? I stopped in the middle of nowhere once at a very rural airport, and asked about employment. I was interviewed for 30 minutes, then put in an aircraft for pattern work, then flown to a remote location for some work on a questionable looking mesa, before coming back to the field. Again, be prepared. Know before you go. You never know if you'll be offered and interview or job, but isn't that the purpose of the trip? Be fully prepared for an interview, and fully prepared to take the job. I've even been asked if I can start on the spot, and the answer if, of course, yes.

 

Know what the company pays. Don't get caught out not knowing, when you show up to deliver a resume, get interviewed, and then get asked the ubiquitous "what are your salary expectations?" Have it planned out. Be prepared to answer standard interview questions without hesitation. Where do you plan to be in five years? Tell me about a time when you made a bad decision. When you made a good decision. When you had to divert. When you had an inflight emergency. Tell me about your least favorite job. Tell me about your favorite, and why. Why should I hire you over everyone else? Don't offer up some tired answer like "I'm a hard worker." Be prepared.

 

If you don't know what to say or do or how to act or dress or prepare, there are coaches and organizations that will help prepare you, from evaluating your resume to giving you coached interview sessions in front of a video camera so you can see your own performance. It's all preparation.

Edited November 15, 2013 by avbug

[Cheeto9]

Thats some good information right there. Where are you working now a days avbug?

[WolftalonID]

Hey Avbug....can I put you in my suit pocket for my next interview? . Thats some great life experience advise guys. If you have never gone prepared before that post right there is gold in your pocket if all you did was follow it like a script. Please make sure you go in well prepared, its amazing the doors that just blow open when you do.

[Spike]

When I got there I couldn't find a business with their name at the address from their website, so I called them up. The guy who answered seemed reluctant to tell me where they were, so I mentioned the job ad and that I was interested in introducing myself and perhaps speaking with someone about the operation. He said there was no need to bring in a resume, just email it and they'll get a hold of me if they're interested.

 

So I got in my car and drove the 6 hours back home.

 

And, this is the reason why you do the aforementioned “visit everyone along the way”. Regardless, did you learn anything? I’d say you did. That is, if this company responds to your resume, you would definitely have some additional questions for them that no one else would. Like, no business at the address, WTF-over…….. Plus, you learned you should, at minimum, speak to someone prior to making the trip (I thought that went without saying). I once flew halfway around the globe for a visit and yes, I did speak to someone (who told me NOT to come) prior to departing and yes, it was worth it………