If you currently are looking for a lifechanging opportunity, or if you want to be able to just walk into one in the future, keep reading.

I’m a low time pilot. Everyone was at some point.

I can’t really speak on MY experience on how to do things, because I’m definitely still new to this.

But I’ll gladly share the learnings I got from more experienced people who are not low time anymore, or even from myself.

And that’s what I’m doing here. Hope it helps!

“What’s the big deal with networking?”

It took me some time to understand how much of a difference connections with other people will make.

The reason networking is so valuable is simple.

If you had to pick, who would you rather work with, someone you had a conversation with and found similar interests, or a complete stranger?

You’d pick the first option. It’s human nature.

Pilots and recruiters are humans too.

Now, if the hiring manager knows you or has heard good things about you, how much likely do you think you’ll get an offer? yeah.

That’s where newer pilots get it wrong. Total time is cool, additional ratings are great. But would someone want to spend consecutive days in a cockpit with you?

That question is reversible. Would you want to spend consecutive days in the cockpit with the person you’re going to work with, if you’re hired?

That is why we need to go out there, and have a little talk with the people at the company we’re applying to. Are you a good fit for the team? If you are, you might get in.

How to successfully network.

Talk to someone who’s at a position you’d like to be at in the future and ask them how they got there. Just have a conversation. Don’t make it awkward and please don’t be needy. You can ask for a referral at the end of your talk but I wouldn’t encourage it: it can make them get the feeling that was the sole reason you were having a discussion. So instead of asking for a job per say, ask for advice on how to get one like theirs. Be genuinely interested about the person, no one likes to feel like they’re being used for something.

If you’re not being weird, any decent person will want to help you.

Facebook Groups and LinkedIn are great tools to network. LinkedIn works best for looking for specific companies and posting on Aviation Mentorship Facebook groups are a helpful way to connect with seasoned professional of the industry.

Nothing beats face-to-face though, do as much of that as you can.