Baltic Aviation Academy tips on how to land your first job as a pilot

On the 2nd of February, at 6 PM EET (GMT+2) the aviation training centre Baltic Aviation Academy, will deliver a webinar presentation on how to find a job for commercial aviation pilots-beginners. Ausra Garuckaite, the Self-Sponsored Pilot Manager at Baltic Aviation Academy, will cover the topic entitled ‘Hunting for a Pilot Job – a Successful Interview with an Airline’, open to all who registers via [email protected].

‘Although the outlook for pilot job market is highly promising, landing a first job as a pilot can still be quite a challenge. This can be well-reflected in the number of inquiries we receive: in 70% of them pilots ask for help with launching their professional careers. Therefore, I have decided to prepare a webinar designed to help young self-sponsored pilots in their quest to land their first piloting job,’ said Ausra Garuckaite.

Baltic Aviation Academy has recently conducted a research about pilot recruitment process and interviewed a number of their own instructors as well as the employees of their following clients and partners: Small Planet Airlines, LOT Airlines, White Airways, Vueling Airlines and SkyWork Airlines. Although the pilot recruitment process may differ among companies, it usually involves four stages with pre-selection after each of them: CV evaluation, an HR department interview followed by tests and psychological assessments, a full flight simulator (FFS) test and a technical interview with instructors. Finally the remaining candidates are invited for a meeting with the Director of Flight Operations. During the webinar, the Baltic Aviation Academy employee will discuss each stage in more detail and will provide the participants with a number of useful tips as well as advice about which strategies to consider and which to avoid altogether.

Some of the following useful tips have been kindly revealed by the companies on the Baltic Aviation Academy’s list of clients and partners and their departments of Human Resources:

‘Some candidates come to make a show and to play the game in order to mask their disadvantages. This is a HUGE mistake as most of the recruitment professionals look for natural conduct and honest interviews thus they are often provoked to ask more difficult questions or pressure such candidates to reveal their natural behaviour. Honesty is the most important thing in our airline and in aviation generally. We need people who are able to see and overcome their limitations so that we may know what to expect in real life situations and everyday performance’.

‘We get tons of CVs and if one contains an even slightest inconsiderate mistake we have to just move on to the next candidate.  Once a pilot I knew sent a CV without a date of birth on it and I have to admit, I didn’t pass it through’.

‘Just be really honest and straightforward (don’t lie), be yourself – we need not only a pilot but also a great personality that is memorable and the importance of honesty cannot be overestimated. We look for a great team-worker, who is very punctual, devoted and can execute all tasks perfectly. Other qualities we seek for in a pilot are integrity, logical thinking, great leadership as well as the knowledge of several languages, fast reaction and an ability to stay calm under pressure’.

You can check out the first Baltic Aviation Academy presentation ’European Aviation: Current Opportunities for Commercial Pilots’ via clicking on the link: http://bit.ly/snUIwK. Another related topic – ‘How to Choose a Credible Aviation Training Institution’ can be accessed via http://bit.ly/yeNj8O. The registration for the webinar ‘Hunting for a Pilot Job – a Successful Interview with an Airline’ is open till the 2nd of February 5 PM EET (GMT+2) and can be completed by emailing [email protected].