How pilots use FlightAware to get jobs

James from Raven Careers shared one of his networking hacks this week that, if I’m being honest, might seem a little far-fetched.

But it does work.

I did something similar to what he talks about in my most recent “successful” cover letter (the one that led to an offer about a month ago now)

I figured today would be a good opportunity to get more specific, show you how what he’s teaching is useful for us low-time pilots too.

Again, I’m not claiming to be an expert, not at all. This stuff just worked for me, and although I can’t talk it in details, I really can’t see a reason to gatekeep the method.

So I hope what I’m about to share helps you as much as it helped me.

First of all, let’s stop using LinkedIn to apply for jobs. LinkedIn is to be used as a social network, for connecting with pilots that fly/flew at a company you’re interested in.

Don’t waste your time looking for jobs there, especially not low-time jobs.

Alright — let’s go through the steps James has laid out for us.

Last year, I was at the airport 8-12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Small airport too, so I didn’t really need to do all that.

I’d just run into the owners while pulling the jump plane in and out of the hangar, or at the fuel pump.

But if your local airport is bigger, I imagine keeping an eye on the aircraft regularly flying in and out is good practice.

Why?

It’s just much easier to start a conversation with prior context. And this is applicable beyond being physically at the airport.

It’s the same principle for writing cover letters, but I’ll get back to that later.

In the Raven Careers newsletter, James shares what to actually say to start a convo:

This approach feels much better, but one thing though: if you don’t actually mean it, don’t say it.

People on LinkedIn expect you to reach out and ask about job stuff, so you’re going to be better off just being genuine. Obviously, be tactical about it, just like shown by James. But don’t pretend you care if you don’t.

“Networking” is a different topic entirely though.

What I wanted to quickly share is how looking up tail numbers can “enrich” your cover letters too.

The point of doing research before you reach out to a company you’re interested in flying for, is so that your application doesn’t read like everybody else’s.

When applying for the survey job I got offered back in June, I wanted to see what their current fleet consists of.

So, using a picture of one of their planes online, I found the company’s registration info using the FAA Registry search tool, and looked up which of their aircraft was still flying.

One happened to be deployed in an area I’m super familiar with, so I slid that in the cover letter.

This takes a little bit more time for sure. But attention and care is in the details. It’s so much easier to show that you’re interested by going the extra mile, than simply say you are.

I know it sounds far-fetched and very situational, and that’s why I haven’t really went into the specifics before today.

But if it worked for me and others, I’m sure there’s a way for you to do something similar and be more memorable when you apply for jobs online.

(especially with the summer hiring wave ramping up)

Two survey operators were actually accepting resumes since my last email, and we’re still expecting a few more. Not just survey, but pipeline too.

I’ll catch you at the end of the month for a debrief of July hiring. If you can’t wait and haven’t yet though:

Join the Pilot Job Hub now!

Talk soon,
— Ivan