Introducing Pinstripe

I still have a chuckle when a pilot calls me and says, “Hi Kirsty, remember me? You coached me back in 2007. ” After the thousands of pilots I have worked with, that should be a resounding “no” but more often than not the name is vaguely familiar. I always enjoy receiving photos when kids come along, weddings, new house builds as well as from the flightdeck. When I think about it I have known some of our clients from the very beginnings of their careers, whether military pilots transitioning to commercial aviation, or airline cadets, instructors and charter pilots progressing on to turboprops and jets, and finally to that long-awaited multi‑crew command upgrade.

Every success makes our day and we feel privileged to work with such interesting professionals. They can challenge us, but what analytical mind wouldn’t…we just say, “bring it on”.

I think if you speak to people who have worked with us, they will say we are straight shooters, and we provide practical SOPs for you to work with.

We are a down to earth team who you can trust and who will work hard for you. We are a soft place to land if you have experienced some career hiccups and a sounding board that cuts through the industry gossip mill.

My favourite saying is “ask us anything”… about aviation careers that is.

I am thrilled to be able to contribute to Australian Aviation and you may be wondering what to expect from my articles for 2018. Well, here are some of the topics I have selected: yyWhat airlines value in flightcrew, from ego maturity to empathy and lateral thinking.

yy You didn’t get the job, what now? yyHandling career hiccups.

yyWhat to expect during the airline assessment and how to prepare.

yyHow to talk about yourself effectively.

yyWhat shoes to wear, is my second most asked question, guess what the first one is? yy Getting started in your flying career.

yy It’s all about relationships, with crew, management, engineering and passengers.

As we ease into 2018 we all wonder what it will bring as far as the aviation industry is concerned.

We also know that the industry and career opportunities can change dramatically in as short a period as two weeks. Therefore, projecting trends is difficult, but if we base it on what has occurred during 2016-2017, 2018 looks set for continued growth and job creation around both flight and cabin crew.

Although the pilot shortage itself is being questioned, it does exist and the regional and mainline airlines will continue to recruit over the next 12 months – some airlines are indicating shortages of 160 pilots per fleet.

We have also seen some minimum requirements for first officers reduced. Australasian pilots are sought after and Chinese and US airlines are likely to continue to entice candidates. All of the airline cadet programs have reopened and more programs are likely through 2018 – the standard per airline is two intakes per year.

We are seeing airlines under pressure with regard to availability of training facilities and therefore ‘active hold files’ for successful candidates will continue until this can be resolved.

From a recruitment perspective most airlines have moved to a more staged recruitment process, they are including a telephone/Skype or a recorded video interview as the first stage. Often without much notification so preparation is crucial.

Psychometric/aptitude testing is commonplace, but a much wider variety of providers are now being used, not just the good old standard SHL or WOMBAT testing.

The assessment days are also changing and now differ dramatically between airlines. Many carriers are employing HR specialist consultants to create criteria specific to their culture, something every crew candidate needs to be aware of before facing the recruitment team. You may have come across documents entitled “capability framework” or find airlines including psychologist interviews and a barrage of group exercises.

Don’t be fooled, there may be more opportunities and a lot of movement in the industry but every candidate must still meet the standard during their assessment. It is also not merely your ability to do the job that is being assessed; it is just as important that you fit the airline’s culture, values and standards.

That’s it for now, get ready for an exciting 2018 and remember, preparation is key and most things can be managed.

I’d love to know what you would like to read about, drop me a line kirsty@pinstripesolutions. com with your ideas.

‘2018 looks set for continued growth and job creation. ’