Furloughed pilots tend to limit themselves psychologically in their efforts to get another job. They have preconceptions about what they can and cannot do. Those who have been furloughed from a major airline at first do not consider applying to a corporate flight department or a regional carrier, and those who have been flying for a corporation or small carrier do not consider applying to a major airline, even if they may be qualified.
Pilots need constantly to evaluate their qualifications against those required by potential employers in order not to corner themselves into one quadrant of the job market.
Furloughed pilots also tend to rely too much on going back to their airline. Optimism is fine, but it should not obscure your vision of the future and hinder your job search. "Your" airline could go out of business or announce a recall that entails an unacceptable 50 percent pay cut. If you are in a position to be furloughed, you need to market yourself before and during the furlough - and not look back. As Satchel Paige used to say, "Something may be gaining on you."
Signs of a possible furlough in the future include the cessation of hiring, downward turns in the economy, slow or deferred equipment orders, low load factors, operating losses, and furloughs among other employee groups, such as flight attendants and mechanics.
Those who are facing a furlough need to begin examining their training, experience and qualifications, and they should be updating their resumes. Remember that while previous airline training is a valuable asset, it also is a perishable one. The value of your training with an airline diminishes slightly by the sixth month of the furlough, greatly by the twelfth month. It may become negligible after two years if you do not continue flying. These facts underline the importance of re-entering the job market as soon as possible following a furlough.
You should get records of your training before a furlough occurs so you will have proof of all training when you try to sell your skills to another company. If your company were to cease operations, training records could become unavailable, and you would be unable to document your training.
By the time a furlough begins, you should be well into your job search. "The important thing is to stay in an airplane," according to Kit Darby, a former furloughed pilot now flying for another major airline.
If you are furloughed, you need to be wary about allowing yourself to become unqualified, an event that could happen quickly if your new job is in a non-flight field. It is tempting to take non-flying jobs after the furlough situation sinks in: Job searches are not easy. You may find that you become more depressed during your job search because of the small return you seem to be getting from your initial effort of sending out resumes and requesting applications. Remember, though, that in any job search, results generally take four to six months to see.
Any pilot who anticipates the furlough can cut down on his or her dry spell by beginning the job search before the furlough begins.
Initially, you may get applications but no calls for interviews. Keep trying, update your file every two or three months at the companies to which you have applied, and reapply every six to 12 months, the same as in any pilot job search.
Maintain your network of pilot friends, make telephone calls and personal visits, and get recommendations. If another furloughee gets a job, he or she may be able to help friends get jobs with the same company.
