A letter

Our company received this email today. We thought you might be interested in reading it too!

Pilot Recruiting: Attitude, Professionalism, Leadership!

Where can you find the most enthusiastic, well-trained and sought-after pilots in the industry? SkyWest, of course. Our pilots reflect the same characteristics and core values found in our Company Mission Statement.

The main objective of a SkyWest pilot recruiter is to look for individuals who will add to what is already a great airline. We are looking for pilots who have “the right stuff.”

A year ago, we began the process of redesigning and refocusing our pilot interview process. This was done to ensure that we maintain our position as an industry leader and strengthen our pilot culture at SkyWest. We searched within and outside the industry for the best practices that would yield the type of culture and values we all share within SkyWest and, specifically, SkyWest Flight Operations. We then designed an interview process that conveys not only who we are looking for, but also who we are as a company.

We have had a renewed focus on hiring the right person, not just the right pilot. The primary focus of the interview process is to determine whether the candidate possesses attributes and values that will strengthen our culture. If successful, candidates are then strenuously and thoroughly evaluated on their ability and technical knowledge to determine if they will be able to successfully complete a Part 121 airline training event.

Candidates who successfully pass the core values assessment but are not successful during the technical portion are given specific feedback through a personal debriefing, and they are given the opportunity to re-interview at a later date.

We hire our pilots based on three primary areas:

Attitude - Positive attitude is statistically the best predictor of safety. (The definition of positive attitude is simply to take the current situation and create the best possible set of outcomes).

Professionalism - Perception is reality, especially in the airline industry.

Leadership - The ability to take full responsibility for creating desired outcomes on a personal and professional level is critical.

Feedback from applicants has been extremely positive, especially from applicants who are former or current Part 121 airline pilots from other regional airlines.

The most common comments are:

“I have friends who fly here and they really love it.” and “This is always where I’ve wanted to be.”

The interview is the first introduction many pilots have to SkyWest. We therefore, strive to make it an accurate reflection of our culture: professional, positive and relaxed. We hold a very high standard for hiring pilots -- among the highest in the airline industry, but we do it respectfully.

The airline industry has been discussing an impending pilot shortage for many years. Many statistics can be found that speak to how this shortage will affect not only SkyWest, but every airline.

Boeing Aircraft Company released a comprehensive global outlook that points to how many pilots and mechanics will be needed between 2010 and 2029. This assessment is called “Boeing’s Current Market Outlook,” and is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and respected analysis of the commercial aviation market (Boeing, 2009). Speaking globally, Boeing’s market outlook states:

"The commercial aviation industry will require 466,650 pilots and 596,500 maintenance personnel over the next 20 years to accommodate the strong demand for new and replacement aircraft. Airlines will need an average of 23,300 new pilots and 30,000 new maintenance personnel per year from 2010 to 2029."

In addition, Boeing clarifies that “North America will need 97,350 pilots” by the year 2029. The number of pilots needed according to Boeing is staggering, and this helps explain why the U.S. has a developing shortage. Also, Mandatory retirements due to the Age 65 rule will start to affect major airlines dramatically, starting in 2016.

You can either get discouraged by these numbers, or you can roll up your sleeves and get to work; we are focusing on the latter of the two.

SkyWest Airlines has joined with the Granite School District’s Aviation Advisory Board in an effort to spread the word and infuse our core philosophy into our next generation of SkyWest pilots and employees. It is our mission to get more involved with the youth, not only in our area, but across our entire system.

May 21, 2011, was “National Learn to Fly Day.” SkyWest participated by hosting our first-ever career day aimed specifically at high school juniors and seniors and their parents. Our intent was to make them aware of what opportunities are available in the aviation industry and to inspire and motivate them in becoming aviation professionals. This event was attended by UVU, USU, Westminster, SLCC, Jordan Aeronautics Program, Delta as well as others, such as Cornerstone Aviation, Millionaire, etc. We were represented by recruiters from our Flight Operations, InFlight, Customer Service and Maintenance Departments. Over 250 people attended the event. Students were very excited for an opportunity to speak with those who are directly involved in their areas of interest. It was a huge success.
SkyWest also hosted a second event, attended by Bob Venturella, our PDX Chief Pilot. He has helped further this initiative by his continued involvement in EAA’s Young Eagle Program.

“It is the most proactive program out there,” Bob states.

Since the beginning of the program, 1.6 million kids have had the opportunity to fly. It’s strictly voluntary for pilots and those who do volunteer donate their planes, gas and their time.

At Hillsboro, ten pilots were able to fly with 22 kids. The next day, they were able to fly nine kids with six pilots and also did three B-17 flights. At Pearson Field, we flew 41 kids with eight pilots. “EAA 105 is an awesome group and will do everything possible to motivate new pilots through the Young Eagles Program”.

We should be proud of our airline and proud of the fact that there are many out there who long to be a part of it.

We attended a pilot job fair in Las Vegas recently, along with 20 other airlines which included almost every regional, as well as various major and foreign airlines. Throughout the day, there were three airlines which stood out among the rest with long lines filled with pilots waiting to speak with recruiters. Those three airlines were Delta, Southwest and SkyWest Airlines. It was extremely gratifying to see, but nothing new. We were able to screen approximately 250 candidates for interview.

Further, we hosted our own pilot job fair on May 12 and were able to screen 84 pilots for interview. We will be attending industry pilot job fairs throughout this month in Atlanta and Dallas. To date, we have hired 292 pilots since May 12.

It is no secret: SkyWest is a much sought-after airline. We have hired hundreds of pilots who have always had their sights set on SkyWest, even if they found themselves at another regional carrier first. This is the place to be.

With over 11,000 employees at SkyWest Airlines, we have over 11,000 recruiters. I’m sure many of you have had a conversation with a friend, an acquaintance or even a complete stranger who was curious about what it would be like to work for an airline. We are all in this together; SkyWest is our airline. It is up to us to secure our future and bring along those we’d like to share it with!