In 2018, APAS launched the "Dynamic ASIA" campaign, which focuses on the career opportunities pilots may embrace in the region of Asian aviation. Previously, we have discussed about those opportunities through the sharings of APAS pilots with working experiences in Asia. This month, we will provide the other side of the stories from the perspective of a pilot recruiter. James Wing, a senior pilot recruiter who has assisted hundreds of pilots to help attain their career goals in Asia. As our APAS representative since 2015, James will be sharing with us his insight on pilot recruitment; including how to prepare your applications, which qualifications pilot recruiters seek in a pilot applicant, how he stays in touch with his pilot friends from all over the world, and his advice for pilots who wish to come to Asia for career advancement.
1. We are all aware of the trend of global pilot shortage. How would you look at the phenomenon of “global pilot shortage” and/or “huge pilot demand in Asia”?
The global pilot shortage is a trend. New airlines are being established and aircraft are ordered at a pace not seen in the history of aviation. Yet, there simply aren’t sufficient training resources to cover the demand of flight crew. As a result airlines are offering lucrative packages to attract experienced pilots. China is a prime example, with astoundingly high salary and multiple day-off programs for pilots to choose from base on their needs. Whilst in other places companies are offering free apartments, transition opportunity or even captain upgrade.
The huge pilot demand is a global thing and the Asia Pacific region has one of the fastest growing aviation scenes. Newer business models (Low-cost carries, premium airlines) are enjoying great success, with the need of expansion thanks to tourism and business needs, the growth may actually exceed the estimation. The phenomenon fits perfectly with the APAS 2018 “Dynamic Asia” campaign and we are thrilled to see where it brings us to in the next couple of decades!
2. As a pilot recruitment agent, what do you think the role you play between airlines and pilots is?
A common metaphor in Chinese, I would personally refer us as a bridge of communication. Pilots are looking for a job for many reasons, better salary, a transition to wide-body, better commuting options…, and the airline is looking for experienced pilots to fill their operation needs. What we do is that we identify both party’s needs and find the best match for each other. We do not want our pilots to sign a contract without having full knowledge what he/she will be committed to, same thing applies to our airline client as we want to find those who are really interested in the job to create the right chemistry.
3. How do airline recruiters select applications? What are some advice/tips you would like to share in respect to an “impressive CV” for pilots who like to apply for the aviation jobs in Asia?
Every airline has its own preference and it differs from one to another. For instance, some airlines prefer very senior captains with training experience, while other prefer junior captains as they believe it actually helps them adapt into new SOPs or new environments faster. In usual cases we all start from the flight hours as it is the most direct reflection of one’s professional experience. Beside the hours I will also pay attention to the employment history part.
Constructing your CV can be a little different in Asian culture. One thing that you could easily notice is that the application form is usually more complicated than those in Western. In some cases it may even include an autobiography section. My personal suggestion for aspirants is that do provide a throughout autobiography if requested, pit strong emphasis on your experience and describe the reason you want the job. This would usually be the first impression you make to the company and it is definitely worth investing the time to leave them a good one!
4. Can you describe the characteristics of pilots who tend to have higher passing rate?
After all these years of recruiting, those who passed showed some attributes in common. First of all they are confident but not arrogant, they believe that they have the right skillset to succeed, but they remain humble for the possible challenges and they take in the advice given.
They are more willing to communicate with other people and form friendship with others, they believe that by exchanging experiences about Asia, it would better prepare them about the cultural differences and the challenges, both physically and mentally.
In conclusion, those who have faith in themselves, do their preparation, communicates with other are more likely to adjust themselves to adapt into the differences. That would usually lead to a higher chance of success, no matter where they go or what they do.
5. Share some of your unforgettable stories as a pilot recruiter!
I have a long list of them but a couple of them stand out vividly and I will be sharing some of them here.
Once there was a pilot attending medical check in Taiwan, he was medically fit and everything seems to be going very well during the check. Then during the ophthalmology check, he tried with his corrective lenses, contact lenses and even his spare pair of glasses but things just were not working out for him to the point that he was about to give up. We winded up running between multiple stores closer to the medical facility but they could not found out what seemed to be wrong. In the end we decided to take a 15 minute ride to a shop that employs a fully certified ophthalmologist that was able to identify what seems to the problem with his own glasses and he decided to get a new pair of them, and the recheck subsequently worked well and he passed with flying colors after running around the city for a couple hours.
Another interesting story was that I was working with a pilot based in Brazil. He’s 12 hours behind me but for some reason he kept phoning me in his time zone so I kept being woke up in the midnight. He did not realize the time difference until one day he noticed that I always sounded like I was sleeping so we came up with the time of 10:00/22:00 for phone conversation.
6. You have many pilot friends, how do you usually stay in contact with pilots from all over the world? Meanwhile, do you go aboard sometimes to meet the pilots? If yes, where were you and where will you go next?
This is a very interesting part of my job. I do personally acquaint pilots from countries all over the world. My job is all about people so staying in contact is vital. I would hit up someone if I come up with any good positions he/she might be interested in, and a pilot would text me sometimes to check in if there is anything new. Living in the 21st century, it is easy to send out quick texts through Whatsapp/WeChat or even phone calls, that is how I usually stay in contact with them.
Indeed I do travel abroad sometimes to meet the pilots. I have been to many places for recruitment and each time was a great experience. I have been to UK, Germany, USA and China. In addition our team went to Italy, Colombia, Finland, Brazil…to name a few.
We are actively hosting oversea events, sometimes collaborating with airline partners organizing oversea assessments. Our next stop will be in the USA and Europe, and we are looking to collaborate with one of our airline clients, I look forward to seeing you out there!
7. What are your advice for the pilots who wish to work in Asia? What do you like the most about APAS? Why will you recommend APAS to pilots who wish to secure jobs in Asia?
The first key is to have a right mindset, you would need to be ready for many challenges you may face. Cultural differences could be difficult at times, but with the right help it will be easy to embrace the changes. You may find some stories on the internet sharing some not so good experience in Asia, and we have seen disputes caused by a simple miscommunication that can be easily avoided. That is the reason the agents are for: we prepare you for the challenges ahead, and we walk you through it.
Choosing the right agent for you is also a very crucial part, find someone that would talk you through the options, identify your needs, analyze the pros and cons for each position, and then come up with the conclusion with the airline to apply for. Look for the agent that actually shares how to prepare yourself for the screening, brief you through the obstacles ahead.
APAS is not a mega-company, but APAS conducts business and the fact that we actually takes care of our pilots, taking things to a very personal level. We understand how big of a change it is to move to a country with total different culture, way of living…etc. We have helped many pilots adapt to their new life in Asia. It is not just about the paperwork, but the level of personal care we offer is what I like about us, and plan to keep doing this for a long time!
Last but not least, you are all more than welcomed to hit me up if you are interested in the idea of working here in Asia.
Word from editor:
The aviation world is constantly changing, and we have seen the breakthrough although these possibilities were deemed impossible years ago. The ever-changing aviation industry imposes challenges, motivating us to continuously strive. Thank you James for sharing the insights on pilot recruitment so we get to better understand Asian aviation market from the perspective of recruiter. Want to contact James Wing in person? Please email him at james.wing@apasnet.com for the professional pilot career advice.