An NBAA 2015 panel discussion on Wednesday focused on helping young people consider options for joining the business aviation industry. Speakers included Brad Thress, Textron Aviation’s senior vice president of customer service, Jo Damato, NBAA’s director of educational development and strategy, Megan Barnes, vice president of the Paragon Aviation Group, and Robert Mark, a former commercial pilot and head of aviation media company CommAvia.
Among the key points was that job seekers should engage in some self-assessment before hitting the job trail to determine their strengths in order to best “sell” themselves. “If you don’t know what you are good at, I have no idea what you are good at, and I don’t have the time to play psychologist,” noted Mark, putting himself in the place of a potential employer. Simply walking the show floor gives job seekers a taste of the variety of different career paths available in the industry.
Not surprisingly, many of the questions from the college students during the interactive discussion revolved around how to land a job. Many of those present attended a young professionals reception the previous night, and Damato urged them to continue to cultivate relationships with members of the industry, perhaps in a mentoring relationship. The time-tested networking holds true here, both in learning about potential job openings as well as a means to get your resume on the top of the pile when it comes to filling it.
The panel members stressed preparedness when it comes to the actual interview. Barnes suggested candidates drill themselves on common interview questions, while Damato added they should do research on the company and be ready to ask questions about their potential employer as they will likely get one shot to impress. The interview as well as most contacts with industry members, should be followed up with an email or even a handwritten note.
While entry-level jobs may not be the ideal situation, Barnes recommends treating them as an opportunity to learn, and cautions against leaving them too soon, as that will present a red flag to a future employer. Thress recalls advice given to him during his U.S. Air Force service days, “to do the best job you can at whatever you do, and you will be recognized, and given more opportunities.” He mentioned that Textron Aviation hires heavily from its internship program, and the ones that stand out are the ones that do more with their opportunities than was expected.
Above all, the panelists agreed a career in business aviation can be very hard and still fun. “The point is to have enthusiasm at what you do,” said Damato.
