Recruiters, Respect, and the Aviation Industry’s Hidden Challenges

I have been fortunate enough to never need a recruiter for finding jobs. I secured all my positions the old-fashioned way—either by submitting my application directly to the company or through a recommendation from another pilot I had flown with, who now works for the company. Later on, when I moved into training, most of my jobs came through word of mouth and recommendations.

About a year ago, someone convinced me to create a LinkedIn account and soon after, recruiters started contacting me—as well as my husband. What I found interesting was the clear gender bias in these interactions.

While I don’t feel the cockpit is particularly sexist, recruiters certainly seem to be. My husband and I have different work experiences and slightly different qualifications. However, I believe we are fairly evenly matched—he is more experienced and qualified in some areas, while I am more experienced in others.

Often, we receive inquiries from the same recruiters, but he is almost always asked if he will apply for the top or senior roles, while I’m offered more junior positions. In some cases, he is indeed more experienced in that particular area, so the senior role makes sense for him. However, in cases where I am equally or more qualified, I should also be considered for the senior role.

Since I’m not actively looking for work, I usually ignore these messages, as I honestly don’t have the time to explain that I am overqualified for the roles they’re offering.

However, a few months ago, I did reply to a recruiter, stating exactly that. Perhaps he caught me on the wrong day. He responded by asking if we could set up a time to talk, as he might have a freelance position with a company looking for my expertise.

I then learned that not only are some recruiters sexist, but they can also be very rude and disrespectful of your time. I gave him my number and we scheduled a time to talk. I planned my day to be free to give him an hour of my time.

I waited for the call, unable to get involved in anything else. After 20 minutes with no call, I carried on with my day. Four hours later, he tried to call. I ignored it, as I was busy giving my time to something else.

Two days later, he sent another message, saying he had tried to call but I didn’t answer, and asked if we could set up another time. I should have said no, but I gave him a second chance and scheduled another appointment. Once again, he wasted my time by not calling at the agreed time.

I was shocked by this because a person’s time is valuable. I shared my experience with several people, and apparently, this is quite a common occurrence.

People often go for interviews and never receive any feedback. I was taught that it’s polite to keep appointments, not waste people’s time, and if someone has given you their time for an interview, the least you can do is inform them whether or not they got the job.

Even if this freelance job had been my dream role, I don’t think I would have been inclined to take it. If this is how a recruiter portrays the company when they’re trying to make a good impression, I would hate to see how the company treats you once you’ve joined.

Politeness, respect, and courtesy go a long way. This experience fits into the culture where you’re treated as just a number, not a person—one of the main reasons why many companies aren’t family-friendly. They’d rather lose the expertise of an experienced person than work on solutions that allow them to have both a family and a career.

Perhaps this could be another job for pilots who need a few years to spend with their children? They would actually understand what your qualifications and experiences really mean, rather than an HR person who has never flown.