AINsight: Your Team Is Always Recruiting

Years ago, I was sitting in the lobby of a Marriott hotel near one of the New York-area business aviation airports. I honestly cannot say whether it was Morristown or Teterboro, but what I remember clearly is the large group of crewmembers gathered nearby.

Like a fly on the wall, I listened for a while. They were talking shop, laughing, and enjoying one another's company, but what caught my attention was the absence of complaining. They spoke with the easy familiarity of people who trusted their teammates and liked the work they were doing.

Eventually, I walked over and introduced myself. I learned that they were two crews from the same major tech company, and their pride in the flight operation came through as we talked. 

Had I been a pilot considering a career move, I would have wanted to know more about that department.

No one at that table thought they were recruiting, yet they showed me something a job advertisement could never prove: these people enjoyed working together. That impression has stayed with me because it was unplanned and completely believable. They were representing their employer when they thought no one was paying attention.

I recently shared this story with Dr. Chris Broyhill on The Flight Department Show because it captures what I think of as 24/7 recruiting. Whether there’s an open role or not, your flight department is building its reputation with prospective employees. 

Build Relationships Before the Opening

Many flight departments begin recruiting after a resignation reaches the leader's desk. The remaining employees are already covering the schedule, personal time becomes harder to protect, and pressure builds to fill the seat. Before rushing into a search, the leader needs to understand why the position is open.

A retirement after a long career tells a very different story from the third departure in 18 months. Candidates will ask about that history, and they will compare the hiring manager's answer with what they hear from people who know the operation. Another job posting will not solve a problem that keeps pushing employees out the door.

Future candidates are likely to believe the people who already work for you. A scheduler at a conference, a technician working with a vendor, or a pilot attending training can make someone curious about the department without saying a word about an opening. The same conversations can quietly warn someone away.

I often talk with clients about becoming an employer of choice, which simply means people want to join your organization and your employees want to stay. 

Of course, compensation must be fair, but the highest salary does not guarantee that outcome. People also pay attention to the leader, the schedule, and whether colleagues treat one another with respect.

Opportunistic Recruiting

The other part of 24/7 recruiting is noticing good people before you need them. I encourage leaders to keep a short list of professionals who may fit the organization someday, even when there is no approved position. A name remembered from a conference or a chance conversation can keep a future search from becoming a scramble.

Stay connected to those people in a way that feels genuine. Congratulate them when they earn a promotion, ask what they are learning, or continue a conversation when your paths cross again. Over time, they will learn what your department values without being subjected to a sales pitch.

I often say that someone should leave their good job for your great job. Reaching that point takes trust, and it also requires a role and culture that live up to what you have described. Pay attention to how prospective employees treat others when they are not interviewing, because those moments often tell you more than a prepared answer across a conference table.

Recruiting is a Team Sport

Recruiting is not a solo effort. Although the hiring manager should make the final hiring decision, a successful search often requires buy-in from several stakeholders.

In a smaller flight department, the aviation director or chief pilot may discuss staffing needs with the aircraft owner. At a larger company, the circle may expand to include the accountable executive, human resources, and sometimes even the CEO.

The hiring manager’s job is to educate those decision influencers long before a search begins. Stakeholders should understand the time, experience, and financial commitment required for a pilot to accumulate 4,000 flight hours. They should also be familiar with market compensation for the role and location, and recognize how strongly the aircraft, mission, schedule, and total compensation influence a candidate’s decision.

Because HR typically isn’t closely involved with the department, invite the head of recruitment to join a demanding trip. One with an early departure, multiple stops or a late-night return. With an aircraft owner or principal, use regular conversations to connect the mission and workload with the people required to support them. 

Firsthand insight into the demands of the operation makes future staffing requests far more productive. Then, when it’s time to add a position or replace a departing team member, you won’t be starting from scratch.

That shared understanding should carry through the search and well into onboarding. Accepting an offer does not end a candidate’s evaluation of the department. New employees are still deciding whether the promises made during the hiring process match the reality of joining the team. Thoughtful onboarding can take months as trust develops and working rhythms take shape.

Everyone involved in recruitment and onboarding influences whether the new hire stays. Which brings me back to the crew in the Marriott lobby. I loved that they never knew I was observing them, and that’s what made their example so powerful. They showed pride in their work when there was a role to promote and no candidate to impress.

Recruiting isn’t something a department switches on when a vacancy appears. It’s reflected every day in how the team works, leads, and treats one another. So, if your next recruiting conversation begins after someone’s resignation, you may already be too late.