A Quick Guide to Sourcing, Screening, and Hiring Aviation & Aerospace Talent
If you’re in the aviation or aerospace industry, finding the right talent can be a daunting task. Recruitment is becoming increasingly competitive, if you want to source and hire the best talent in the industry, you need to be prepared.
There are many things to consider when sourcing, screening, and hiring aviation and aerospace professionals. In this quick guide, we will walk you through the process step-by-step and help make the recruitment process a little bit easier for you.
By following these simple steps, you can ensure that you are getting the best possible candidates for your organization!
Sourcing
Sourcing aviation and aerospace talent can be done in a few different ways. The most common way is through job boards or online platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn, Jsfirm, or Glassdoor. You can also source candidates through recommendations from current employees, industry events, or even social media.
In order to create a good search you’ll first need to define the role you’re hiring for. What skills and experience does the ideal candidate have? What will they be responsible for? This will help you weed out candidates who aren’t a good fit.
Below are seven ways to help your company source some great aviation & aerospace talent:
Career sites and job boards
Job boards have become one of the most popular ways to find a job, whether you are a job seeker or an employer.
There are a number of reasons for this: job boards are easy to use, they are often free, and they provide access to a large pool of potential candidates. However, job boards also have their downsides.
For example, they can be very time-consuming, and it can be challenging to sort through all of the applications.
In addition, job boards typically do not offer any guidance or support in the job search process.
Nonetheless, job boards remain one of the most popular ways to find a job, so it is essential to learn how to use them effectively.
When candidates are looking for a new job (or just thinking about looking for a new job), LinkedIn is where they go to find information.
75% of people who recently made a job switch used the platform during their decision-making process. Because of this, Linkedin sourcing is one of the top recruiting channels in terms of the quality and retention of resulting hires.
LinkedIn has a large database of potential candidates. With such a wealth of talent at your fingertips, it’s no wonder LinkedIn is an essential tool for today’s talent acquisition professionals.
The platform says new employees sourced on its network are 40% less likely to leave the company within the first six months than candidates sourced via other channels.
This is likely because LinkedIn’s core purpose is to enable users to make professional connections, so users are in a different mindset when they log onto LinkedIn than when they open, say, Instagram.
For hiring managers and recruiters, LinkedIn sourcing just makes sense because it is such an effective tool for connecting with potential candidates.
Employee recommendations
Join forces with your team. After all, they’ll be working with the new hire more than anyone else.
Get their input on who would be a good fit for the team and the company as a whole. One of the best ways to find great candidates is through employee recommendations.
If you have good employees, chances are they know other good people who would be a good fit for your company. Ask your employees if they have any recommendations for people who might be a good fit for the open position.
You can also offer incentives for employees who recommend someone who ends up getting hired.
Social media
Social media can be a great way to find aviation and aerospace talent. Twitter, in particular, is a great platform for connecting with potential candidates.
You can use hashtags to search for people with specific skill sets or interests, and you can also direct message potential candidates.
Facebook is an untapped gold mine when it comes to recruiting and sourcing talent across the web. It’s a massive database of millions of people. However, many recruiters don’t know how to us it effectively to source talent.
The first step is understanding Facebook’s search function. Facebook’s search function is different than a Google search. Facebook will provide results based on interests, groups, and pages that Facebook users have liked.
This means that your search terms need to be very specific in order to get the most relevant results. For example, if you’re searching for marketing talent, you might want to use terms like “social media marketing,” “digital marketing,” or “content marketing.”
Another tip is to use Facebook’s “Graph Search.” Graph Search is Facebook’s way of allowing users to find information that isn’t necessarily published on Facebook pages or groups.
For example, you can use Graph Search to find people who live in a certain city and work in a certain industry. To do this, simply type in “[city] + [industry]” into the Facebook search bar. This should give you a list of potential candidates that you can then reach out to.
Industry events
Another great way to find aviation and aerospace talent is by attending industry events. These events are often attended by professionals who are looking to network and connect with potential employers.
Attendees of these events are typically very passionate about their work, so they make excellent candidates for open positions.
If you have the opportunity to attend an industry event, be sure to bring business cards and talk to as many people as possible.
Headhunters and recruiters
For companies looking to fill hard-to-fill positions, recruiters and employee placement firms may be the way to go.
These firms have already done much of the hard work in gathering an extensive pool of talent to choose from.
While companies will need to pay these firms for their services, they can expect to save time and money in the long run.
Additionally, recruiters often have access to a wider range of candidates than companies would be able to find on their own.
As a result, recruiters can be a valuable resource in filling hard-to-fill positions.
Personal connections
Finally, another great way to find aviation and aerospace talent is through personal connections.
If you know someone who works in the aviation or aerospace industry, ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in the open position.
Personal connections can be a great way to find qualified candidates, as it gives you a chance to learn more about the person before you even reach out to them.
Sourcing aviation and aerospace talent can be a challenge, but there are a number of ways to find great candidates.
By using some or all of the methods listed above, your company will be well on its way to filling any open positions.
If you’re looking for more help with recruiting, check out our blog post on how to write an effective job posting.
Happy sourcing!
Screening
Now that we’ve covered some of the best ways to source aviation and aerospace talent let’s move on to screening candidates.
Screening candidates can be a time-consuming process, but it is essential to take your time and make sure you are hiring the best possible candidates. Develop an insightful interview process.
Ask questions that will help you get to know the candidate’s skills, experiences, and personality.
And don’t forget to give them a chance to ask questions too!
Below are four tips to help you, screen and interview candidates effectively:
Review resumes and cover letters carefully.
Conduct phone screenings.
Ask the right questions during in-person interviews.
Check references.
Conducting phone screenings
Phone screenings can be a great way to weed out unqualified candidates and save time in the hiring process.
When conducting a phone screen, be sure to ask questions that will give you a better understanding of the candidate’s qualifications and skillset.
In-person interviews
In-person interviews are a great opportunity to get to know candidates on a personal level and see how they would fit into your company culture.
When conducting an interview, be sure to ask questions that will give you insight into the candidate’s work ethic, values, and goals.
Checking references
Finally, it is important to check references before making a final decision on a candidate.
Checking references can give you valuable information about the candidate’s work history and qualifications.
Be sure to ask for both professional and personal references so that you can get a well-rounded view of the candidate.
By following the tips above, you can be sure that you are screening candidates effectively and hiring the best possible aviation & aerospace talent for your company.
The screening process will vary depending on the position you are hiring for. For entry-level positions, you might only need to do a basic skills test or interview.
For more senior positions, you might need to do a more comprehensive assessment, including a work sample or aptitude test.
Once you have screened the candidates and narrowed down your list, it’s time for the final step: hiring!
Hiring
The hiring process will also vary depending on the position you are filling. For entry-level positions, a simple interview might be enough.
For more senior positions, you might need to do reference checks and background checks.
Once you have completed all of the necessary steps, you are ready to make an offer to your top candidate!
Successfully onboarding new hire means orienting them to their new role, introducing them to their coworkers, and helping them feel like valuable members of the team.
There are many steps involved in this process, and it can be easy to miss something crucial during the busy first few days, weeks, and months.
One way to help ensure you don’t miss anything is to use an onboarding checklist.
This checklist should include items such as orienting the new hire to their workspace, setting up their computer and email account, providing them with company literature, and more.
By following a checklist, you can help make sure that you cover all of the important bases and give the new hire the best possible start at your company.
Here are six steps you should consider including as part of your onboarding checklist:
Give the new hire a tour of their workspace.
Set up their computer and email account.
Provide them with company literature.
Introduce them to their coworkers.
Help them feel like a valuable member of the team.
Onboarding is an important process that can help set new hires up for success in their new role.
By following these tips, you can create an onboarding checklist that will help ensure you don’t miss anything crucial during the busy first few days, weeks, and months.
Thanks for reading! We hope this was helpful. Aviation & aerospace recruitment can be tricky, but by following these steps you’ll be on your way to hiring top talent for your company!
By taking the time to source, screen, and hire candidates properly, you can ensure that you are getting the best possible talent for your organization. Aviation is a competitive industry, so it is important to make sure that you are doing everything you can to attract and retain the best employees.
Thanks for reading, and we hope this guide was helpful!
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to us through this link.
We would be more than happy to help!