CopterJobs makes recruitment a click away for helicopter workers

By Matt Thurber

HAI Convention News >> February 2008
Rotorcraft

Debi Irby always had a tough time finding new employees when she was chief pilot for various helicopter operators. The inquiries that did come to her attention were either random résumés from unqualified people or former military pilots asking how they could get into the civil market. It didn’t help that even within the aviation industry, helicopter people were thought of as a wild bunch, she said, “but we are professionals.”

Two years ago, Irby decided that the helicopter industry needed its own professional employment Web site, not only to help with recruiting but also to illustrate how the industry has matured. Irby studied Web job sites for a year before she and graphic artist Caryn Hammond started working on CopterJobs.com. Getting the new site right took a lot of effort. “I was very picky about making it easy for job seekers and employers,” she said.

CopterJobs.com (Booth No. 4804) is strictly for the helicopter industry but it is available to any type of employer or job seeker, not just pilots, which makes sense
because Irby herself is not only an accomplished Huey and CH-47 pilot but also
an experienced A&P mechanic.

CopterJobs.com is free to job seekers. Employers pay a fee for listings, which start at 30 days and are available for up to one year. During the launch phase, CopterJobs.com is offering employers a free 30-day trial of the Web site.

Job seekers do not have to register to view available jobs, but by registering (also free), they can avail themselves of features like the free résumé builder and their own homepage. Job seekers can specify how their information appears to employers and can automatically have their résumé sent to employers when they apply online for one of the available jobs. Employers also get their own homepage to manage their account. Jobs can be searched using four different criteria, including category (pilot, mechanic, management and so on), location, job type and by keyword.

Irby encourages students interested in helicopter careers to peruse and even join CopterJobs.com so they can study the job market and their chosen career.

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