April 10, 2025 • 19 mins
In this episode, Adam delves into the intricacies of preparing for TPNx, offering listeners a comprehensive overview of the event's logistics and planning. He shares valuable resume tips and strategic planning advice to help attendees make the most of their TPNx experience. Networking advice is front and center, with strategies for making meaningful connections during social events. Adam also emphasizes the importance of post-TPNx follow-up and actions to solidify connections and maximize opportunities. Whether you're a seasoned pilot or new to the network, this episode provides essential insights for navigating TPNx successfully.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:17):
Welcome back to the Pilot Network Podcast, theplace where we connect aviators with the tools,
resources, and stories to help them navigatetheir careers and lives.
I, as always, am your host, Adam, co founder ofTPN for those of you didn't know.
If you want to learn more about that, you'llhear it at TPNx when we give our brief
backstory on how the pilot network started,because I know we have a lot of new listeners
(00:38):
to this episode, because we're going to dive inon how to make the most of your TPNx
experience.
This is going to be great.
I've been wanting to do this episode for alittle while.
Took a little bit of collaboration with somefriends of mine, volunteers, folks who've been
to TPNx before to bring this to life.
For those of you who are on the email list, wehave the TPNx twenty twenty five playbook that
(01:03):
will be sent out or has been sent out I thinktoday, today being Thursday April.
So you'll get that, you can click that link,open it up.
For those of you on pro, you've already seenthis, you can dive deep into it and kind of go
through the checklist and check off each piece.
So this is going to help you a lot, whetherit's your first time you're a seasoned TPNx vet
doesn't matter.
(01:24):
This episode is your checklist walkthrough, theone we sent out and designed to help you arrive
prepared, connect with intention at theconference itself, and leave with momentum.
So, if you got a pen handy, grab it, you mightwant to jot down a few notes, open up your
notes app on your phone, or just kick back.
Let's hit it and get right into it.
(01:45):
Knock this out so you guys are ready to go forTPNx twenty twenty five.
Alright, date and location for those of you whoare somehow not in the know.
April at the Intercontinental Hotel at theMinneapolis International Airport.
Let's dive into what the checklist says.
So before you arrive, if you don't have yourlogistics or travel planned yet, I would highly
suggest you get on that.
(02:05):
Hotel is, I think, sold out for theIntercontinental, but there's a lot around
there.
The Mall Of America is not too far.
There is several transportation options to andfrom the hotel.
If you're staying off-site, can book by thelight rail.
It's a couple of stops away.
The light rail in Minneapolis is really greatand it also gives you a chance to get downtown.
Check out Minneapolis which is a great city ifyou're you're able to stay a little longer and
(02:28):
check out what's going on in the downtown area.
Otherwise, your standard Uber Lyfts if you wantto get around a car, something like that.
You got a buddy or or friends that live closeby.
We've got some parking passes for them and youas well.
So for the locals out there too, we've got someparking passes, just let us know.
I don't know how many we have, so it's kind offirst come first serve.
If you don't have airline tickets yet,obviously you with airline travel privileges,
(02:52):
you can jump seat, Z Fare, you know the drill,you know how to do it.
For those of you who don't have that, you canland a buddy pass really quick here shortly
before the conference.
If not, you know, it's kind of the problem withthis industry, you kind got to pay to play and
fork over some bucks to fly wherever you'regonna go conference wise.
Something that's inevitable.
Anyways, let's move on to the stuff that'sgonna help you right away for the conference or
(03:13):
prepping leading up to the conference startingon Wednesday on the sixteenth.
PAC Smart.
Alright, so we're gonna talk about clothes in aminute here.
That was a big topic in the Facebook group.
It's been a big topic every year because we'renot the conference of suit and ties.
We're the business casual or as I like to thinkit, country club pro look.
That is the way TPNx is designed.
(03:35):
If you have an interview with American, theyare doing interviews on-site.
You will be required to wear a suit and tie toyour interview.
But if you don't have an interview and youthink you might have a chance at one of those
coveted slots, I don't know how many they haveleft, I'm sure they're gonna have a couple,
they do grab people out of the meet and greetsto put them right into interview mode, you
might want to bring a suit and tie with you.
(03:55):
It's cool, we got you covered, we got storage,we've got, if you got your room close by you
can run back, you'll have ample time to change,it's not going be a superman drill, we'd never
ever suggest to do that at a conferenceanyways, it's just added stress, But this gives
you the way we operate this conference is moreof a relaxed professional feel.
We'll talk a little bit more about close, butthat's your primer on that.
(04:16):
Let's talk about all the other stuff that is agood idea.
So resumes, bring plenty of copies.
We do have a printing area, but you never knowtechnology does fail.
When you do have those resume, that's a onesheeter.
It's printed on resume paper, not some looseleaf that you found at the bottom of your kid's
school bag.
Also, this is huge because we've seen this alot with people we've talked to remove or
(04:39):
tailor the objective section.
It is critical that you don't have on there Iwant a job at Frontier Airlines and you give
that resume to an American representative orrecruiter vice versa or something like that.
That's not a good look for you.
So make sure that you look over that objectivesection and have some fresh eyes on that
spouse, a friend, somebody else just to makesure that that's taken care of.
(05:04):
Bring your log books, make sure they're tidy,they're fully updated, organized, all that kind
of stuff.
Other docs, your licenses, both your flyingpilot license and your driving license, your
passport certificates, whatever else you mayneed to bring.
I think sometimes a printed application summarymight be very useful.
All the essentials, your notebook, phonechargers, light snacks, whatever you need
(05:28):
throughout the day, that's really gonna helpyou out and keep you de stressed.
Alright, back to the big topic that everybodyhas talked about is clothes.
It's a business casual outfit, maybe one or twobackups if you're coming for multiple days or
you know it's like kids, you're coming in, ifyou're coming for socials you might want to
change at night.
The big idea here is not to dress like a slob.
You you want to have that look that you're acasual professional at an environment that you
(05:53):
can easily spin up into Superman and fly thatairplane.
And then you can you can come back and besomebody that the the recruiters want to spend
time with on the road.
That's kind of the idea of TP NEXT, that's howwe get to know people a little bit better in
that networking environment.
So you can have your suit ready, like I said,and we will store it for you.
We do have a professional photographer who'sgoing to take professional headshots, so that
(06:16):
that's the kind of look that you'd want toprovide them with that that business casual, or
as I like to say country club casual in honorof the Masters going on right now, I am
planning on hopefully getting to watch thisevening after I get all my TPN work done before
the conference.
And a couple other little things before youarrive, if you're interested in, shameless
plug, joining the premium group, the TPN Pro,you can register, log in, get into TPN Pro and
(06:42):
start perusing around there getting tips andideas, reading articles that will set you up
for success with TPNEXT.
If you have not RSVP'd for any of the or excuseme, if you haven't picked, found meet and
greets or found interview slots, excuse me, notinterview slots, whoops, meet and greet slots
for all the different airline recruiters outthere.
Highly encourage you to visit everybody.
(07:03):
This is gonna give you some some opportunity toto really learn a lot about the industry.
And then also if you're not in our Facebookgroup and stuff like that, idea to get in there
and really get through and hammer that out.
Let's plan our strategy now.
Planning your strategy is something that Icannot recommend enough no matter where you go
and what you do in this industry.
(07:23):
It's kind of like your pre flight, you know,you never go anywhere without a flight plan.
So here's how I would kind of have that flightplan is when we walk in to the conference, even
before we get there, we look who's attendingsay, okay, I've got my three or five companies
that and but this goes for recruiters and forpartner vendors that we want to see, and kind
of hit those folks early.
Now we know that some of the companies such as,let's just use Southwest for example, they have
(07:47):
scheduled meet and greets times, maybe you havethat later in the day, well you know that's
maybe gonna be one of your more, that's like apinnacle, that's the job that you've always
wanted.
So go find three to five other places that youwanna go seek out and find out what they're all
about.
This isn't a place to just come and hit oneplace and be done for the day.
This is your chance to network, you don't knowwhat those other vendors or and recruiters can
(08:09):
bring to the table for you and you don't knowwhat you can bring to the table for them.
You'll be surprised by the end of the day whatkind of opportunities you might align with that
you didn't realize that you did before youentered.
I have this big thing that I talk about openingyour aperture and seeing what's out there, what
other opportunities are available.
This is your chance to do that.
So pick three or five of those companies, maybesomething that's a little bit off the beaten
(08:30):
path or the radar that you didn't think aboutbeforehand, that's a good chance to do it.
Another thing that I want you to do is a littlebit of research, not only into the companies,
but kind of to yourself and say, okay, why do Iwant to work at one of these places?
Or what am I looking for this particular vendorcompany to help me out?
This will help you go start kind of kickconversation off in a lot of places.
(08:52):
If they ask that question, or if you want toask that question to them, I want you to grill
our vendors because they are great people whoare there to support you.
And the more questions you have for them, thebetter informed and armed you'll be as you walk
out of the conference, and we'll talk aboutthat towards the end here.
Jot down a couple of other quick questions youmay have.
And then also preparing like a quick elevatorpitch just as you get ready to chat with
(09:14):
people.
You'll see how that moves as you learn, as youdo TPNx and if you're not a familiar networker,
having that ready about kind of your yourstory, how you got there, and then being able
to listen to others and have that time, thatbandwidth be able to really pay attention to
those who you're talking to and be an activelistener and ask very positive and informed
questions is something that will go a long,long way.
(09:38):
Way more than just coming in with I want totalk about me, or I'm not somebody who likes to
chat a lot.
This is your chance to break out of that shell.
I know not everybody is an extrovert or achatty Cathy like I am, person who talks behind
a microphone, that's okay.
This is your chance to kind of break out ofthat little environment that you're in, and it
will help you immensely as you move forward andtry to find those jobs whether it's at TPNx or
(10:02):
other places.
This is what we want to hone in on.
Alright, so while we're at TPNx, first kind ofmoves that we're going do, check-in early.
I think check-in time is gonna be seven orseven thirty AM on Wednesday.
I can't really remember off the top of my head.
That schedule just came out.
If you can get there early, check-in, go getyourself a cup of joe or whatever you do
afterwards and just chill out.
(10:23):
Know, it's it's time to get to start to know afew people before we walk into the conference.
So get your badge or swag, check out the venue,scout location for everything that you need,
whether that's the laundry or the restroom, theexhibitor layout, all that kind of stuff, so
you know where to go, what to do, look at theschedule of events as far as presentations so
you can kind of time how you're going to dothings throughout the day.
(10:46):
Once we're in and things open up, meet thoserecruiters and those companies that you wanted
to talk to, those early targets, go hit themup.
Keep those conversations super focused.
It's fun to go in and ask real pointedquestions to some of our other vendors out
there, like our finance guys in ARS and TurbineCapital, and people who are there to support
(11:07):
you in other ways.
We've got all the affinity groups.
Go ask them some real questions.
You got kids who want to get involved, aregirls or women in aviation, you have friends
who are involved in OBAP or Papa or LPA oranything like that.
It's a good chance to ask them what they'redoing in this space and how you can support
them because they'll come back and support youfully with the whole weight of their
organization.
(11:27):
Another thing is take some notes, write down acouple things, grab a card, and we'll talk
about why that's important later.
And again, of course that resume stuff we'vekind of chatted about.
So there's going be a ton of differentpresentations, hit those up.
I highly encourage you to go to each one.
We're going have the volunteers kind of helpingpeople, persuading them to go to different
presentations, whether it's a recruiter thatyou want to see, a vendor that you find
(11:50):
interesting, or it's none of the above.
I highly suggest you entertain the idea ofattending those presentations.
You will learn a lot, and it's something thatmay grab you for later on in life and and you
may gain something that you didn't think youwould out of that.
That is some of that those are the places whereI learn the most.
(12:11):
So as far as networking, let's talk about this.
I want to challenge everybody to introduceyourself to at least three new people a day.
For those of you who don't know me personally,if you come up to me and you mentioned that hey
you said I should meet three new people a dayand you're one of them I want to meet, get that
little elevator pitch ready to go and let'shave a chat.
(12:31):
I'll find the first five people who do that tome, I got something kind of special I want to
give you so let's make that happen.
You have to mention to me that I heard this onthe podcast Adam, that I was supposed to meet
three new people a day and you're number one,two or three whichever one I am in that list or
if it's more even better, that's even moreawesomer.
So let's do that, let's challenge everybody outthere to meet at least three new people and
(12:54):
have that conversation.
It will go very very far in your career, trustme networking is the whole reason I get to do
this Sammy, I sit behind this microphone, helphost this beautiful and awesome conference with
all these amazing people.
It's a lot of fun and wouldn't be able to dothat without being able to network quite a bit.
Alright, so a couple other things I talkedabout visiting our support partners, chat with
(13:16):
them, ask them pointed questions.
They're there to help you and support yourcareer, whether it's at the very beginning or
towards the end, doesn't really matter.
Use our social media tag TPN, TPNx a ton.
Let's volumize this.
Let's get everybody involved.
The more people we have, the stronger ournetwork becomes.
And we can start to rely on even more folks whoare not yet correlated with TPN and that helps
(13:39):
us all.
This is not my network, is our network, we'reall part of this and the better we can make
this industry, the more fun, the moreopportunities we're gonna have, and when we
look back on our whole career, the morefulfillment I think we all will have in the
fact that we're a part of something outside ofthe flight deck, or outside of the squadron, or
(13:59):
wherever we might be in our careers.
So the social events that we're gonna have,we've got a social event hosted by our awesome
partners at Flexjet on Tuesday night.
We've got our friends at Turbine Capital andAviation Resource Strategies on Wednesday
night, and then ProFlight will be hosting on orexcuse me.
And then Pro Flight is hosting on Wednesdayafter the conference.
(14:22):
They are a ton of fun.
We normally we have a DJ, lots of good stuffgoing on in each one of these.
This is your chance to really talk to peopleoffline, outside of the conference space.
Can't recommend them enough.
The only thing I suggest to you is if the IPAsare flowing and they taste great, limit it to
one or two or whatever the number is for you tokeep it kinda cool, calm, and collected.
(14:43):
You know, sometimes we work hard and we playhard.
This is a place where we can network hard andplay responsibly.
So let's, let's leave it at that.
We trust people to be big kids and besides theyknow everybody's watching in the aviation
industry.
Recruiters have a keen eye for that stuff.
So but enjoy yourself.
This is a chance for you to to know peopleoutside of that of that workspace and that's
(15:05):
such a big deal.
Alright, now that we're all done after TPNx,this is something that's often forgotten and I
cannot recommend this highly enough.
If you have the opportunity via card, emailaddress or whatever, send a quick thank you
message within seventy two hours to whomeveryou spoke with.
(15:25):
Reference conversation to test that resume ifyou can.
Follow your recruiters and the other peoplethat you chatted with on LinkedIn and they see
a face comment, something like that.
They they may they remember you.
Your face is still recognizable.
And that's good.
Then you know, who knows?
You get a resume pulled or whatever the casemight be.
So I highly suggest doing stuff like that.
(15:46):
And then go back in the social medias, postyour key takeaways in the Facebook group, TPN
Pro, wherever it is, tag us, tag TPNx, we'lltag you guys back.
It's a lot of fun that way.
We keep that network growing and we moveforward in that in that kind of setting that we
can build up the industry that we're alwaystrying to do.
(16:07):
After everything is done, this is your chanceto take action.
If you haven't applied at some of theseairlines yet, this is your chance to toss your
application in for places that you want towork.
This is that building on that momentum andfeeling really good about where you're gonna go
in your career.
So book any follow ups with career coachingwith Spitfire Elite for instance, to start
(16:29):
getting your interview prep and all that kindof stuff going.
Any any auditing of your log books that youneed to do with like MillKeep.
Those are this is your chance to kind of moveforward with that.
And then implement all those things you'velearned.
This is this is really where that momentum willkick in and take you to that next level both
inside the cockpit and outside out in the worldof aviation writ at large, whether that's
(16:51):
personal, professional, it doesn't matter.
There's so much that we can grow from here.
So I know that's down dirty really quick.
There's way more in the guide that's been sentout.
So take a read for that if you need to print itout and kind of check things off as you go.
Awesome to do so.
But that's it.
That's the special TPNx Checklist Edition.
(17:12):
If you still don't have tickets to the eventyet, where there are still some available, you
can go over to thepilotnetwork.com and click onthe TPNx banner or or hit TPNx, I think the
link would be thepilotnetwork.combackslashtpnx.
Click on there, there's still tickets availablefor those of you who coming with spouses, we've
had some issues with the spousal tickets, justshow up, we'll take care of you and we'll make
(17:33):
sure it all works out.
So don't get too worried about any of thatstuff.
We really can't wait to see you.
This is way more than just a job fair.
This is your network.
It's just an honor for us to be a part of thatand we want to keep moving it forward, growing
and expanding.
And when you get there, just remember, you'vegot this talking to these people is a lot of
(17:54):
fun, you're going to learn a lot about theindustry and a lot about specific companies,
but you've got it if if you're asked tointerview, or if you get an interview a couple
weeks later, that's just that building onmomentum.
Anyways, if this helps share with your fellowpilots.
If you're not signed up for TPNx yet, there'sstill tickets available.
Like I said, if you have any questions, hit usup at heyguys@thepilotnetwork.com.
(18:17):
We will catch you at the International Hotel inMinneapolis International Airport on the
sixteenth and seventeenth.
And as always, keep that shiny side up, greasyside down.
Fly safe, everybody.
Welcome back to the Pilot Network Podcast, theplace where we connect aviators with the tools,
resources, and stories to help them navigatetheir careers and lives.
I, as always, am your host, Adam, co founder ofTPN for those of you didn't know.
If you want to learn more about that, you'llhear it at TPNx when we give our brief
backstory on how the pilot network started,because I know we have a lot of new listeners
(00:38):
to this episode, because we're going to dive inon how to make the most of your TPNx
experience.
This is going to be great.
I've been wanting to do this episode for alittle while.
Took a little bit of collaboration with somefriends of mine, volunteers, folks who've been
to TPNx before to bring this to life.
For those of you who are on the email list, wehave the TPNx twenty twenty five playbook that
(01:03):
will be sent out or has been sent out I thinktoday, today being Thursday April.
So you'll get that, you can click that link,open it up.
For those of you on pro, you've already seenthis, you can dive deep into it and kind of go
through the checklist and check off each piece.
So this is going to help you a lot, whetherit's your first time you're a seasoned TPNx vet
doesn't matter.
(01:24):
This episode is your checklist walkthrough, theone we sent out and designed to help you arrive
prepared, connect with intention at theconference itself, and leave with momentum.
So, if you got a pen handy, grab it, you mightwant to jot down a few notes, open up your
notes app on your phone, or just kick back.
Let's hit it and get right into it.
(01:45):
Knock this out so you guys are ready to go forTPNx twenty twenty five.
Alright, date and location for those of you whoare somehow not in the know.
April at the Intercontinental Hotel at theMinneapolis International Airport.
Let's dive into what the checklist says.
So before you arrive, if you don't have yourlogistics or travel planned yet, I would highly
suggest you get on that.
(02:05):
Hotel is, I think, sold out for theIntercontinental, but there's a lot around
there.
The Mall Of America is not too far.
There is several transportation options to andfrom the hotel.
If you're staying off-site, can book by thelight rail.
It's a couple of stops away.
The light rail in Minneapolis is really greatand it also gives you a chance to get downtown.
Check out Minneapolis which is a great city ifyou're you're able to stay a little longer and
(02:28):
check out what's going on in the downtown area.
Otherwise, your standard Uber Lyfts if you wantto get around a car, something like that.
You got a buddy or or friends that live closeby.
We've got some parking passes for them and youas well.
So for the locals out there too, we've got someparking passes, just let us know.
I don't know how many we have, so it's kind offirst come first serve.
If you don't have airline tickets yet,obviously you with airline travel privileges,
(02:52):
you can jump seat, Z Fare, you know the drill,you know how to do it.
For those of you who don't have that, you canland a buddy pass really quick here shortly
before the conference.
If not, you know, it's kind of the problem withthis industry, you kind got to pay to play and
fork over some bucks to fly wherever you'regonna go conference wise.
Something that's inevitable.
Anyways, let's move on to the stuff that'sgonna help you right away for the conference or
(03:13):
prepping leading up to the conference startingon Wednesday on the sixteenth.
PAC Smart.
Alright, so we're gonna talk about clothes in aminute here.
That was a big topic in the Facebook group.
It's been a big topic every year because we'renot the conference of suit and ties.
We're the business casual or as I like to thinkit, country club pro look.
That is the way TPNx is designed.
(03:35):
If you have an interview with American, theyare doing interviews on-site.
You will be required to wear a suit and tie toyour interview.
But if you don't have an interview and youthink you might have a chance at one of those
coveted slots, I don't know how many they haveleft, I'm sure they're gonna have a couple,
they do grab people out of the meet and greetsto put them right into interview mode, you
might want to bring a suit and tie with you.
(03:55):
It's cool, we got you covered, we got storage,we've got, if you got your room close by you
can run back, you'll have ample time to change,it's not going be a superman drill, we'd never
ever suggest to do that at a conferenceanyways, it's just added stress, But this gives
you the way we operate this conference is moreof a relaxed professional feel.
We'll talk a little bit more about close, butthat's your primer on that.
(04:16):
Let's talk about all the other stuff that is agood idea.
So resumes, bring plenty of copies.
We do have a printing area, but you never knowtechnology does fail.
When you do have those resume, that's a onesheeter.
It's printed on resume paper, not some looseleaf that you found at the bottom of your kid's
school bag.
Also, this is huge because we've seen this alot with people we've talked to remove or
(04:39):
tailor the objective section.
It is critical that you don't have on there Iwant a job at Frontier Airlines and you give
that resume to an American representative orrecruiter vice versa or something like that.
That's not a good look for you.
So make sure that you look over that objectivesection and have some fresh eyes on that
spouse, a friend, somebody else just to makesure that that's taken care of.
(05:04):
Bring your log books, make sure they're tidy,they're fully updated, organized, all that kind
of stuff.
Other docs, your licenses, both your flyingpilot license and your driving license, your
passport certificates, whatever else you mayneed to bring.
I think sometimes a printed application summarymight be very useful.
All the essentials, your notebook, phonechargers, light snacks, whatever you need
(05:28):
throughout the day, that's really gonna helpyou out and keep you de stressed.
Alright, back to the big topic that everybodyhas talked about is clothes.
It's a business casual outfit, maybe one or twobackups if you're coming for multiple days or
you know it's like kids, you're coming in, ifyou're coming for socials you might want to
change at night.
The big idea here is not to dress like a slob.
You you want to have that look that you're acasual professional at an environment that you
(05:53):
can easily spin up into Superman and fly thatairplane.
And then you can you can come back and besomebody that the the recruiters want to spend
time with on the road.
That's kind of the idea of TP NEXT, that's howwe get to know people a little bit better in
that networking environment.
So you can have your suit ready, like I said,and we will store it for you.
We do have a professional photographer who'sgoing to take professional headshots, so that
(06:16):
that's the kind of look that you'd want toprovide them with that that business casual, or
as I like to say country club casual in honorof the Masters going on right now, I am
planning on hopefully getting to watch thisevening after I get all my TPN work done before
the conference.
And a couple other little things before youarrive, if you're interested in, shameless
plug, joining the premium group, the TPN Pro,you can register, log in, get into TPN Pro and
(06:42):
start perusing around there getting tips andideas, reading articles that will set you up
for success with TPNEXT.
If you have not RSVP'd for any of the or excuseme, if you haven't picked, found meet and
greets or found interview slots, excuse me, notinterview slots, whoops, meet and greet slots
for all the different airline recruiters outthere.
Highly encourage you to visit everybody.
(07:03):
This is gonna give you some some opportunity toto really learn a lot about the industry.
And then also if you're not in our Facebookgroup and stuff like that, idea to get in there
and really get through and hammer that out.
Let's plan our strategy now.
Planning your strategy is something that Icannot recommend enough no matter where you go
and what you do in this industry.
(07:23):
It's kind of like your pre flight, you know,you never go anywhere without a flight plan.
So here's how I would kind of have that flightplan is when we walk in to the conference, even
before we get there, we look who's attendingsay, okay, I've got my three or five companies
that and but this goes for recruiters and forpartner vendors that we want to see, and kind
of hit those folks early.
Now we know that some of the companies such as,let's just use Southwest for example, they have
(07:47):
scheduled meet and greets times, maybe you havethat later in the day, well you know that's
maybe gonna be one of your more, that's like apinnacle, that's the job that you've always
wanted.
So go find three to five other places that youwanna go seek out and find out what they're all
about.
This isn't a place to just come and hit oneplace and be done for the day.
This is your chance to network, you don't knowwhat those other vendors or and recruiters can
(08:09):
bring to the table for you and you don't knowwhat you can bring to the table for them.
You'll be surprised by the end of the day whatkind of opportunities you might align with that
you didn't realize that you did before youentered.
I have this big thing that I talk about openingyour aperture and seeing what's out there, what
other opportunities are available.
This is your chance to do that.
So pick three or five of those companies, maybesomething that's a little bit off the beaten
(08:30):
path or the radar that you didn't think aboutbeforehand, that's a good chance to do it.
Another thing that I want you to do is a littlebit of research, not only into the companies,
but kind of to yourself and say, okay, why do Iwant to work at one of these places?
Or what am I looking for this particular vendorcompany to help me out?
This will help you go start kind of kickconversation off in a lot of places.
(08:52):
If they ask that question, or if you want toask that question to them, I want you to grill
our vendors because they are great people whoare there to support you.
And the more questions you have for them, thebetter informed and armed you'll be as you walk
out of the conference, and we'll talk aboutthat towards the end here.
Jot down a couple of other quick questions youmay have.
And then also preparing like a quick elevatorpitch just as you get ready to chat with
(09:14):
people.
You'll see how that moves as you learn, as youdo TPNx and if you're not a familiar networker,
having that ready about kind of your yourstory, how you got there, and then being able
to listen to others and have that time, thatbandwidth be able to really pay attention to
those who you're talking to and be an activelistener and ask very positive and informed
questions is something that will go a long,long way.
(09:38):
Way more than just coming in with I want totalk about me, or I'm not somebody who likes to
chat a lot.
This is your chance to break out of that shell.
I know not everybody is an extrovert or achatty Cathy like I am, person who talks behind
a microphone, that's okay.
This is your chance to kind of break out ofthat little environment that you're in, and it
will help you immensely as you move forward andtry to find those jobs whether it's at TPNx or
(10:02):
other places.
This is what we want to hone in on.
Alright, so while we're at TPNx, first kind ofmoves that we're going do, check-in early.
I think check-in time is gonna be seven orseven thirty AM on Wednesday.
I can't really remember off the top of my head.
That schedule just came out.
If you can get there early, check-in, go getyourself a cup of joe or whatever you do
afterwards and just chill out.
(10:23):
Know, it's it's time to get to start to know afew people before we walk into the conference.
So get your badge or swag, check out the venue,scout location for everything that you need,
whether that's the laundry or the restroom, theexhibitor layout, all that kind of stuff, so
you know where to go, what to do, look at theschedule of events as far as presentations so
you can kind of time how you're going to dothings throughout the day.
(10:46):
Once we're in and things open up, meet thoserecruiters and those companies that you wanted
to talk to, those early targets, go hit themup.
Keep those conversations super focused.
It's fun to go in and ask real pointedquestions to some of our other vendors out
there, like our finance guys in ARS and TurbineCapital, and people who are there to support
(11:07):
you in other ways.
We've got all the affinity groups.
Go ask them some real questions.
You got kids who want to get involved, aregirls or women in aviation, you have friends
who are involved in OBAP or Papa or LPA oranything like that.
It's a good chance to ask them what they'redoing in this space and how you can support
them because they'll come back and support youfully with the whole weight of their
organization.
(11:27):
Another thing is take some notes, write down acouple things, grab a card, and we'll talk
about why that's important later.
And again, of course that resume stuff we'vekind of chatted about.
So there's going be a ton of differentpresentations, hit those up.
I highly encourage you to go to each one.
We're going have the volunteers kind of helpingpeople, persuading them to go to different
presentations, whether it's a recruiter thatyou want to see, a vendor that you find
(11:50):
interesting, or it's none of the above.
I highly suggest you entertain the idea ofattending those presentations.
You will learn a lot, and it's something thatmay grab you for later on in life and and you
may gain something that you didn't think youwould out of that.
That is some of that those are the places whereI learn the most.
(12:11):
So as far as networking, let's talk about this.
I want to challenge everybody to introduceyourself to at least three new people a day.
For those of you who don't know me personally,if you come up to me and you mentioned that hey
you said I should meet three new people a dayand you're one of them I want to meet, get that
little elevator pitch ready to go and let'shave a chat.
(12:31):
I'll find the first five people who do that tome, I got something kind of special I want to
give you so let's make that happen.
You have to mention to me that I heard this onthe podcast Adam, that I was supposed to meet
three new people a day and you're number one,two or three whichever one I am in that list or
if it's more even better, that's even moreawesomer.
So let's do that, let's challenge everybody outthere to meet at least three new people and
(12:54):
have that conversation.
It will go very very far in your career, trustme networking is the whole reason I get to do
this Sammy, I sit behind this microphone, helphost this beautiful and awesome conference with
all these amazing people.
It's a lot of fun and wouldn't be able to dothat without being able to network quite a bit.
Alright, so a couple other things I talkedabout visiting our support partners, chat with
(13:16):
them, ask them pointed questions.
They're there to help you and support yourcareer, whether it's at the very beginning or
towards the end, doesn't really matter.
Use our social media tag TPN, TPNx a ton.
Let's volumize this.
Let's get everybody involved.
The more people we have, the stronger ournetwork becomes.
And we can start to rely on even more folks whoare not yet correlated with TPN and that helps
(13:39):
us all.
This is not my network, is our network, we'reall part of this and the better we can make
this industry, the more fun, the moreopportunities we're gonna have, and when we
look back on our whole career, the morefulfillment I think we all will have in the
fact that we're a part of something outside ofthe flight deck, or outside of the squadron, or
(13:59):
wherever we might be in our careers.
So the social events that we're gonna have,we've got a social event hosted by our awesome
partners at Flexjet on Tuesday night.
We've got our friends at Turbine Capital andAviation Resource Strategies on Wednesday
night, and then ProFlight will be hosting on orexcuse me.
And then Pro Flight is hosting on Wednesdayafter the conference.
(14:22):
They are a ton of fun.
We normally we have a DJ, lots of good stuffgoing on in each one of these.
This is your chance to really talk to peopleoffline, outside of the conference space.
Can't recommend them enough.
The only thing I suggest to you is if the IPAsare flowing and they taste great, limit it to
one or two or whatever the number is for you tokeep it kinda cool, calm, and collected.
(14:43):
You know, sometimes we work hard and we playhard.
This is a place where we can network hard andplay responsibly.
So let's, let's leave it at that.
We trust people to be big kids and besides theyknow everybody's watching in the aviation
industry.
Recruiters have a keen eye for that stuff.
So but enjoy yourself.
This is a chance for you to to know peopleoutside of that of that workspace and that's
(15:05):
such a big deal.
Alright, now that we're all done after TPNx,this is something that's often forgotten and I
cannot recommend this highly enough.
If you have the opportunity via card, emailaddress or whatever, send a quick thank you
message within seventy two hours to whomeveryou spoke with.
(15:25):
Reference conversation to test that resume ifyou can.
Follow your recruiters and the other peoplethat you chatted with on LinkedIn and they see
a face comment, something like that.
They they may they remember you.
Your face is still recognizable.
And that's good.
Then you know, who knows?
You get a resume pulled or whatever the casemight be.
So I highly suggest doing stuff like that.
(15:46):
And then go back in the social medias, postyour key takeaways in the Facebook group, TPN
Pro, wherever it is, tag us, tag TPNx, we'lltag you guys back.
It's a lot of fun that way.
We keep that network growing and we moveforward in that in that kind of setting that we
can build up the industry that we're alwaystrying to do.
(16:07):
After everything is done, this is your chanceto take action.
If you haven't applied at some of theseairlines yet, this is your chance to toss your
application in for places that you want towork.
This is that building on that momentum andfeeling really good about where you're gonna go
in your career.
So book any follow ups with career coachingwith Spitfire Elite for instance, to start
(16:29):
getting your interview prep and all that kindof stuff going.
Any any auditing of your log books that youneed to do with like MillKeep.
Those are this is your chance to kind of moveforward with that.
And then implement all those things you'velearned.
This is this is really where that momentum willkick in and take you to that next level both
inside the cockpit and outside out in the worldof aviation writ at large, whether that's
(16:51):
personal, professional, it doesn't matter.
There's so much that we can grow from here.
So I know that's down dirty really quick.
There's way more in the guide that's been sentout.
So take a read for that if you need to print itout and kind of check things off as you go.
Awesome to do so.
But that's it.
That's the special TPNx Checklist Edition.
(17:12):
If you still don't have tickets to the eventyet, where there are still some available, you
can go over to thepilotnetwork.com and click onthe TPNx banner or or hit TPNx, I think the
link would be thepilotnetwork.combackslashtpnx.
Click on there, there's still tickets availablefor those of you who coming with spouses, we've
had some issues with the spousal tickets, justshow up, we'll take care of you and we'll make
(17:33):
sure it all works out.
So don't get too worried about any of thatstuff.
We really can't wait to see you.
This is way more than just a job fair.
This is your network.
It's just an honor for us to be a part of thatand we want to keep moving it forward, growing
and expanding.
And when you get there, just remember, you'vegot this talking to these people is a lot of
(17:54):
fun, you're going to learn a lot about theindustry and a lot about specific companies,
but you've got it if if you're asked tointerview, or if you get an interview a couple
weeks later, that's just that building onmomentum.
Anyways, if this helps share with your fellowpilots.
If you're not signed up for TPNx yet, there'sstill tickets available.
Like I said, if you have any questions, hit usup at heyguys@thepilotnetwork.com.
(18:17):
We will catch you at the International Hotel inMinneapolis International Airport on the
sixteenth and seventeenth.
And as always, keep that shiny side up, greasyside down.
Fly safe, everybody.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com