[Music] Hello, welcome back everyone to the cancel for maintenance podcast. If this is your first time joining us, we're a show that takes a behind the scenes look into their gritty, non glamorous life of aircraft maintenance. We share some laughs and part some wisdom, all in hopes of giving you that split seconds relief in your day that can hopefully prevent a mishap. I am your co-host six. I'm actually going to be solving it again for today and before I jump into today's topics, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that our work schedules are still and have been incredibly hectic over the past couple months. This has been a big whirlwind of things and it has taken a toll, a significant toll on our health and availability but I'm happy to report that we should be able to make ends meet soon and we look forward to returning you to a more regular schedule of episode releases and we appreciate your patience during this time. Today, I want to cover a deeply resonating topic that's been baking in our minds for some time and that is the importance of building strong personal and professional networks in the aviation industry. I'll dive into why this is crucial for your career and how you can effectively build these networks. Let's get into this. Why networking? What's so important about networking? More so, why is networking so important for aircraft mechanics? This may seem like a weird thing but especially because of how small the aviation industry is and we've said it on a few episodes like once your name goes out there, it cycles all throughout the aviation mechanic world but the reason why networking is so important is because in this industry or any industry really, connections can really open doors to new opportunities, it can provide support and create a sense of community. Again, in aviation where the stakes are high and the environment is constantly evolving, having a strong network can be a real game changer for you. So, say imagine you're looking for a new job and a former colleague you worked with at a previous company recommends you for a position at this new workplace. This person's endorsement can be the key to landing that interview and ultimately the job. There's always this moniker that it's not what you know, it's who you know and that's slightly true because when you're in something like you're an industry where the skills are relatively the same, right? There's a low mix but high volume of people. There's a lot of people but the differences between one to the other is like very slight. So, knowing what you know needs to be significantly different in order for that to really stand out like oh I did this. Holy crap, right? Or it's one of those extremely high demand where like finding someone of this particular mix of knowledge, wisdom and technical skill is just hard to find. Those would be the ones where you just walk in no problem but in our current state there's not a whole lot of mix. Maybe a mix of different platforms you were on but that's really about it, right? So, having someone you know who can really vouch for like this is the guy you want or this is the person you want. That helps fundamentally and I'll admit I'm one of those, right? Like I'm one of those fortunate who was able to benefit from such a network. Like one of my recent jobs that I've applied to or one of the recent jobs I've held, I was maybe resume wise like top five or fifth, top five of 30, right? So, I just like barely made the cut for an interview and if you just went off the resume there was really no standout reason why I should have been picked just based off the resume timeline and the experience. But then because there were individuals who were in there already who knew me and knew how I worked and knew what it was like working alongside me. They said hey, give this person a chance. And long story short, I got the interview and I got the job. So, having that career growth network to really kind of give you that leg up really helps. So, second of all is also the knowledge sharing and learning piece. Like consider a scenario where you're facing a tricky repair on a specific model for instance. Reaching out to a mechanic you met at a conference or someone you connected with, you learn about a unique technique that they use that saves you time and enhances your work quality. So, like that, just like it has what bit of knowledge works here, it may not be necessary useful to you at this very moment, but later in the future it does or it gets your wheelhouse thing turning as to what this could apply to something else. There's a lot of stuff that I learned for aircraft maintenance that I didn't learn from an aircraft mechanic, if that makes any sort of sense. I'm not sure if you guys ever remember like this old kid's cartoon, like the last airbender avatar, the last airbender for all the geeks out there, it's still showing on different streaming platforms. But anyways, going to that cartoon, there's a scene where one of these benders or element people he mentions he learned this new technique of how to redirect certain techniques, and he learned it from another tribe, which is mind blowing because they're like polar opposites. So, that's definitely an example of like just because it may not apply to you now, it may at least get your wheels turning to develop techniques of your own for your specific field or your specific area. And who knows you might actually be able to use this in the future. Another key element in this is a support system. So, like think about a stressful day at work, well, let's face it, there's a lot of those, perhaps like a challenging inspection or a tight deadline, having a trusted friend within your network to vent or seek advice from can really alleviate that stress and provide fresh perspective on things. And that's one of the reasons why we do what we do here as well, because we try to be that support system for you. A lot of the stuff we say can be very technical or can be very like top level stuff, right? But the idea behind having that kind of support system and us as well is we're there to kind of help you see a bigger picture of things, like look past the trees to see the forest kind of thing, right? We're here to give you that ability to vent or be able to put out like an outlet for you to find advice to help you with certain stresses. Or to give you like a laugh to let you just kind of decompress of that day. And another one for the importance of networking is that the small industry factor, again, like I said, the aviation maintenance community is very tight knit. So you ever heard the saying it's not what you know, it's who you know, as I said it before, it rings especially true here. Like, again, having that connection on a major airline, they might alert you to send job openings before they're actually listed, or they might have a way that helps you with the application process besides the typical default stuff like, hey, you've tried this, but have you tried this? An example is JS firm.com. I'm not sure how many people actually use that site. But for those who those of you who are looking for aviation or aerospace jobs, JS firm.com is definitely one of them. And we've said this in previous episodes with a faith from how to helicopter and other, another times. So having that insider knowledge of those is definitely helpful, especially when your main avenue to approach these things is so congested that high volume low mix, as I mentioned before. So how do we build this network? How do we make it happen? Since we've established the importance of it, let's talk about how you make this happen. How do you build your personal professional networks? So here's our a couple of steps. The first one is join professional organizations, right? Like becoming a member of an organization like the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, or Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, or Women Rock Wings, or Vertical Aviation International, etc. Things like that. There's so many out there. If you just google aerospace network or professional aerospace network, professional aerospace organization, there's tons and take your pick of the litter. You can do your research as you see which one is the best fit for you or which one sounds the most resonating. Either case, if you do this, like to join these things, you gain access to this wealth of knowledge. Like we went to the high healy or formerly high healy, now the Vergcon exposed by the very cool aviation international, and we're just mind blown by all the amount of experience and all these different avenues and education outlets that were readily available. And those are the type of things that you gain from going into a professional organization, because stuff that you'd feel that is not common knowledge is, or stuff that you feel is too basic. It's too simple. They explore more in depth. And another example is, I say attending a local AMFA or Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, meaning it could introduce you to a mentor who helps you navigate your career path, or it connects you to a new way of doing things. Possibly you meet someone who is a part of an organization you want to be a part of when you get insider knowledge of what that is. It's almost like getting the cheat codes to the test, really. And the second of all, I kind of mentioned it briefly in my previous point, is attend an industry event, right? Such as, again, the high, the Vergcon, or the aircraft maintenance competition, MRO Americas, MRO Europe, whichever, whichever events, they are out there, and they exist for you specifically. And this also helps for like that, that connect that professional organization link up, like picture yourself at a major aviation expo trade show convention and so forth, where you strike up a conversation with a representative from a leading aircraft organization, manufacturer, airlines, whichever. And this can be like just a casual conversation. I am so-and-so. Oh, hi, so-and-so. High five trade numbers, trade business cards, whatever. That small little chat that you that you guys have could lead to a job opportunity that you probably never considered. Another example is when we were at the Vergcon, we were talking to some individuals who we've never seen in a long time. We didn't even, we almost forgot about everything. Like, oh, hey, I remember you from such and such. Or, hey, you were part of this school when I went there at this time. Holy heck, right? And just kind of sparking a conversation, having that in-person human connection can really mean the difference. Or it can link you up to other, other type of organizations that you can really resonate with. Like say, there is no chapter of AMFA or whatever have you in your area, but they have this little startup that kind of sort of affiliates with them, so to speak, to help bridge that gap. Another one, this kind of goes a lot saying, but it's becoming more common. And I really, we really stress that you should do this, is utilize social media. It's not, it's not so strong here in the US as it is in other places, like say, Canada or Japan, but LinkedIn. Like, we, we, we, I myself, I've knocked LinkedIn a couple of times because it just looks like a lot of executive fluff, right? Or it's kind of like a ongoing resume by executive level people. And it kind of is, right? But posting about a recent certification say you'd have on LinkedIn, such as like, you just received your A&P cert, you received your, your object management professional or certified auditor, whatever, right? When you put that out there, or you put like a, a interesting project you just worked on, this can just build your personal portfolio so people can actually see stuff. So this more or less gives like proof in the pudding, so to speak, for your resume. So like say, I did, I'm aircraft from a county experience of this, or I'm an aerospace professional experience of this. And you actually post what that was, or it's not enough space within your resume because you're only allowed to have so many pages before people just lose interest and just dump it all together. Having some place to put your accomplishments, like just really dive deep into it, even like day by day of stuff can really just attract attention, right? And who knows, you might connect with an industry expert who can offer you insight to that, right? Or hey, I saw your project on this. I have, I have some feedback to it. Maybe you should try it like this next, right? Or hey, you did this, this sounds similar to what we want to do here. Can you tell us more about it? And so on and so forth. This is especially true for like software engineers or avionics people when they do like very intricate, complex stuff. And this is things that are, these are things that are very, that evolve very, very fast. So having some kind of proof, some kind of personal portfolio, it really helps sell the narrative on your resume, or for your interview, like you got proof to show. And then also for utilizing social media, you're getting a touch and creating connections with people who are not in your areas. Example is like, oh, the helicopter, or stick and stick aviation, total aviation, only fan cow, just to name a few, those individuals are nowhere near us. Or maybe, maybe except for Stig. But everyone else, they're not even in the same country as us some of the times, but we're linked with them. And we understand their situations and they share feedback with us and us to them and so forth. This helps grow that knowledge base, that support system, that knowledge share and learning and so forth. So, as fringe, air quote cringe, as some people will call social media, or it's just a bunch of wokeness or anti-wokeness, or wherever the case may be, there's definitely a lot of fluff and unnecessary noise in social media, for sure, 100%. But don't let that deter you from like the overall value that that can bring. That's free marketing right there, is social media. And then another step to help you build your network is engage in continuous learning. We always say always be learning, always keep the brain moving, because if you stop learning, then you're basically brain dead, as MVP would say in a lot of our episodes. So, keeping that continuous learning going, and for some of us, having a certain cert means we have to maintain so much continuous learning. And these are measured by a number of hours, or a number of points, whatever the case may be. It's not only encouraged, but in some place, it's mandatory for you to do this. So, like enrolling in a special training course, or attending a seminar, or going to another industry event, that's continuous learning. Because you're engaging with the industry, you're trying to be a benefit to not only yourself, but to the people around you. And engaging and enrolling, taking part in some of these specialized training, it not only boosts your skills, but also allows you to meet other people, and have those in-person connections, both mechanics and other professionals. And then it allows you to collaborate on stuff, like, "Hey, we met at this XYZ learning event, I want to do a project on this, do you want to help out, or can you help collaborate?" And so forth. That's all we get, majority of our stuff too, is we just have like this, we kind of meet, I don't say incidentally, but we meet up in all these different courses, and we find out just how everybody just sort of meshes together during these things, because I think that's how a lot of these courses try to make you do. They try to skip through the norming, storming phase, and just have you collaborate and make stuff happen. So, having all these done, not only boost your technical skill and things, or your learning capability, but also has lasting professional networks, because you can't get neck deep or heavily invested in something and not come out with some type of friends, or at least ways to find new ones. And then another way to help build your network is to volunteer, volunteer and give back, participate in mentorship programs, participate in coaching programs, do charity work with other aviation enthusiasts. A good one is like women rock wings, where they do grants, scholarships, or they have flying events, or other aviation organizations. There's so many out there. Another one we had on the show was stay aviation, where they have volunteers and they teach kids how to build aircraft, and then they teach them how to fly the aircraft they built. That's huge. And another reason why participating in these things, it only helps others, but it also expands your network again. You may meet experienced professionals who remember your contributions and think of you for future opportunities. They see how good you interact with other people. They see how well you can teach. So, there's always these individuals, especially on a resume, they say, "I'm an effective communicator. I'm an effective teacher. I am great at instructing." But are you though? Or was it the rules just worked in your favor? I'm guilty of this too. I've done it. I'm not going to lie. I'm talking shit about myself. I've fell into that hole where the rules benefited me and it was either you listen to me or you don't and you fail this bitch. So, I've been on both ends of the spectrum. But in hindsight, I became aware of this stuff because I made those networks and they've given me proper feedback in doing so. So, definitely find ways to volunteer and give back. Even if it's just a little bit of your time, like five minutes or something, like, "Hey, I'll post the bottom on social media or something." That's volunteering. It doesn't have to be so intrusive. You have to give up hours upon hours of your time because let's face it, as aircraft mechanics, we barely get any time to ourselves much less time to do anything else other than eat, sleep, work. So, those are definitely one of the ways. Volunteering, I would say, is 10 for 10. One of the best ones to do. And then, once you've built a network, there's the key one which is maintaining, maintaining, sustaining that network. It's pretty funny, right? When we have mechanics, like, we'll build networks, but once they leave our shop or they leave our areas, they can't just don't exist anymore. We kind of cut off like, "Well, you're not part of the suffering here, so why should I care?" And I admit, it goes both ways. But building a network is just the first step. Maintaining and nurturing and sustaining those relationships is equally important. So, here are some ways you can help keep your connection strong. Number one, stay in touch. Consider sending an email, a message, text, or whatever have you as a means of staying in touch with that connection or that colleague you haven't spoken to in a while. Still a chicken, right? And then, this is especially true for, say, veterans. Veterans are particularly good/terrible at this. We'll text out of the blue, "Hey, are you good?" "Yeah, I'm cool." And then you just never hear from them for another year or so. I'm guilty of this myself, too. But a simple saying, a simple note, "Hey, I saw this article with all of you." Or, "Hey, how's it going?" Or, "This little snaf would work reminded me of the stuff we used to do," et cetera, et cetera. Things of that nature. Just keep that going. Once you make it, stay in touch, keep it going. And just understand that sometimes, you know, like, we have so much going on, we can't respond right away. But definitely stay in touch. Another one is to offer help, offer help and support. If a friend in your network is looking for a job, be proactive. Help them by reviewing their resume, connecting them with someone in your circle who might have leads. Or, like, "Hey, this would help you best if you went to do this." Or, go to this event, something, right? Going back to revisiting that volunteer and give back piece. You have a network, help them out in some way. It's not just about what can you do for me, but you're more inclined to get helped by helping others. That makes sense. Another one is, like, attend meetups and reunions, if there are any, right? Like, when your old training school organizes a reunion or guys in your shop have, like, a party or something, right? Or it's been, or, like, say with people from the AMC, like, they band a group together to go compete. And then afterwards, they compete so many times and they just band never see each other again, right? Have those reunions. Have those meetups. Even if it's for a short period of time, just a quick high-five remembering a familiar face. If there is any, right? And sharing these stories and experience in person, it strengthens that bonds that can really lead to new opportunities. And then, last piece of this is, "Share Valley Boo Information." If you come across an insightful article or say this bit of information just came down the pipe and it's not readily available to everybody butch. And it's not, like, some kind of embargo or last fight thing where you are not allowed to share it. Please do. If you're able to share it, share it out for everybody, which is also what we do here on the show. When we hear different perspectives or we hear different takes on things, we share what we can. Because it's not just about our development. It's about yours, right? If you share out to your network, the network shares back. It may take a while, for sure. But giving also means you're going to get, if that makes any sort of sense. Or what you give is what you get. So building a strong personal and professional network is essential for aircraft mechanics who want to advance their careers. Even if it is just to stay within your realm, like, "I only want to wrench and that's all I want to do." But let's face it, the wrenching is not the same wrench you used to do 10 years ago. A lot of that has changed. A lot of it has advanced. So now you're you wrench now with a laser or something like that. It's a little extreme, but a lot of the stuff that we used to practice before is either obsolete or it's evolved to the point where you need to be more informed. You need to be able to adapt and overcome to the ever evolving challenges. Having these networks, both personal and professional, allows you to stay informed and find support in these challenging times in the aviation industry. By joining things like professional organizations or attending industry events, utilizing social media, engaging in continuous learning and giving back, you create this robust network that will serve you well throughout your career. And remember, once you make these connections, maintain it, maintain, sustain, nurture it, give it, give it attention, then these connections will serve long term. This will help you well into the future. And some of these, we've built some networks that we haven't touched base with in like 10 plus years. And we finally made a mission within ourselves to reignite some of these networks. And in doing so, we've discovered new opportunities both for ourselves personally, and then for other people that may benefit personally. Sorry. But hey, let us know what you guys think. What are some ways that we can build upon a network? What are some networks do you have that would be beneficial for others? And do you know of any events that can be beneficial to you or anyone else? Please share that, please share those information with us. Let us know in our comments, our social medias, our emails, our website, whichever is the easiest way for you. The absolute best way to have conversations like this and get in hold of us and interact with us is through our Discord channel, VR patreon. Our patrons have been very supportive of us and we appreciate all of it. And again, going back to the network piece, a lot of our patrons are in areas that we have never seen before. And so we have like this different perspective of things that challenge our mindset and challenge our skill set so we can continue to grow professionally and personally. So again, thank you all to our patrons for their support. And for all of you out there, please, let's all create these networks, create these communities so we can all progress. On that note, hey, thank you all again for joining us on this episode. And we look forward to see you on the next one. Bye everybody. We would like to take this time to thank our patrons for supporting our show and allowing us to make episodes maintain our gear and create merch for all of our listeners. With special thanks to Erica Laman, Chris Hawkins, Eric Shaw, Dan Schubert, Ryan Fruschauer, Kyle Keir, Mike Sherwood, Caleb Stockhill, and Jennifer Brofer. Thank you all so much for your support and patronage. If you like our show, please support us on Patreon. You'll receive awesome perks like access to our private Discord, discounts and early access to our merch, first glimpse of our comics and other projects, and so much more. You can further support us and show off your prowess as an aircraft specialist by visiting our shop at councilfermaintenance.com. If you like classy or rugged watches, visit our affiliate RockwellTime at RockwellTime.com. Use the code CX, the number four MX to save 10% off your total order. If you have suggestions for the show or you like to be a guest on the show, send us a line on our contact us section at councilfermaintenance.com and we'll do what we can to get both your ideas and yourself on the show. Please support us on social media like Facebook at Council for Maintenance, Instagram at C-A-N-X for maintenance podcasts or Twitter at CX-M-X podcasts. Please check out our new comics series on the tapas app. Like, share, subscribe, and comment on our comics. Let us know what you think. Thank you all so much for your support and listenership And we will catch you all next time.
