Job contest lets bloggers become pilots

The deadline for the Best Job in the World may have passed weeks ago, but those looking for a contest-based change of career needn’t fear: a new one was just announced that promises the chance to become an airplane pilot. Malaysian airline AirAsia recently launched the “So You Wanna Be a Pilot?” contest, by which it’s offering 10 people the chance to become a pilot. No experience or training is necessary; all contestants must do is submit a blog entry between 1 April and 15 May explaining why they deserve the opportunity. They must also meet a set of minimum requirements, such as being aged 18 to 28, having a good command of both English and Bahasa Malaysia, and having a minimum height of 163 cm. Ten winners will be selected, entitling them to attend the first round of selection for AirAsia’s new pilot intake program and spend a day with a select group of pilots at AirAsia Academy. A place in the pilot training program is not guaranteed, but applicants will have a chance to dig further into the profession and maybe even have a go at computer pilot simulation series. “The road after this is yours and yours alone,” the site explains. “We will pave the way but you have to do the running till the end.” Whereas the Best Job in the World was designed to focus attention on the Great Barrier Reef Islands, AirAsia’s program is more of a fresh twist on the traditional recruitment process. And if that twist can work for hiring new pilots, what’s to say it couldn’t be used—with varying degrees of modification—to find your next blogger, marketing manager or sysadmin? Be inspired! Spotted by: Judy McRae