Boston Spotlight: HOW 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN AVIATION HAS HELPED JACINTA DOOLEY LEAD BOSTONAIR IRELAND

Q: Hello Jacinta, could you provide some detail on your life away from work? Which hobbies and pursuits do you enjoy?

A: I am a keen gardener & I have a very high maintenance garden that keeps me very busy each year from early Spring to Autumn.  Although it is hard work, I have a lot of enjoyment when I see the transformation each year and I can spend most of my free time there when the weather is nice.

Q: What is your professional background and can you detail your career to date?

A: I have been in Aviation for nearly 30 years. I began my career straight after finishing school with an Administrative role at Shannon Aerospace, back in the mid-1990’s. From there, I took flight and changed career paths to try my hand as cabin crew, starting off at Gulf Air in Bahrain & ending up on various contracts, to which I found myself based in London Gatwick during a seasonal downturn and ended up taking on a role with Virgin Atlantic. My feet were firmly on the ground as a Lounge Agent in their Clubhouse at Gatwick Airport.

After five years, I moved back to Ireland and joined Sky Handling Partner Ground Handling in Dublin Airport as a Duty Manager/Key Accounts Manager. After a short career break to assist with our family business, I found myself working in recruitment for Sigma Aviation Services, specializing in both Flight Crew & Maintenance recruitment on both contract & permanent placements roles worldwide.

With the experience gained from Sigma Aviation Services, I moved to a role with Parc Aviation Ltd, within their Flight Crew Recruitment division. Commencing work on contract roles with European clients, I moved to other positions within my 7 years at Parc Aviation such as Co-Ordinator for our Japan clients, working in the Permanent Placement division specializing in all levels of positions to Executive Recruitment of Post Holder roles. From this, I was appointed the role of Operations Manager for CAE Parc Crew Resource area.

Q: Did you always intend to have a career in recruitment? And in particular, Aviation?

A: No, I always say “I fell into this career” as I had applied for a job with Sigma Aviation Services as a Flight Dispatcher (a qualification I had gained from my days in Sky Handling Partner Ltd), but when I met with the management team in Sigma Aviation Services, they spoke to me about a role within recruitment as they felt I had the key skills for it.

I come from a strong aviation background as my father worked within the industry for over 50 years. When he was working with Aer Lingus as an Aircraft Engineer, we travelled around the world with him on various assignments, so I was accustomed to travelling from a very early age.  My best memory is of my dad walking me along the wing of a B747 aircraft while it was in the hangar. As a young child, I thought he owned it, I would have only been 7 years old at the time & I still remember it so clearly.

Q: What is your personal style as a recruiter, and what approach do you find works in your search for candidates?

A: I think my personal style is constructed of communication, honesty and building relationships.  When searching for candidates, I think the most important factor is understanding the companies culture in which I am recruiting & ensuring the profile of the candidate will match both the client and the candidate. Although the key skills of the role in which I am recruiting for are of great importance, I always think it is even more important than the candidate would be a good match for the culture of the client company.

Q: What does Bostonair’s Ireland offer and why is it important for organisations to consider using it’s services?

A: Bostonair Ireland offers a One Stop Shop of services; recruitment (Temporary, permanent and executive search, a provision of high-quality tech reps and consultants, we are EASA Part 147 & 145 approved to provide training through Bostonair Group (BTTL) and line maintenance capabilities through our various line stations across Europe. Our focal point is to ensure our clients are provided with excellent service, prompt response to all enquiries and a guaranteed solution.

Q: What are you most proud of achieving during your time with Bostonair to date?

A: Given the Bostonair Ireland office was only opened 6 months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the industry, the biggest achievement was to still be able to welcome new customers & be able to offer solutions to their recruitment needs given the many issues caused by the pandemic, especially when it came to the travel restrictions. This has contributed to building key client relationships which I expect will only grow stronger.

Q: What has working for Bostonair been like for you, and what would you recommend to others about the business?

A: Heading up a local office in Dublin, I have found the Bostonair management team and my colleagues are extremely supportive. I have built and nurtured excellent relationships with people across the business, from both our UK & German offices and I definitely feel and recognise the teamwork and support on a daily basis.

Q: Lastly, what else would you like to achieve in your career? Do you have any future aspirations?

A: Given my career to date within this industry, my future aspiration would be to build the Bostonair Ireland brand & become the supplier of choice locally.

Find out more about Bostonair Ireland at www.bostonair.ie. If you would like to discuss how Bostonair can help you with recruitment, training or line maintenance, please get in touch.