Aviation Resume

[Groundpounder]

Does anyone have a good aviation resume format? I have a pretty good looking one now, but it is a full page, without any space for flight time. How important is it to give details of my past work experence?

Thanks

 

[rumpletumbler]

http://www.awriteresume.com/pilot.htm

 

[Rick1128]

From being on both sides of that desk, I will pass on a few of my pet peeves from resumes I have looked over.

First, they list their pilot jobs but not the type aircraft they flew for the company. I really don't care how much time they have in each type of aircraft. I much rather know what types of aircraft they used to make a living with.

Next, they list their employer, but not location. Most small companies nat not nationally known.

Next, is incomplete flight time break downs. I have way too many resumes with only total time, PIC, SIC and MEL. You need to include Actual instrument, simulator, cross-country, night, Turboprop and jet. There is no need to include time in type, unless that company is requiring time in type.

Personal section is a no-no now. Many companies will discard a resume that has that due to legal issues.

hope that helps.

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

I think groundpounder is asking about what should go on a starter job resume (flight instructor or something like that)?

 

[Groundpounder]

I think groundpounder is asking about what should go on a starter job resume (flight instructor or something like that)?

Exactly. Also, I don't want to pay for someone to make one for me, like the link in the first reply offers.

If someone just wants to PM me their resume, that would be cool, just take your personal info off.

 

[TonyC]

Exactly. Also, I don't want to pay for someone to make one for me, like the link in the first reply offers.

If someone just wants to PM me their resume, that would be cool, just take your personal info off.

Yeah, no sense in doing it right the first time - - we all need to learn from our OWN bad experiences.


What's the old saying? You get what you pay for.



Seriously... if you want the job, consider the cover letter and resume as critical investments. You'll never regret it.

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

Seriously... if you want the job, consider the cover letter and resume as critical investments. You'll never regret it.

Not to sound skeptical, but do you really think paying $150 for a resume and cover letter is critical to getting a beginning CFI job? Plus, it is hard to figure out how to fit flying times and ratings into a normal resume layout.

 

[Groundpounder]

Yeah, no sense in doing it right the first time - - we all need to learn from our OWN bad experiences.


What's the old saying? You get what you pay for.



Seriously... if you want the job, consider the cover letter and resume as critical investments. You'll never regret it.

For one, I don't have the money to spend on something like that. I have a good one now that my college put together for me, and it looks great, so why should I go ahead and waste my money on a whole new one? I suppose I should spend $20,000 on a job, right?

 

[I.P. Freley]

Dude... If you just make one on the same format as that shown in the AirInc book, you'll have no problem... Esp. for a CFI job. If you need an example, PM me and I'll send you one of my old ones (though I hope you don't use my quals and all that LOL).

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

AirInc book?

 

[FN FAL]

Its a good thing there aren't more critical thinkers in aviation.

I would use this method for discovering what stuff should go on your resume.

1. Cluster.

2. Analyze.

3. Prioritize.

No...maybe the 5 "W's" will work instead.

1. Who

2. What

3. When

4. Where

5. What

Hmmmm...maybe a university class in Technical Writing or in something similar will work for you.

 

[rumpletumbler]

How about gump?

gregarious
undulating
mothers
petunia

 

[FN FAL]

How about gump?

gregarious
undulating
mothers
petunia

That's the one I was looking for!

 

[TonyC]

Not to sound skeptical, but do you really think paying $150 for a resume and cover letter is critical to getting a beginning CFI job? Plus, it is hard to figure out how to fit flying times and ratings into a normal resume layout.

In the first place, a quick visit to the website reveals the rate is $100, and that includes a personal consultation. The product will be the absolute best presentation of your unique talents and skills, and it will put the absolute best face on YOU.

In the second place, no, it's not critical. In fact, if you wind up not getting the job, I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons that you can think of to explain the failure. Blame it on timing, blame it on not having the right amount of the right kind of time, blame it on your blood type. Bottom line is, though, you'll never know.

Invest in the resume, and I guarantee you, you'll never wonder "Maybe if I had given them a more professional resume..." or "I wonder if using that service could have improved my chances."

A hundred bucks. A career. A few trips to McDonald's. You make the call.

That's just my opinion, and it ain't worth 2 cents.

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

In the first place, a quick visit to the website reveals the rate is $100, and that includes a personal consultation.

I specified resume ($100) and cover letter ($50). But this is useless nitpicking.

In the second place, no, it's not critical. In fact, if you wind up not getting the job, I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons that you can think of to explain the failure. Blame it on timing, blame it on not having the right amount of the right kind of time, blame it on your blood type. Bottom line is, though, you'll never know.

Invest in the resume, and I guarantee you, you'll never wonder "Maybe if I had given them a more professional resume..." or "I wonder if using that service could have improved my chances."

A hundred bucks. A career. A few trips to McDonald's. You make the call.

That's just my opinion, and it ain't worth 2 cents.

I would agree with you that if you are going for a job that isn't a random flight school, $150 for a professional resume is critical (You and I agree on this point, so lets not go there). It's just that with 300 hrs and a COM/CFI under your belt, it's going to be searching everywhere that gets you your first job, not your 30 hours in the arrow and 270 hours in the 172/152.

$100 is alot of stamps, envelopes, and printer paper

 

[bobbysamd]

Home-brew v. professionally-written resume

First off, here's my format:

Your name in large letters
Address
Phone number
Cell number
e-mail

(The above should be centered on the page)

Objective: Professional Pilot Employment (or Flight Officer) (Flight Instructor if it is for that job)

Certificates and Ratings: Pilot certificates and ratings, instructor certificate and ratings, First Class Medical, Ground instructor certificate and ratings, A & P, FCC Radiotelephone Permit, etc.

Flight Time: (center the total, something like, "Total 4565)
Then break it down into PIC, multi, instrument, cross-country, night, dual given, etc. You want to set up nicely-tabulated columns, with the most significant times highest up. Unfortunately, for a new pilot, there usually isn't much significant, i.e., marketable, flight time.

Experience: State your employers and dates of employment. Last employer first. Describe your job duties briefly and succinctly and aircraft flown, e.g. "Trained ab initio Alitalia crews using the line-oriented flight training philosophy. Aircraft flown: PA-44, PA-28-160, MO20."

Then, Technical Training. List your school and/or source of training.

Education: Put down your college, degree earned and major. If you graduated cum laude and had a high GPA, put it down. That is a major plus, no matter when you graduated.

Personal info: Date of birth, etc. Some people disagree with stating personal info for EEOC and ADEA reasons.

Finally, at the bottom:

Availability: Immediate

I see no need to waste a line by saying that your references are available on request. Everyone has references. They know you have references.

The examples are actual from my resume.

Keep it simple and to the point. Above all, keep it to one page. Don't get too fancy with fonts.

Part of being a professional includes being able to prepare one's resume. It is part of the repertoire. Having said that, without having proper guidance it can be hard to prepare a resume for an entry-level job. New flight instructors, unfortunately, are a dime a dozen, but a professional can spot things in one's background not ordinarily considered that can set one apart from the masses. Many people have transferable skills that might call for a functional instead of a chronological resume. For these reasons, a consultation with a resume expert might be valuable to at least get started properly, and maybe minimize much of the wheel-spinning associated with getting the first job.

Only my $0.02. Hope this helps. Good luck with your job search.

 

[vetteracer]

Well, if you think the $150.00 is expensive, what did your training cost?

The Resume is well worth the money and you could update it as you career progresses.

One thing that helped having someone else write your resume was that they can view you from an outside perspective and describe you in a way that you may not have thought.

Just my thoughts

Mark

 

[FN FAL]

Well, if you think the $150.00 is expensive, what did your training cost?

The Resume is well worth the money and you could update it as you career progresses.

One thing that helped having someone else write your resume was that they can view you from an outside perspective and describe you in a way that you may not have thought.

Just my thoughts

Mark

Fu<k that noise...if his resume aint worth 100.00 bucks...why would a guy want to walk in off the street and fork out five thousand hard earned dollars to learn from him?

Resume WANTER....I guess one point that might be going over some people's heads here with the 100.00 resume consultation...and this is IF you are a critical thinker...maybe after you pay this clown to show you how to do your resume and if you stay awake and pay attention...then maybe you'll know how to freaking do it yourself the NEXT TIME!

Dammmm...I don't even go to chuch on Sunday and at least I know that if a guy learns how to fish, he don't have to be bugging Jesus for some freebies.

Either shell out the money to a pro, teach your self how to do it, or get good enough in the sack to get some slice to do it for ya.

 

[rumpletumbler]

http://www.thecfi.com/resume_service.htm

That one is free.

edit....Oh...sorry that is to post your resume for free.

 

[majortool]

For one, I don't have the money to spend on something like that. I have a good one now that my college put together for me, and it looks great, so why should I go ahead and waste my money on a whole new one? I suppose I should spend $20,000 on a job, right?

I don't get it. If you have a good resume that your college put together for you, then why are you asking for another way to put it together? Did your college not help you with an aviation one?

 

[I.P. Freley]

Doesn't sound like they did. He mentioned having difficulty incorporating his "hours grid" in the resume.I'll say it again... Spending $100 or more for a resume to get a FLIGHT INSTRUCTING job is a little over-the-top, IMHO. Save your pennies and get a "better" resume when you look for that airline job, though in all seriousness, the resume isn't likely what will get you the call for an interview in this business, it's the numbers in that grid and who walks it in for you.

Just make sure your spelling and grammar are correct, and don't worry about the rest. Oh, and don't fudge your time, either, or "project" in the assumption that you'll have the required hours sometime before you actually get called. A friend of mine got berated at his XJT interview for not meeting the minimums at interview time, as he'd "projected" ahead and got called too soon. In addition, he got hollered at for not using the non-rev ticket he was issued to get to Houston, having used a buddy pass to come in the night before his flight. The recommendation letters he had, from at least three XJT captains (one of which was a top-100 pilot on their list, if memory serves) did him no good when the interviewers launched into him about his flight time and his not using the company-supplied ticket.

 

[TonyC]

... the resume isn't likely what will get you the call for an interview in this business, it's the numbers in that grid and who walks it in for you.

Just make sure your spelling and grammar are correct, and don't worry about the rest.

Poppycock !


Spelling and grammar aren't important, it's just the numbers in that grid thing-a-muh-jiggy. Just get them right, and your inn.


Everybody nos ewe don't hafta be able too right or spell two fly airplanes.


It's all about numbers.

 

[Groundpounder]

I don't get it. If you have a good resume that your college put together for you, then why are you asking for another way to put it together? Did your college not help you with an aviation one?

I went to a non-aviation school.

 

[KiloBase]

Sample Resume

Check out www.aptap.org. go to the home page and there are links for sample stuff.

Mark

 

[BoDEAN]

What is the proper way to follow up on a) sending a resume and b) calling back a month or two after initial contact with a company you sent a resume to?

 

[bobbysamd]

Resume followups

A lot would depend on the company. For instructing, you probably could call the Chief Instructor. Introduce yourself, ask if he/she has received your resume, and ask if he/she can use your services. Don't feel bad if the Chief Instructor does not remember your name; after all, he/she undoubtedly receives umpteen zillions of resumes. You could then follow-up with an update cover letter and updated resume. More on that below.

There is mixed opinion about whether to make phone calls to regional airline H.R. I always learned that doing so is a major no-no, guaranteed to ensure your name is blacklisted at that airline with your file being sh!tcanned, and the only correct way is to followup by mail. Even now, I don't think I'd do it and would followup by mail.

Here's a followup cover letter form:


September 9, 2004


Joe Blow, Chief Pilot
ZoomAir Commuter Airlines
123 Fourth Street
Anytown, USA

Dear Captain Blow:

Further to our telephone conversation of September 9, 2004, I should like to update my pilot application of June 9, 2004 with the enclosed resume. I have added flight time and have earned my ATP certificate.

I have flown an additional 300 hours for a total of 1600 total hours. Since June 9, 200 of these hours have been in multiengine equipment, for a total of 500 multiengine hours. On August 30, 2004, I passed my ATP multiengine practical test.

I am continuing to do everything possible to make myself a strong candidate for employment with ZoomAir Commuter Airlines. I hope you will keep me in mind as you select candidates for First Officer interviews. Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,

BoDEAN


There is discussion elsewhere on the board on cover letters. The general consensus would be to tailor them to the company in line with your general form and to keep them to the point.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your job search.