Resume Writer
Registered User
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2004
- Posts
- 1,121
As I said before, all I can report on are my "theories" and what I have seen in my candidates that have secured interviews.
As stated in my previous post, try for a Check Airman spot "if it is possible." If not, look for a committee on your union, whether it be a technical spot or a hotel committee. If you are in a corporate position, and your position is Chief Pilot, then you need to be detailing things like proposals you have put together for acquisition of aircraft, new procedures you have implemented, etc. If you have perfect attendance, put it down.
I have not looked at the application since it first came out, so I am not sure how much space there is for information like that. But if there is room, put down any significant contributions you have made to make your company or operation better.
When I write resumes for my pilot clients, the main thing I ask about is what they have done in addition to flying. I tell them exactly what someone else said on here, "What makes you different and standout from everyone else?"
On another note, Walden said "If everyone has a similar background it makes it tough to compare all the available applicants fairly." Perhaps I am not reading that right, but I am going to reply to this from what I perceive is being said.
There is info out there that I believe is incorrect. You are not in competition with other applicants; you are in competition with yourself. When the information goes to the hiring board, they do not compare candidate X with candidate Y. They take the recommendations and observations from everyone that participated in your interview and make a decision.
Now, the one thing I will say is if SWA only had 10 positions to fill, then there would be some comparison. But we all know that is not the case right now.
If SWA had 10 interviews in one day, and all 10 people were outstanding, they would take all of them. The reason behind this is simple; the faster they get people hired and into the pool, the more focus they can put on other matters.
Understand that recruitment is a non-revenue generating position. Management at any airline would like nothing more than to cut the costs of interviewing and hiring. They have to pay a Captain (or two) to step off the line, use reserves that take additional pilots out of the operation, and cause stress on the airline if there are irregular ops, pay someone to do the searches for candidates, call them and set up interviews; the list of costs goes on.
It would be in their best interest to hire as many candidates as possible to meet their hiring quota. It costs them nothing once you are in the pool.
Anyway, these are just the rantings of a very tired resume writer late at night!
I may not be right on all accounts, but as I said before, I am just trying to figure out the magic formula like everyone else! 
Kathy
As stated in my previous post, try for a Check Airman spot "if it is possible." If not, look for a committee on your union, whether it be a technical spot or a hotel committee. If you are in a corporate position, and your position is Chief Pilot, then you need to be detailing things like proposals you have put together for acquisition of aircraft, new procedures you have implemented, etc. If you have perfect attendance, put it down.
I have not looked at the application since it first came out, so I am not sure how much space there is for information like that. But if there is room, put down any significant contributions you have made to make your company or operation better.
When I write resumes for my pilot clients, the main thing I ask about is what they have done in addition to flying. I tell them exactly what someone else said on here, "What makes you different and standout from everyone else?"
On another note, Walden said "If everyone has a similar background it makes it tough to compare all the available applicants fairly." Perhaps I am not reading that right, but I am going to reply to this from what I perceive is being said.
There is info out there that I believe is incorrect. You are not in competition with other applicants; you are in competition with yourself. When the information goes to the hiring board, they do not compare candidate X with candidate Y. They take the recommendations and observations from everyone that participated in your interview and make a decision.
Now, the one thing I will say is if SWA only had 10 positions to fill, then there would be some comparison. But we all know that is not the case right now.
If SWA had 10 interviews in one day, and all 10 people were outstanding, they would take all of them. The reason behind this is simple; the faster they get people hired and into the pool, the more focus they can put on other matters.
Understand that recruitment is a non-revenue generating position. Management at any airline would like nothing more than to cut the costs of interviewing and hiring. They have to pay a Captain (or two) to step off the line, use reserves that take additional pilots out of the operation, and cause stress on the airline if there are irregular ops, pay someone to do the searches for candidates, call them and set up interviews; the list of costs goes on.
It would be in their best interest to hire as many candidates as possible to meet their hiring quota. It costs them nothing once you are in the pool.
Anyway, these are just the rantings of a very tired resume writer late at night!
I may not be right on all accounts, but as I said before, I am just trying to figure out the magic formula like everyone else! Kathy
...in this case no one on here has the definitive answer & there isn't one (thank goodness). Sorry for the long response but the frustration of not getting called when others are that appear to have less quals than oneself or after getting turned down after going through this process is indeed a challenge to keep one's psyche intact. 
