Resume Pointers

[ShyFlyGuy]

Hello, gentlemen. I have the opportunity to have my resume walked-in at a dream-job! It is only flying a Citation V, but the company... ugh... absolutely a dream job. I've flown 135 and 121 all my short life, and everything there is pretty standard. I believe my resume is on the right track, but I don't know what to put for flight time experience. For the 121 and 135 jobs, there were clear-cut requirements and minimums. Now I'm well clear of any possible minimums except jet time. What do I put for flight experience?

Total Time, PIC, SE, ME, Turbine, Turbine PIC... what else? Should I leave any of them out? Single Engine, maybe?

Anyhow, I appreciate your advice in advance.

Yours,

Shy

 

[SNAFU22]

Your thinking about it too much. Just put down your basic times, i.e. TT, PIC, ME, Inst, Turbine etcetera. If your bud is walking in your resume, good chance you'll get some face time with who's doing the hiring.

If they like you, then you'll be filling out all your times their looking for on the insurance pilot history form.

Good Luck!

 

[rumrnr78]

I would think Turbine PIC (prop or jet) is all they need as far as flight time. A strong customer service policy would be a close second. Turbine PIC answers all the night, IFR, multi-engine questions. Good luck-

 

[westshan]

The basic facts, as others said. Stress safety and customer service, CRM, total quality management, the company mission, etc.. Think.....well.....like a corporate employee. HR types downtown will likely be reading it, too. Buy an English major bud a beer or two and have him/her check the picky little stuff. Don't obsess, though. Many aviation managers don't have perfect grammar, IMHO. Sounds like you have plenty of quality experience for the job. Relax and best of luck!

 

[WWDriver]

I will share with you some of the things that I like to see when accepting resumes. We are a jet operator. These thoughts are not in any particular order of importance.

• The very top of the resume should clearly have your name, address, all phone numbers, and e-mail address.

• The section below your name should have your ratings, and your break down of times (see below). Flight time and ratings are the first things I want to see. Make it easy for me.

• For single engine, simply total SE time. It doesn’t make much difference to me what type of SE it is. This is obviously different if you are applying for a single engine job or possibly that first piston twin job.

• Total ME time.

• Total turbo-prop time. List aircraft that you have time in and how much time.

• Total jet time. List aircraft that you have time in and how much time.

• PIC time. Total, turbo-prop, and jet.

• Instrument time

• Night time

• Type rating(s)

• Training. List simulator training, aircraft type, where you got it (Flight Safety etc), and when. Other things that should be included, if you have them, are RVSM, altitude chamber, high altitude sign off, etc.

• Employment history. List the companies that you have worked for by name, the beginning and ending dates of employment, your position (Captain, SIC, Chief Pilot, Etc.), and the type of equipment you were flying.

I have gotten resumes from guys with 1500-2000 TT who claim XXX hours of Citation (or Lear, or whatever) time, but have never held a flying job besides flight instructing. Did they really have that Citation time? Maybe. The point is, no place on the resume showed a job that could possibly have involved Citation time. Make sure anything that is to your advantage is easily connected for the person reviewing YOUR qualifications.

Spelling and grammar DO count. Would one error cause your resume to be discarded? Probably not. However, a resume that is full of misspellings and grammatical errors says to the reviewer that you do not care enough about the job to invest some time presenting yourself in the best light. Use spell check. Then have a friend, who can spell and uses proper grammar, check it for you. Then have another friend do the same again. Once you develop a strong resume, very small changes, or possibly no changes at all, will work for most jobs in similar segments of aviation.

You should send a very short cover letter. This is not the time to bloviate.

Unless otherwise requested, don’t send your references and letters of recommendation with the initial resume. They will come later in the hiring process.

Never lie. I can tell by the time we start taxing if a guy has inflated his qualifications by any amount significant enough to change the hiring process. So can the instructors at the training centers.

I hope this gives you some ideas. I typed this in a hurry and may have missed something. It always amazes me the number of grossly low quality resumes that I receive.
Good luck to you.

 

[Rick1128]

I will share with you some of the things that I like to see when accepting resumes. We are a jet operator. These thoughts are not in any particular order of importance.

• The very top of the resume should clearly have your name, address, all phone numbers, and e-mail address.

• The section below your name should have your ratings, and your break down of times (see below). Flight time and ratings are the first things I want to see. Make it easy for me.

• For single engine, simply total SE time. It doesn’t make much difference to me what type of SE it is. This is obviously different if you are applying for a single engine job or possibly that first piston twin job.

• Total ME time.

• Total turbo-prop time. List aircraft that you have time in and how much time.

• Total jet time. List aircraft that you have time in and how much time.

• PIC time. Total, turbo-prop, and jet.

• Instrument time

• Night time

• Type rating(s)

• Training. List simulator training, aircraft type, where you got it (Flight Safety etc), and when. Other things that should be included, if you have them, are RVSM, altitude chamber, high altitude sign off, etc.

• Employment history. List the companies that you have worked for by name, the beginning and ending dates of employment, your position (Captain, SIC, Chief Pilot, Etc.), and the type of equipment you were flying.

I have gotten resumes from guys with 1500-2000 TT who claim XXX hours of Citation (or Lear, or whatever) time, but have never held a flying job besides flight instructing. Did they really have that Citation time? Maybe. The point is, no place on the resume showed a job that could possibly have involved Citation time. Make sure anything that is to your advantage is easily connected for the person reviewing YOUR qualifications.

Spelling and grammar DO count. Would one error cause your resume to be discarded? Probably not. However, a resume that is full of misspellings and grammatical errors says to the reviewer that you do not care enough about the job to invest some time presenting yourself in the best light. Use spell check. Then have a friend, who can spell and uses proper grammar, check it for you. Then have another friend do the same again. Once you develop a strong resume, very small changes, or possibly no changes at all, will work for most jobs in similar segments of aviation.

You should send a very short cover letter. This is not the time to bloviate.

Unless otherwise requested, don’t send your references and letters of recommendation with the initial resume. They will come later in the hiring process.

Never lie. I can tell by the time we start taxing if a guy has inflated his qualifications by any amount significant enough to change the hiring process. So can the instructors at the training centers.

I hope this gives you some ideas. I typed this in a hurry and may have missed something. It always amazes me the number of grossly low quality resumes that I receive.
Good luck to you.

Having been on the hiring side of the desk, I agree with much of what WW states. However, I do disagree with some of it. You don't need to discuss SE time at all, unless the job includes SE flying. I do not need to know SEL-R or SEL-Complex or SES for most jobs. If the job ad asks for SE time then give it to them.

Put your type ratings with your certificates on the resume. Also include your medical, passport with exp. date, no number (What you don't have one? get it now) plus your radio telephone operator's permit (it's required for international operations).

Do not break out your turboprop or jet times by type, UNLESS the employer asks for a specific minimum time in type.

As for schools, most employers, in today's current insurance climate, assume you have sim based training. You may be asked to provide proof of that training during the interview.

Remember ONE page resumes only.

As for resume times. Be HONEST and within the definition of the FAR's. There are too many ways to trip up and get your resume $h t canned.