resume tips

[SWAnnabee]

Anyone have any good advice on resumes? What type of paper is the best. What letter font, etc. Also if someone can maybe show the format of a few "winning" resumes, ie how they should be organized and content, I am sure many of us would find it very helpful.

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

K.I.S.S.

Keep it simple.

White resume paper is nice, but not necessary. Normal font. Don't make it too wordy or like a military fitrep. They just want to see at a quick glance your experience and what you've done, not that you've saved the world.

 

[English]

Kathy Sweeney at www.awriteresume.com

 

[scubabri]

I second Kathy, she is wonderful! My resume got a totalk make over and she spend a bunch of time on the phone with me. Highly recommended.

b

 

[Pez D. Spencer]

A good book to help you out with resumes and interview prep is Airline Pilot Interviews by Irv Jasinski. You can buy it through Amazon. Good sample questions, resume/cover letter advice and formats, do's and don'ts, etc. Worth the $25. Then, you can turn around and sell it to one of your friends after you get the job! Good luck.

 

[English]

I think she charges a lower fee for a critique and some polishing up.

 

[RedC5Guy]

I used Kathy and I was extremely happy with the results. Personalized service instead of filling out a form and waiting for your things to arrive. I highly recommend her services. I understand she also bakes a mean cookie!

Red

 

[Rick1128]

As for paper color. Any standard business color is acceptable. One does get tired of seeing only white paper. I do know one pilot who did his resume on florencent Orange paper for on company. But that was a special case. He had inside knowledge of how their selection process worked and used this resume to attract attention to his resume. He got the interview and got hired. But it is not reccommended. One inportant point. Use standard business size paper. Too large or small a paper size and they tend to be discarded.

Use a font type that is easy to read. San Serif's are hard on the eyes. Personally I use Times Roman and 12pt. Remember many of these people are looking at lots of resumes each day.

One thing that bugs me when I am looking through resumes is that many pilots will list their previous employers, but will not list what their job title was or what type of aircraft they flew. Another bugaboo is that some pilots will list only Total Time, PIC, SIC and such. Things like Actual IFR, Cross-country, Jet , Turboprop, simulator and night times are important items to list.

If would be a shame to miss out on a good job because someone couldn't figure out how well you were qualified and decided to thin out the pile a little.

 

[bobbysamd]

Irv Jasinski, Capt. Bob Norris, and resumes

I second Irv Jasinski 100%. His book is an absolute must-read. I used his interview prep service to get ready for an interview, and I got the job.

Someone else who is good is Captain Bob Norris in San Carlos, California. I used him to prep for an interview and I got that job. He knows all levels of aviation, and knows companies. Capt. Norris' book, The Airline Career & Interview Manual is excellent.

Don't be afraid to toot your own horn a little on your resume. Put down a few good accomplishments, e.g., college, flight school or UPT graduation with honors and/or high class standing, high GPA, flight fellowships, Employee of the Month, prestigious CAP awards, etc.

To-the-point descriptions of your work are good, e.g., from my resume, "Trained Alitalia Airlines crews using the LOFT philosophy of flight instruction."

Hope that helps some more. Good luck with your job search.