Should I Include This On a Resume...

[uwochris]

Hey guys,

I will be graduating from University this Spring, and have been trying to prepare my resume and cover letter. I have some questions that I hope you can shed some light on.

1. Since first year, I have been at the very top of my class (#1 every year). My average has been around 90%. I have received numerous scholarships, including several aviation-related ones. Is this something I should put on my resume, or leave it for the cover letter? (i.e what about the non-aviation related ones?)

My fear is that I do not want to come off sounding arrogant. I am really proud of my work ethic and I want companies to know about it. What is the best way for me to include this kind of info?

Some people have even told me that many companies won't care at all, and that I will only be hurting myself by including this type of info. Comments?

2. I have 1 job which is aviation-related- working as a summer flight ops intern with my flight school. All my other work experience is non-aviation related: paper route, babysitting, fast food, physical labour (working in corn fields, cutting grass, etc), shelf stocker at Canadian Tire, and summer camp supervisor for a day care centre. Should I even mention any of this experience, or should I just mention something briefly in the cover letter?

Anyway, I hope some of you can share your opinions with me.

Thanks in advance.

Chris.

 

[Delta3]

Since you are a graduating student, maybe you should list these things on your resume:

Objective
Education
Work Experience (I would just put full time, career orientated jobs here)
Honors/Awards
Activities
Coursework/Computer Skills

That's great you excelled academically and you should definately put in on your resume, not cover letter. I would put Dean's list type of awards along with your GPA in your eduication category, then put all your scholarship info in your awards category.

 

[Mogus]

Putting that on your resume won't make you sound arrogant. The purpose of a resume is to sell yourself, to show off your accomplishments, abilities and skills. The time to show your humility is in the interview, NOT in the resume.

 

[bobbysamd]

Resume inclusions

1. Since first year, I have been at the very top of my class (#1 every year). My average has been around 90%. I have received numerous scholarships, including several aviation-related ones. Is this something I should put on my resume, or leave it for the cover letter? (i.e what about the non-aviation related ones?)

Absolutely put it on your resume. Academic achievements, honors, high GPA, high class standings are appropriate inclusions for a resume. These things demonstrate that you can achieve and succeed.

My fear is that I do not want to come off sounding arrogant. I am really proud of my work ethic and I want companies to know about it.

Absolutely. If you don't toot your horn, no one else will toot it for you.

I have 1 job which is aviation-related- working as a summer flight ops intern with my flight school. All my other work experience is non-aviation related: paper route, babysitting, fast food, physical labour (working in corn fields, cutting grass, etc), shelf stocker at Canadian Tire, and summer camp supervisor for a day care centre. Should I even mention any of this experience . . .

You most certainly should mention it. You are a young person, and would not be expected to have significant business experience. Putting your work experience on your resume will show that you are willing to work, that you are willing to work hard, and that you are not a prima donna who's afraid to get his/her hands dirty.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your upcoming job search. Congratulations on your excellent academic achievements.

 

[350DRIVER]

By all means you should include that, you need to make yourself stand out above the rest. I would not even think twice about this one. I would just make sure that you do not write a book when you compose the cover letter, leave the important stuff for the text of the resume. The main purpose of the cover letter should be to attract the attention of the recruiter and make him want to continue on to the resume. I would keep the cover letter somewhat short, sweet, eye-catching, and a brief overview on why the company should hire you. One could be a great pilot but without a decent cover letter/resume you most likely will not get a call for the interview. Also if you know someone on the "inside" surely ask them to extend you a favor and have them write you a LOR and also have them walk the resume in to the right people... I never knew how important this was until very recently when I saw first hand what a "flood" of resumes look like coming through a fax machine at a busy company.

best of luck to you,

3 5 0

 

[hydroflyer]

Since he has had several jobs in the past, and the resume should be kept to one page, he will likely have to leave off some jobs. Should he only list the most recent jobs, or maybe try to include the ones he held the longest? I've always thought a company would like to see someone who has demonstrated a commitment to a previous company rather than a job-hopper. Kind of curious also for myself.

 

[350DRIVER]

Since he has had several jobs in the past, and the resume should be kept to one page, he will likely have to leave off some jobs. Should he only list the most recent jobs, or maybe try to include the ones he held the longest? I've always thought a company would like to see someone who has demonstrated a commitment to a previous company rather than a job-hopper. Kind of curious also for myself.

I would start listing from current or most recent job then go from there. If the resume is done correctly then you probably will not have a problem listing the jobs that you have worked for the past X amount of years. The younger you are the easier this probably is since most likely you have not worked that many jobs. This probably does not become a major issue if you are looking for a job outside of aviation, if that is the case then I would list current or most recent and any other job that could be considered beneficial to you in applying for the "wanted position". I know quite a few people who have left jobs off of a resume if they only worked them for a very very brief amount of time and it was their determination that it would not need to be mentioned on a resume, however you should be able to justify and account for any gaps should the question be asked during the interview. IF you are applying for a flight position or one within the industry that requires a ten year background check then by all means you need to include every and all jobs within that time frame.


If I were you or the original poster then I probably would include all on the resume, just my $.02.


3 5 0

 

[bobbysamd]

Listing employment on resumes

Since he has had several jobs in the past, and the resume should be kept to one page, he will likely have to leave off some jobs . . . . I've always thought a company would like to see someone who has demonstrated a commitment to a previous company rather than a job-hopper . . . .

I know a young lady, in her early to mid 20s, who is not a pilot, who's had something like thirteen jobs since she's left high school. That's nearly as many as I've had all my life! It shows to me that she's willing to work. She held some jobs simultaneously with others.

If you're a young person, it is not uncommon to have several odd jobs, and recruiters will/should realize that. In fact, it would be unusual for a young person to have worked for and have shown a commitment to a "company," as we understand and use the term. Chris' jobs, such as the lawn mowing and babysitting, are very typical for a young person.

What he should not do is list them in excruciating detail. He could summarize them, something like this:

1998-1999: Summer camp counselor, fast-food worker.

1997-1998: Worked as a babysitter, day care worker and laborer.

Employers will be more interested in seeing commitment to relevant jobs obtained after college or flight school. You should list the important and relevant jobs, and your most pertinent duties. Example from my resume:

1991-1992 FlightSafety Academy, Vero Beach, Florida:

Trained Alitalia Airlines crews using the LOFT philosophy of flight instruction. Aircraft flown: PA-28, PA-44, MO20.

1988-1991. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Arizona:

Instructed students for all certificates and ratings. Gave Part 141 self-examining stage checks. Aircraft flown: C-172, R-182, PA-44.

I instructed other students at FSI besides Alitalia and gave pre-stage checks, but the description I used seemed most pertinent.

Other job-related duties at Riddle included preparing schedules and paperwork and standardizing new-hire instructors. But the two things I listed on my resume were the long and short of my job.

Two more points about resumes. Your resume is your document, and you don't necessarily have to list each job. There may some jobs that didn't go right or didn't last long that you would want to leave off. But, you will have to account for those jobs on a job application, which is a legal document. Meaning, if you leave off something on your app or falsify it, you could be canned.

The second point is do not puff-up your resume. You can put a happy face and a positive spin on mundane job duties, but don't give yourself lofty job titles or positions, etc., unless you can document them. Above all, don't lie about your education or professional accompishments. George O'Leary did, and he lasted about five minutes as Notre Dame football coach.

Hope these points help some more.

 

[bobbysamd]

Cover letters and contacts

f you know someone on the "inside" surely ask them to extend you a favor and have them write you a LOR and also have them walk the resume in to the right people...

. . . . and be sure to feature the name of that person high on your cover letter!

Example:

Joe Blow, Pilot Recruiter
XYZ Airlines
123 4th Street
Anytown, USA

Dear Mr. Blow:

John Jones, the Director of Training at XYZ Airlines, has recommended that I apply for a Flight Officer position. Attached for your review is my resume and a letter of introduction from Mr. Jones . . . .

(See if Mr. Jones will give you more than one original and submit an original. Keep the others. Using a copy of an LOR from an in-house reference is tacky.)

Hope that helps some more.