This is a continuation of my first article on how to create a killer pilot resume.
Okay, flight times are often overdone. It depends on the aircraft you’re applying to fly. If it’s a prop, tell them your Total Time, PIC, Multi Engine, Multi PIC,CC, Instrument, and Night. That’s it.
If you get too detailed and tell them how many night-instrument-complex-taildragger-landings-while-receiving-instruction-in-the-last-90-days, you’ll come off as inexperienced in the world of commercial aviation and you go in the trash can.
For a jet, you need to only include your total time, Multi Engine, PIC, Turbojet Total, SIC or PIC Turbojet (whichever is higher), and Time in type or make that the employer actually operates if you have some.
Leave any other details off unless you are responding to an ad requesting specifics, like international time for example. Also, round off the fractions to the nearest hour only.
Honestly, that’s all that most employers are going to read unless they like you. It’s theme at and potatoes of your pilot resume, and that’s why it’s listed first. If they even skim through the rest, you’re looking good.
When you’re listing your past jobs, just list the name of the company, their address, dates you worked, and a brief description of what you did.Aircraft type, position, Part 135, 121, or 91, and where you went, and avoid pronouns like “I” and “me.”
Also, only list flying jobs and only the most recent ones to fill the page, maybe three. Of course, if you don’t have a few, that’s okay, just avoid listing the Red Lobster job you took to supplement your flight instructing, they don’t care.
If you have a period of more than two months of unemployment, you should list it, but make sure you use the description area to explain what you were doing all that time, and “hanging out at the airport” won’t cut it. You should have accomplished something.
Education should be flight schools and college only. No high school or anything non-aviation.
I’ve seen some guys write an “achievement” section at the end. You know, awards and things, like the time you won first place in your town’s cat grooming competition.Guess what? They don’t care! There will be plenty of time to talk about that stuff later.I know a few chief pilots that would trashcan your pilot resume just because of stuff like that.
The only exception I can think of is if you happen to know that the boss is particularly fond of cat grooming. I’m not sure how you figured that out, and I don’t want to know,but trust me, you’re hired!
I should mention something here about listing references. This has become a bad practice. Don’t do it unless it was requested. I guess too many people wrote down their family barber of 20 years and it’s just meaningless now.
That’s it, you’re done. Okay, have someone else, (preferably not your “gifted and talented” four year old) proofread the thing. This is important; you’ll miss grammatical or spelling mistakes on something you’ve been looking at for too long.
Unless you’re printer is from 1982 and says “Atari” on it, it’s okay to print out your pilot resume at home in black ink on regular white paper, and use the same kind for your cover letter too.You’ll know if it looks crisp and clean.
Save your pilot resume on Microsoft Word or as a PDF as they are the standard file type to send in emails.
In summary, you have to keep in mind that, unlike most other professions, your pilot resume is not about your personality. Less is more.It’s just a quick-glance-type source for your prospective employer to make sure you’re technically qualified for the position.
A good cover letter on the other hand, is about you and your character. In it, you’ll have a chance to convey that you’re the kind of guy or gal they can get along with on the road, which is just as important to you getting the job as your pilot skills. And what’s funny is that a good cover letter can be the thing that gets you the call back, even if you’re qualifications are somehow lacking.
Be sure to catch my next article “How To Create a Killer Pilot Jobs Cover Letter”.
How to Create a Killer Pilot Resume - Part 2
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