If I asked to see your résumé right now, would you show it to me? I’m guessing the answer is no.
I bet if you searched through your computer files you’ll find that your latest résumé was updated years ago. And now here comes your fast heart rate, sweaty palms and peaking stress levels. Yet how many hours do you spend on LinkedIn or Climb350 looking for jobs? Furloughs, lay-offs, the sale of the jet you’re flying can all happen at the blink of an eye. So the first rule of thumb is to always have your résumé updated. Actually, I take that back, your first rule of thumb is to always be networking, your second rule is to have a ready résumé. Take an hour away from social media today and spend it on résumé maintenance. You’ll probably need to add in your current positions, no?
So what is the difference between a résumé and a curriculum vitae (CV)? A résumé is like a calling card and presents a concise, one page picture of your skills and qualifications for a specific position. A CV is 2-3 pages and provides a full summary of your experience and skills. There really isn’t a reason why a pilot would need more than 1 page so stick with a résumé instead of a CV.
There are three types of résumé: chronological, functional, and a combination of both. The most common type of résumé and what is used in aviation is a chronological résumé. In fact, it is actually reverse chronological, listing your most recent experience first and working backwards from there. You want to list jobs back to college or have the last 10 years of experience listed.
Recruiters, HR personnel, or anyone involved in hiring you (which in aviation could even be the captain you’ll be flying with) will spend less than 10 seconds looking over your résumé and ‘sizing you up.’
Overall your résumé needs to look good and be organized with equal amounts of black and white space. At first glance, a résumé will be scanned for interest or an emotional response before being placed in the ‘short stack.’ If there is too much to read you may not not get a second look before these items are decided:
Is there an obvious match?
Do your hours meet the minimum qualifications?
Do you have the appropriate ratings and/or licenses required?
Here are some additional tips for an aviation résumé:
Only use black ink, no color or shaded boxes.
The margins should be the same on all 4 sides and be between 0.7” and 1.0”.
The font should be no more than size 11 and the same throughout. Garamond is a good choice of font.
Add a line under your personal information to create separation. Your name can be bigger than size 11.
Including an objective is optional, but it can show attention to detail and interest.
The order of information from top to bottom should be: personal information, objective, certificates and ratings, flight times, work experience, military, education, and training.
Optional categories at the bottom can be achievements, volunteer, and/or organizations.
The most common hours to include are: Total Time, Pilot in Command, Turbine PIC, Second in Command, Instructor, Multi-engine and Combat.
Do not round your times to the nearest ‘5’ or ‘0’ use accurate numbers and align your hours to the last digit.
It is not necessary to list ‘No Limitations’ for your medical because that is HIPAA protected information.
Include employment dates in both the month and the year.
Verify all of your dates and be consistent with the dates and company names on your application to show accuracy and attention to detail.
Multiple or lengthy job descriptions are only necessary for unique duties.
Bold only your position, not the company, to emphasize your experience.
Include all positions at each company and indicate the dates and equipment you flew in each position.
This is worth repeating again: all the information on your résumé should match the information on your application, logbook, transcripts etc. Why would the hiring manager think you’re a capable pilot if they have to go back and forth in your paperwork trying to match dates and times? The cleaner your paperwork, the better the presentation of yourself will be.
Remember, you should always have a current résumé. Treat it like a calling card and know that others will oftentimes form their first impression of you based on your résumé.
