Originally Posted by
blulavboy
Not always true...I dont have my CFIs and was brought on board at a 121 office...The other two guys brought on in my group may have their CFIs, but are new to the FAA and are both around 60, so if they do, they havent used them in a long time.
Mine wasn't a poll of new-hires, rather I've asked around in the CMO and most the guys working there came through a FSDO. Who knows what the future holds with baby boomer retirements though. We can't even backfill positions right now, but at some point we'll have to fill the vacancies, and they will be numerous.
On the KSAs
Remember you are writing for HR, not pilots. HR is the first screen. You want to get the information across. Phrases are fine as long as you have the information. They want directly related experiences that are substantial and real. Although this seems problematic sometimes at first when you just can't think of something for one of them, the more time I spent the more things I "remembered" from my past that were applicable and needed to be listed. To this extent, I highly recommend reading a few books on the subject that are likely available at the library. These books about resumes, applications, and interviews will help you "know yourself" or "remember yourself" better. Some of them give tasks like "write a few pages about yourself relating to...." These exercises help IMO and make it so you can nail down the KSAs. Ideally you'd have multiple experiences that would fulfill each and every KSA. If not, avoid re-using ones you've already used for a previous KSA. The KSAs are a big part of it, yet try to think of it in HRs position: They want to see as effectively and efficiently as possible that you have the required/best experience. A lot of this is in the delivery, as most people usually have a vast amount of experience they can call upon by the time they start applying for these jobs, even if they think they do not.