CC268

I hear all the time, "keep your resume to one page". How important is this for the majors? I'm finding it near impossible to reduce my resume to one page without cutting out a ton of really important content. I was an engineer before I started flying professionally, so I've got a lot of prior experience. I've tried smaller font, smaller margins, etc, but I'm not having much success.

Thanks.

tnkrdrvr

If it’s not on the first page it probably won’t be seen. A resume for a flying job should only be hitting the highlights that most make you stand out as a pilot. Your application will contain all the deep dive info on your work history and experience. Your experience as an engineer needs to be framed to show how it makes you a better professional pilot. Unfortunately, unless you were working in aviation as an engineer, most of it won’t be terribly relevant. I had twenty years of doing a wide variety of jobs in the Air Force when I transitioned to the airlines doing everything from building multi-national war games to running and working in C2 facilities. Outside of the demonstrated leadership experience, all they really cared about was my flying experience.

CC268

Thanks - that is a good explanation and makes sense. I worked in the aerospace industry so it is relevant to a degree, but I definitely see your point. Kind of sucks they only care about the flying aspect though. Seems like the engineering background would be something that makes you stand out, but maybe it isn't quite as important as I thought. I'll shorten things up as best I can.

Myfingershurt

They care more about how much you volunteer in your community than the engineering experience. This world is lost.

tnkrdrvr

Probably varies by company (oh by the way, make a different resume for every company you apply to) but I don’t know that I had any of my volunteer work experience on my resume. However, if you were in a leadership position as a volunteer, that would be a valuable nugget to fit in. Remember airlines want personable pilots who can exercise leadership and followership in a potentially high stress environment. There is obviously a bunch of other desirable traits based off of corporate virtue signaling, but that’s out of your control so don’t stress over it.

CC268

Ha yea...I was just having this discussion with another pilot who had significant civilian leadership experience (outside of the flying world). It's certainly frustrating.

rickair7777

For pilots, yes, keep it to one page. That's also conventional wisdom for most low/mid-level white-collar jobs. Once you're more experienced in white collar you may need two pages or a CV.

In white collar there are so many possible permutations of job duties and skills, that you often need to explain it a bit. With pilots almost all actual pilot jobs can be very succinctly described by referencing the type of operation, ie 121, 135, 91k, etc. Very little elaboration is required.

Possible exception if you had some technical, safety, or management desk job in aviation. If that's you, you already know this stuff though.

The resume is used to sell yourself in basically an elevator pitch format. It's not to enhance your own self-esteem with fluffery. It is also NOT a job application... you do NOT have to list every employer and job on your resume, and usually you should not do that. Keep it to one page and hit the *relevant* highlights, don't typically need to mention taco bell in HS, bar-tending in college, uber while a regional FO, etc. You should of course provide all details they ask for when you fill out the application.

Also, a resume is YOUR selling tool... if you got fired from a minor job years ago, don't list that, only list the positives. You will of course have to list it all on the application.

Do include a few personal items like civic involvement, volunteerism, athletics, interesting hobbies, etc. I wouldn't mention extreme sports, they'll worry about LTD liability.

In white-collar the resume is often the key attention-getter... in airline aviation, it's really an adjunct to the online app but it shows your ability to communicate, and produce a written document with attention to detail. Yes, that still matters for majors (regionals are fine as long as the FAA will give you an SI for your adderall).

JohnBurke

If you're seeking a job as a pilot, your experience as an engineer is of passing interest and can boiled down to a line or two. You might have 30 ears experience doing something else, but if this is your first pilot job and you haven't been hired yet, you have no experience. Within aviation, in some arenas, one may have thousands of hours of flight experience, but if one doesn't have specific experience in that job, one is a one-hour pilot.

List your certification, hours of experience, broken down into the usual categories. List your jobs; name of operator, date, a few brief details. Personally, I don't list hobbies, pets, volunteer this or that. It's a pilot job. You're not campaigning for president or the Rotary Club.

A two-page resume showcasing the experience which impresses you won't do much to impress anyone in aviation, because no one is going to bother looking at the resume. I'd distill the engineering experience down ton one or two lines and save room for what's relevant.

You can tailor your resume to the employer. If I'm applying to a firefighting job, I highlight firefighting experience. if I'm applying to something else, I don't mention much about ag, fire, or other utility kinds of flying. If I'm applying to a job that favors or requires a particular kind of experience or experience in a given type of aircraft or operation, I'll focus on that. Otherwise, the gist of what you've done in a nutshell is just fine. Pilots are a dime a dozen. Unless you are applying for a job that requires an engineering background, or a test or similar position that might make use of your engineering experience, it will be viewed the same as someone from any other profession. Nice to know, but doesn't really do much in an aviation setting.

The standard is one page. Send two pages and whatever you think you're trying to get across, the message that's received is that you haven't taken the time to learn what's expected, or you've chosen to disregard it. Extra effort, suggests high maintenance. Pass. Show initiative; figure out how to distill your experience to a one page resume, and keep in mind with the accompanying cover letter that the only purpose of your submission is to secure an interview. One step at a time. Once you get to the interview, then you can expand on your experience, if appropriate at the time.

TiredSoul

I once received a 7 page resume for an entry level CFI position.
Dual given preferred, not required.
7 pages……


Seriously, your experience as an Engineer is a one line entry.
For example;
2003-2014 NASA Engineer Rocket engine division.

TransWorld

Suggest a one sentence key accomplishment under it. Still keep it to one page.

At the other extreme, I knew a very accomplished engineering professor. When asked to provide a two paragraph summary, he could not do it. He felt compelled to provide a 64 page (no joke) CV that listed every publication and every presentation he ever did.

When asked to make a 20 minute presentation, he tried to talk for an hour and a half. His PowerPoint presentations were a four point fount. Every inch of it was covered with words so small no one could read it.

Emotionally he could not edit. He had no self discipline.