Union activities on your resume?
 

I'm active in the union's communications committee at my current employer.

Should I include this on my resume for my next flying job, or would it be best to omit it?

Does it make a difference if there is or is not a union where I am applying?

I think with my capt brother that you should really. Since, at least you let the company know clearly that you are being protected and you are able to protect others if there is no union at their company. As for today, many companies are aware to employ the people and giving them a right to join union. Why??? I have no idea, so these people are being not protected and that also causes an additional stress at a cockpit . A question then remains for what had I become a pilot to be treated in not acceptable way?? You should state it since being at union's committee is part of your life, you had some reasons to join it. And if you feel active then it is great. If you wont then they will easily sweep you away in the nearest future if there is no union or you can become suspicious like why dont you have union at this company like what is going on?. Melu

I'm not sure what that was all about, but I would guess you should not mention union activities on your resume unless you are applying for a staff position at the union headquarters.

If you are screened and/or interviewed by management types, they may have some heartburn towards their own union.

At the interview, if you end up talking to line pilots, you might work that into the conversation.

Also if you list your marital status or other similar personal info on your resume many companies will automatically decline to interview you...otherwise they could be sued by you (or other applicants) for considering factors which they cannot legally ask about. The only consistent way to deal with that is to discard all resumes which contain "tainted" info. I'm not sure if union status might fall into that category.

I am not sure how the companies in US are working at current, but no one has a legal right to take off the candidate just because he is an active member in the labor union. Crisis or not, recession or not, a person has a legal right to say what he needs. At European Union, automatically one is a member of the labor union and is a member of the pilot association, and no one has a right to take it away from him. If someone all right is aware to mention it then something is wrong with a company. Usually at European Union one is being pushed to join labor union for a job protection. If a company is not offering it then something is wrong and unclear and at this point one has a legal right to sue this company. A pilot must do a job and should be a privileged one. One should do whatever, but still I think that some standards should be kept. Melu:)

Legally you should be protected. But legally, they cannot ask about your union activities at an interview. But if you tell them on the resume, and never get called for an interview, it would be essentially impossible to ever prove why they never called you.

Like I said, it is also standard practice at some companies to disqualify ANY applicant who provides protected information to the screeners. That's the only way they can protect themselves from later allegations of using that info improperly.

I think it would depend on what you do for the MEC. The communications role could go either way.

But if you were involved in something like the MEC's liaisons to safety, pro standards, ASAP, EAP, or HIMS it can be seen as a plus. Proves you care about your airline, as well as the people that you work with and are concerned about having a positive impact on the airline.

Something like contract compliance/enforcement of strike committee, eh, leave it off.

Doesn’t management do the hiring? Why would you brag about being a union guro to management/ Chief Pilot of a non-union company?
Certainly if asked I would briefly mention it as a skill building experience and drop it.

It’s your world as I see it.

I would not include any information that is subject to vastly different opinions, unless that information is key to the job you are interviewing for. If you want to be a pilot, I would not include union activity since the way pilots look at unions is so different. Some think they are the best thing since sliced bread, some think they are a necessary evil, and some think they are the devil incarnate, but I don't know anybody who thinks that your position about the union can make you a better or worse pilot.

On the other hand, if you want to work for the Union, it would probably be a good idea to let them know you have experience in that arena.

It would depend on the company you're interviewing for.

I would say most majors won't have any heartburn over it. Most regional pilots are union dues-paying members by default. They know that pilot unions are a fact of life.

I was the jumpseat coordinator at my regional and I put it on my application when I applied at Delta. It was something to talk about during the interview. I have the feeling that the fact that I volunteered my free time to help out made an impression.

Remember this, too. Places like Delta are looking at you as a whole individual, not just someone who can fly an airplane. They already know you can do that. They like people with different backgrounds, histories and experiences. A varied background indicates motivation, the ability and desire to go above and beyond. What they want to see is what sets you apart from the other guy or gal.

Also, most airline interviews will be a mix of management and line pilots. Odds are that there's going to be at least one union member on the panel.

Again, look at the company your applying at, but if it's a respectable airline, I would not hide the fact that you are a union volunteer.

You never know who you're interviewing with or what their viewpoint is on any union or union activities. In my opinion, it's best to take the conservative way and not list anything union related.

If/when it comes up in the course of the interview be careful that you do not take sides (union/company) and simply explain how you PERSONALLY have grown from the experience of that role. All employers (even the majors) want people who will fit in main-stream and not become a squeaky-wheel.

By introducing union activities before any interview they may make some snap judgments as to what kind of person you are.

It's completely up to you, but I would stay away from it. Perhaps we should ask why you want to include it?

Lori