Adding more to a RESUME
 

Getting a good flight job is tough, as we all know. But there are still optional training programs out there that us pilot can take to increase our chances of getting hired. I would like to get some input about what we can do to add some valuable ink to our resumes. So far I have come up with,
-High altitude, high performance, and tailwheel endorsements
-ATOP's 737 intro training
-Aerobatic training
-High altitude chamber training

It depends on what type of job you are looking for. If it's a CFI or part 91 piston job, all that stuff might help except for 737 training. I wouldn't spend money on that unless you have enough time to qualify for a 737 job.

If you are entry level, networking is going to do WAAAAY more for your job prospects than endorsements. Pretty much every 1500 hour pilot has all those endorsements anyway.

ATOPs is pretty much worthless. It's a lot of fun and the high altitude endorsement is great but you're mistaken if you think 2 hours of 737 sim time means anything to anyone. But pay the extra cash and get the high altitude endorsement out of it. The chamber training once you have the high altitude endorsement is good for your own edification but I doubt anyone cares about it.

If you're going to instruct you're going to need the high-performance endorsement.

Tailwheel shows that you can handle what can be finiky aircraft.

The best bet is some sort of upset recovery (aerobatic) training. That's you demonstrating that you can handle the aircraft at the very limit of its performance envelope and bring her safely back to earth.


The bottom line is none of those are going to be a magic bullet that gets you a job. You're going to have to put in some time networking and building that TT.

Anything you put on your resume, you better be prepared to talk about it in detail!!!!

Thanks for the reply's, but I think everyone is misunderstanding the point behind this post. Everyone has just stated "lets just do the minimum." What I'm trying to do is figure out a way to stand out during an interview. Im not saying that 121 / 135 experience and having thousands of hours isnt important, Im just saying many people are in that same boat. Let me rephrase the question. If you are interviewing with another applicant who has the same hours, and has flown the same planes, what could you have done prior to the interview in order to shine out the person?

I thought a high altitude endorsement was the "magic bullet". I went all the way to houston to get the endorsement and now you say it's useless. I really dont understand. I just submitted my application to FEDEX, and now I have lost all hope that I'll get the job. Thanks for giving me the heads up

What are your times/ratings/certificates if you don't mind me asking?

Dispatcher?

I have a friend that was caught during the '90s furloughs and hid in the Reserves for a while. During that time, instead of sulking he added every rating to CFI that he could think of and several to his ATP.
AGI, IGI, and FE written.

Hastily written, I apologize for grammar and other errors.

Oh, yeah. He's at FedEx now.

He kept adding to his knowledge/experience and it showed he really is in it for the love of flying.

Thats what I'm curious about. If you had the time to get hired by FEDEX then why would you need to "add stuff" to your resume?

Maybe he was a freight guy flying a Shorts, or piston twin w/o pressurization? Definately possible

It was a sarcastic joke. The guy said there's no magic bullet....thanks for useful input, how about mentioning something that could help me rather then dumb me down.

Before you get your panties in a twist, I was just asking a question. There are a few people out there that believe with something like magic bullets, it will land them their dream job.

I was just at the ERAU 'career expo'.... talking with a pilot from the CBP air... he started as a CFI, Banner tower, what-not. Said that a lot of guys apply with things like pay for time-building, pay for jobs, etc... he said him and his buddies usually just throw those resumes away. They are more interested that you a) worked hard (he understood what life was as a low time pilot doing CFI, ferry work, etc) and b) meet the minimum 'hard deck' hour requirements and c) had somewhat of a diverse aviation experience

Walking by the Delta booth I overheard a brave ERAU student who had 220hrs of 'skyhawk!' time giving a resume to them... his trump card, he said, was his 'Aero-Sci' degree!

Obviously you know that there are no companies hiring now. Even if you have 10,000 hours of transport category PIC time you aren't getting an interview.

Nobody was hiring when my buddy was furloughed...thus the 'hid in the reserves for a while' line.

If your waiting for things to change, why not improve your experience and resume.

Why sink thousands of dollars into making yourself a better candidate for a job that doesn't exist at this time? Even when they are hiring, the market will be saturated with better candidates, if the shining point on your resume is 2 hours in an advanced simulator.

I agree with the previous response about the importance of networking and overall variety of training and experience, over one or two single "trump card" resume booster.

Preparation + Opportunity = Success.

If you wait until the company is hiring to prepare you have missed a hiring cycle.

I agree with your assessment of 2 hours of sim time unless it is for a specific interview.

I hope all my future posts dont end out like this. All I heard from everyone here is something along the lines of this "stuff like that wont help" "it could help if you were applying for this" "but then again it probably wont help" "you shouldnt do that, there's not any reason to do that"????? It seemed like everyone is just shutting everyone down. All I wanted to know way how to look different in an interview, and all I got was negative criticism. Here's what I thought would happen

Sample post
For my resume I listed these things beyond the basics (total time, previous jobs)
-CRM training from ______
-Emergency training from _____
-Oceanic flight training from _____

Im trying to show that Im not just putting in the minimal amount of effort to get a flight job, Im trying advance my flying skills in any way possible.

If you're one of those guys / gals who is just trying to get by by being a minimalist, then please save your post, and spend your energy somewhere else.

Good day

Personally, I think you should not be as concerned about the other guy. Enjoy flying and take the opportunities as they come to you. If your passion is truly in aviation you will have all the experience, qualifications, and expertise you need to be a viable candidate.

You have to relax man. People aren't just shooting you down for no reason. Getting a pilot job is pretty straightforward. You meet the requirements, and the company likes you, so they offer you the job. The trick is getting to the interview.

You do realize that employers spend less than 10 seconds looking at your resume, right? Your best bet is still knowing someone on the inside or a personal reference. That's how the best jobs are filled. That's what you should be working on. Meet people from other places, make some new friends, and keep in touch with your old friends.

If the company has a face to put with a name, that is really helpful. I got my current job because I stopped at a career fair and talked to the CP with a good local company. We ended up talking for about 45 minutes. He said he had no current jobs, but that they might be hiring at the beginning of that summer. My buddy also spent the same amount of time there. Guess who got calls when they were hiring? Most of the guys I trained with got jobs through friends, former instructors, etc. So my advice is don't worry so much about a piece of paper, worry about being a real person, the kind that companies will hire, and other pilots want to fly with.