PamAn62

After a few decades of being in Aviation. I have to say, I've found it to be a blessing in disguise to have many diverse interests and abilities in addition to Aviation. It's allowed me to not only keep many irons in the fire. But, when more than one turns successful or profitable it's marvelous!

waflyboy

I've always thought of myself as multi-talented. (I suppose most people do - pilots especially!) I've read the Kiyosaki books and a whole bunch of others on "being your own boss" and real estate investing and such and such. I hold a business degree, and have worked for a commercial bank; I've seen how people use other people's money to acquire wealth. I understand that it's probably better to have a little income coming from many sources than a lot of money coming from one source.

I'm just having a really tough time putting it all together in a way that's worth anything. I've got all these ideas thrown against the wall but I can't figure out what to do with them.

I know, I know. "If it were easy, everybody would do it." Of course. It's just something I've got to work harder at.

PamAn62

I feel your pain and disappointment of what we didn't expect, but got out of our Aviation Careers. If it is any consequence, your not alone as evidenced by this website. We never had these outlets years ago. Either way, it would seem Airline Pilot as a stand-alone career is not what it used to be, or probably ever will be, for most of us, in our lifetimes.

TonyMontana

a "Hobby Job".

flyingtigermco

There are several posts in this thread that reference Awriteresume.com. I recently employed their services and wasn't entirely happy. Not to say that can't do some good resumes, but don't go in with super high expectations. Turn around was much longer than promised. The resume I received, while having some good content, was not what I expected from someone who did resumes for the past 20 years.

flyingtigermco

I meant to say that THEY can't do some good resumes. I don't always proof read.

flyingtigermco

Every time I re-read my above post, it sounds less clear. I should lay off the Crown before visiting the forum.

I think they CAN do some good resumes, but I believe the resume I received was sub-par.

devin

I spent almost 20 years flying before giving it up and moving on. One of the biggest challenges I had was figuring out how to make my resume and cover letter work. Here are a couple of quick ideas.
1. Look at the keywords your new industry is using (for aviation things like pic, sic, type rating).
2. Look at your skills that you have, not just flying skills but other skills too, what do you do outside of flying, plus you do more than just fly. Think handling pressure situation, interacting with customers when upset.
3. Find ways to fit your current skills into the keywords used in your new industry. Don’t lie but use some creative license.
4. This is a huge one, especially for career changers, tell people what the benefits of your skills are, not just the skills. People are in it for themselves so tell them what they will get. Why does your ATP and 5000 hours help them? How does your crazy work schedule make you a great person to hire? This will take some work but will be well worth it.
5. Make up a new resume for each industry you are thinking about getting into. With the airlines the same old resume worked for everybody, not so much with everybody else.
As a final not, as you start out on a career change, go talk to the people in the new industry. Talk to them about what you have done before and how this would help in their career. You will be surprised by the number of people willing to give you 10-15 minutes of your time. How many times have you spent that much time talking to somebody looking at getting into flying?
For more information on career change
Devin

aeromike49

I have been finding that as soon as an employer sees that I was a pilot - they say NO - not hiring a pilot - doesn't seem to matter what I have done besides being a pilot - that is the RED flag - so I am trying to figure out a way to more less hide the fact that I was a pilot for 24 years -seems impossible ? After trying for another flying job for over a year - I am ready to "throw" away all my 30 years of flying experience for a job that pays enough to live on. I owned my own business for 4 years during that time - but that seems to make little difference - Pilots jobs are LOW pay - and I can't move for a low paying job and working at Wal Mart won't cut it. How can a person "hide" the pilot experience ?

USMCFLYR

What kind of jobs have you been interviewing for and have you gotten any feedback why the potential employer is weary of pilots? If you sell your skills using the 7 tenets of CRM then I can't imagine an employer not wanting you.

Here is a sample listing of resume bullets to use as a pilot. In my opinion they could use some wordsmithing and more detail put into them but it isn't a bad start:

<LI class=task>Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.<LI class=task>Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.<LI class=task>Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.<LI class=task>Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.<LI class=task>Steer aircraft along planned routes, using autopilot and flight management computers.<LI class=task>Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed.<LI class=task>Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.<LI class=task>Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.<LI class=task>Check passenger and cargo distributions and fuel amounts to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met.<LI class=task>Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
This list was lifted from the O-Net website.
Good luck aeromike.

USMCFLYR