Finally,

It’s time.

If you’ve been looking for a low time pilot job, do not miss out these next few months. A bunch of survey operators should be accepting resumes soon. I’ll have you know some guys are already getting their interviews set up for this survey season (link). We did a deep dive on Optic just last week.

Today, as an ultimate friendly reminder, we have a guest, Carolynn, here to share 3 career tips to help you set yourself up for success.

Nowadays, you can figure most of what she’ll be talking about and everything else on your own, thanks to the internet. But there are two cons.

One is reliability of the information you find—especially if you use Facebook.

Another is the amount of time you have to invest if you decide to do it yourself. That’s personally what I did. But now, there isn’t any time to waste anymore. When the survey season starts and hiring stops, all that will be left are CFI jobs, if any.

Up to you to decide if you want to put all the odds in your favor. Best of luck! 🫡

I will now let Carolynn take-over…

Resume tip

Watch your fonts, point sizes and spacing. 

After completing your resume, highlight everything and ensure it is Times New Roman, size 12 font. Your name can be in a larger point size (generally size 16-20) and bold to make it stand out. Take out extra spaces before paragraphs or breaks in lines and make sure you utilize every inch of your resume if you are trying to stick to one page. If you are a more “seasoned” individual with a career history who is switching to aviation mid-career, don’t be afraid to go onto two pages. You have experience which needs to be reflected and not hidden, even if it isn’t aviation related.

Cover letter tip

Again, make sure formatting follows Times New Roman and size 12. Having a generic cover letter to cover all of the positions you apply to is safer than sending out the wrong cover letter to a role and will save you time. “I am very interested in your POSITION TITLE as advertised on Indeed…” etc., doesn’t need to be included. If a hiring manager wants to know where you found the role, they will ask you. If sending your resume and cover letter by email for a job posting, simply put the position’s title in the subject line, (unless a job posting specifically states different directions!) and copy and paste your cover letter into the body of the email. You can easily make any additions or customize the cover letter in the email, if you need to, then attach your resume. If you are applying directly to a job posting which automatically populates your information, they already know the job you're applying for and you can save time by uploading your “generic” cover letter and resume.

A tip for ensuring success

Always remain professional. Sending emails, networking, interacting on social media should all be done as if your future employer is watching. Things can easily come back to “haunt” you and you truly never know who is watching. I have first-hand experience of candidates being flown in for second interviews and booked into hotels. The company then checks in with housekeeping to ensure the individual didn't leave a huge mess or cause any destruction as it could be a liability if they were hired on. Everything matters. You may truly never know who you are interacting with or who is observing you.

A parting tip..

If you find it hard to construct a resume and cover letter, compare the job description of what you want with what you have done in the past. If you check off every box, make sure that it is reflected in your resume and cover letter. I tell all of my clients… someone only knows what you tell them. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that hiring managers know something about you. They aren’t mind readers and only know what you tell them (unless they already know you personally!)

I am hosting two free resume Q&A sessions this week on Thursday, July 25th at 8:00PM Central Timeand Saturday, July 27th at 2:30PM Central Time. You can bring specific questions and examples you would like me to rewrite or simply ask me anything about the writing and creation of resumes and cover letters. 

Click here to register for a free resume Q&A on Thursday, July 25th at 8:00PM Central Time.

OR

Click here to register for a free resume Q&A on Saturday, July 27th at 2:30PM Central Time.

If you liked my tips above and would like my help, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] 

I offer resume reviews, rewrites and edits, as well as creating resumes and cover letters from scratch. I work with you directly over Zoom and offer quick turnaround times.

*no compensation received by me for this ad

Other useful links I curated for you…

🤔 — Should pilots include address on their resumes (link)

📝 — Best practices for naming resume document files (link)

👀 — Insider tips on what recruiters love… (link)

✍️ — How to secure letters of recommendation (link)