Before you apply to a job, you should make sure your resume fits the industry standards. In doubt? Don’t worry, we know what companies expect to see.

I actually wrote this email back in December, so 6 months ago. But we started doing Deep Dives, and I forgot about it.

Now that hiring season is at hand, and before Deep Dives return, I figured I’d send it. I linked all my sources: this is not my advice, this is from the owners of two companies hiring low time pilots.

Among updates about the hiring process, this is the type of content we’ll have in the cohorts. We’ll have professionals (just like Carolynn) help us too.

It’s no secret that pilots struggle with their job applications. Here are 5 tips to help if that’s you, from Northwoods Air and Brewton Aviation…

1. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

[not resume-specific, still important]

We sometimes like to add our own little twist in an overzealous manner, to “stand out.” But rules have a purpose and are not meant to be broken.

An example is, if they specify not to call, which is common for low time jobs, then don’t. Just do exactly as you’re told.

2. RESPECT POSTED HIRING MINIMUMS

[not resume-specific, still important]

Even when not meeting the hiring minimums, it’s tempting to still submit an application because “you never know”. And that’s widely accepted in the industry. Sometimes though, especially for low time positions, it actually hurts more than it helps.

In smaller companies, the owner often is the one reviewing each application. So now, you’ve annoyed the boss because you applied although still 100 hours short of hiring minimums. How likely is it that you’re ever going to get a call back?

Well, it’s probably 50/50. Not only that, but you could also be hurting other people’s chance. Not worth it.

So, I’d say, apply to jobs only when you are slightly below minimums, not hundreds of hours away.

3. SPELL CHECK

That’s a pet-peeve of mine, but it seems I’m not the only one.

It shows that you pay attention to detail. If there are mistakes on your resume, it makes people question what mistakes on the job you would overlook. Sounds a little crazy but I can see how that works.

4. ONE-PAGE RESUMES ONLY

That’s step one of almost any interview prep, but step four here because you should know that by now, it’s preached everywhere!

One page is enough to summarize where you went to school, your most recent jobs, and then really focus on your aviation background. Anything more than that is too much information.

Now the exact format? tricky.

PDF will be the go-to. When it comes to the text layout, it’s up to you. Some people say “get rid of the objective section”, others don’t. If you still include a headshot, just stop. Don’t forget location and contact information.

Take a look at the templates the internet pilots community has provided (all links at the end).

5. COVER LETTER, YES OR NO

I’ve heard chief pilots requesting not to be sent anything more than a resume, because the pile of applications they get is enough trouble. I’ve also read to always include one, to highlight sections of your application that need it.

As we can see, divided opinions. What you can do is use the body text of the email you’re sending to talk about why you want the job, just keep it short. No need to have a separate file.

Northwood’s Air and Brewton Aviation LLC are pretty much on the same page: a cover letter is optional.

If you decide to write a cover letter, mean what you say. Otherwise, don’t even bother.

It’s also important to know your audience. For example, if you’d be relocating for the job, you can talk about how you plan to. Talk about a hobby you know you and your employer share. There’s a lot of ways to have a good cover letter, get creative with it.

At the end of the day, I’d say you don’t have much to lose by attaching a GOOD cover letter to your application. The potential upside (someone likes what you said) outweighs the downside (no one reading it).

A LITTLE COVER LETTER DOS AND DONT’S…

BONUS TIP

Don’t use AI. It’s lazy, it’s unprofessional. Don’t do it to yourself or to the poor guy who’s going to read it. I know what it’s like to send a different application to 20 different places, it’s a hassle. But I promise you it’s better than getting caught having ChatGPT do your work.

Oh and don’t take it from me...

SOURCES…

👤 — Cody Anderson (Owner, Northwoods Air) tells us what to do to hope to actually get in at 350TT (link)

📑 — Resume examples, to get an overall idea of what yours should look like (link)

🎤 — Some more resume advice from Geoffrey Jacobs, 21 years of commercial aviation (link)

✍️ — How to make your application stand out (link)

Oh, quick update, for the jobs I applied for since I got here last month: I got a call from KCSI this week, but it was in the middle of my shift so we didn’t get to talk much. I’ll know more tomorrow. Probably for an observer position though.

Not to brag, not at all. Just to say that the more *GOOD* applications I sent out, the more feedback I’m getting.

That’s it for today.

I’ll go watch the new episode of HoTD now. ⚫️🔴

Until next time!

🫡