Airplane Pilot Resume Examples

Airplane Pilot Resume Sample

Emmanuel Dennison, BS, MS

Address:              1000 E. Alameda, Norman OK
Phone:                    (405) 844-4582
Email:                    [email protected]
Current job:         Plane Pilot for Southwest Airlines 

Objective

To operate planes headed for international destinations; to work for a top-notch airline where I can put my skills and experience as a plane pilot to lucrative use.

Skills

1. Expertise in operating the following aircraft: Boeing 707, Boeing 720, Boeing 727 and Boeing 757
2. Expertise in navigating aircraft with the assistance of cockpit devices and equipment
3. Ability to ensure the plane’s smooth departure and arrival
4. Aptitude in checking flight schedules, fuel levels, and weather conditions prior to taking off
5. Dedicated to ensuring passenger and crew safety all throughout the flight
6. Commendable communication and interpersonal skills
7. A keen eye for detail
8. Impressive depth perception
9. Exceptional problem-solving skills
10. Amazing leadership skills

Work Experience

Plane Pilot, 2017-present
Southwest Airlines, Las Vegas, NV

Duties and Responsibilities

• Operates flights from Las Vegas to Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, Oakland, Orlando, Phoenix, and San Diego
• Maneuvers the Boeing 707,  727 and 757 planes of the company
• Controls equipment and devices of aforementioned planes with skill and proficiency
• Navigates flights according to route
• Maintains airplane stability despite turbulence, strong winds, and other weather factors
• Ensures flights depart and arrive on time
• Communicates and coordinates with tower control officers for the airport and air traffic
• Works with the first officer and cabin crews in servicing passengers

Plane Pilot, 2013-2017
West Air, Las Vegas, NV 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Maneuverer flights from Las Vegas to Oakland, San Diego, Sacramento, and Ontario
• Operated the following airplanes: Boeing 727 and 757
• Ran instruments and devices installed in the aforementioned planes
• Made sure that flights depart and arrive according to schedule
• Ensured flawless take off and arrival
• Guaranteed airline stability despite poor weather conditions
• Communicated with tower control personnel before departure and upon arrival
• Supervised the work of the First Officer
• Supervised the work of cabin crew members

First Officer, 2010-2013
Pinnacle Airlines, Atlanta, GA

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assisted the plane pilot in operating routes from Atlanta to Detroit, Memphis and Minneapolis-St. Paul and vice versa
• Aided the plane pilot in operating Boeing 757, 727 and 707 models
• Helped the plane pilot in running plane devices and equipment
• Supported the plane pilot in ensuring the smooth departure and arrival of the aircraft
• Supervised the plane operations during the pilot’s breaks
• Communicated with tower control officials for air traffic information

Education

Masters, Middle Tennessee State University, TN
Masters in Aviation Management and Operations
2006-2010

College, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Bachelors of Science in Aviation Management
2002-2006, 3.1 GPA

Cave Springs High School, Bunch, OK
High School Diploma
1998-2002, 3.2 GPA

Courses

1. Aviation Marketing
2. Aviation and Aerospace Finance
3. Aviation and Aerospace Management Principles
4. Aviation and Aerospace Security Issues
5. Aviation and Aerospace Ethics
6. Corporate and General Aviation Management
7. Aviation Safety
8. International Aerospace Issues
9. Aerospace Organizational Communications
10. Airport Management and Planning
11. Aerospace Leadership
12. Aviation Labor Relations

How To Write A Good Airplane Pilot Resume

An Airplane Pilot isn’t just a high-flying job. Likewise, it is a high-paying job as well! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median pay of an Airplane Pilot is $115,670 per year. However, job growth in the airline/travel industry is low at only 4% per annum for the next few years. The rising cost of jet fuel has made it expensive for people to travel. It does take some time to earn your wings before you can take to the skies. Hopefully, when you finally do, the travel industry will be on the upswing.

When flying a plane, there are several areas of concern to the pilot. These areas of concern include the weather, the condition of the plane, flying altitude and geographical location, and time zone differentials.

Consequently, the same can be said about an Airplane Pilot resume. Every section of your resume – Contact Information to Work Experience and Education – are all important and play a role in helping you get the job.

So how do you write a good Airplane Pilot resume?

1. Recruiters don’t spend a lot of time reading a resume. They would want to know who the best candidates are for the job right away. Therefore, all of your important information – the ones that qualify you for the job – must be placed front and center in the appropriate section of the resume. For example, the commercial pilot license number should be indicated in the contact information section.
2. Airline companies prefer to hire experienced pilots. If you have accumulated an impressive amount of flight time, it would be a good idea to include a chart of your flight time experience near the top-third section of the resume. A good location for the chart would be right below the Contact Information section.
3. Use a professional email address for your Contact Information address. For example, [email protected] is a professional email address while [email protected] is not.
4. Are you also a CFI or Certified Flight Instructor? If so, highlight this information. Airlines love candidates with multiple value propositions,
5. Customize your resume according to the needs of the airline company you are applying to. To do this, review the job post. Take note of the scope of work, qualifications, and most especially, the types of airplanes you should have experience handling.

Airplane Pilot Resume Objectives

Resume objective or summary of qualifications? That is the question many pilot-job applications are faced with when writing their resume.

For the reason that it acts as your voice on the resume, the objective statement gives your application more value compared to the summary of qualifications.

What do we mean by “voice on the resume”? Essentially, when you write an objective statement, you are introducing yourself to the person reviewing your resume. Therefore, write as if you are talking to the recruiter.

Your objective must answer the question that is on the mind of the recruiter:

“Why should we hire you?”

Here are a few ways you can deliver the right answer:

• Start off the objective with your top qualifications. How do you know which are your top qualifications? Refer to the job post. The HR Officer who wrote the job post will include a list of the qualifications for the ideal pilot. If you have all or some of them, include the information in your statement.
• Personalize the objective by mentioning the airline company you are applying to. Human Resources people dislike going through resumes that look like they came off an assembly line. These are the ones that read “generic”. Personalize your application by mentioning the company in your objective statement. Another way would be to state how your skills would benefit the company.

Here’s an example:

Certified Commercial Pilot with more than 350 hours of flight experience seeks to build a career with AirBorne Airlines as an Airline Pilot. I commend your success in expanding your fleet to include 10 747 airlines to accommodate additional routes to Europe. I wish to offer my experience and expertise to service your airline needs and become part of your company’s growth plan in the travel industry.

• No doubt, the recruiter will be impressed that you took the time to research on the company and include one of its latest accomplishments. Include your soft skills. We will discuss the value of soft skills in the next section. However, it is worthwhile to mention that companies place equal if not, greater value to soft over hard skills. The reason for this is cultural or organizational fit. Put simply, companies prefer to hire people they can work with. After all, talent can be trained but attitude is what you are born with.

Lastly, keep the resume objective short. It should not be more than 4 to 5 sentences long. Write in a conversational manner and avoid using technical terms.

Airplane Pilot Resume Skills

It is a given that in order to become an Airline Pilot, you must have acquired a Bachelor Degree in Aviation or a related course. From there, you should complete a training program from an accredited flight school before you can log-in some actual flight experience.

In view of all of these hard skills, are technical and fundamental knowledge of aviation enough to become the best Airplane Pilot for the job?

The answer is: No.

It takes more than education and experience to become a good Airplane Pilot. As the title of one of the most iconic flight movies goes, you must be made of “The Right Stuff” – stuff being your soft skills.

Here are some of the skills that airplane companies will be looking for in an Airplane Pilot:

1. Excellent Communication

An Airplane Pilot must establish clear and excellent communication with his passengers, his crew, and the controller. Misunderstandings should never occur between the Airplane Pilot and the ground crew.

If there are possible causes for concern, these issues must be relayed directly – and clearly – to the controller. And vice-versa. Air traffic must be accurately monitored and so should changes in the weather. Having excellent communication will prevent accidents and mishaps from happening.

2. Great Awareness of “The Situation”

Situational awareness refers to the following areas of concern during flight:

• Environment – Weather conditions
• Mode Awareness – Controls, plane conditions, and flight configurations
• Spatial Orientation – Altitude and geographical position of the airplane
• Time – Differences in time zones between 2 geographical locations

A good Airplane Pilot must be aware of these situations or have a high-level of clarity and understanding of the conditions that could have an effect on the flight schedule.

3. Quick Decision Maker

Generally, flying is a relaxing and fun experience. Occasionally, there can be some thrilling and scary moments. Good examples would be excessive turbulence, a sudden change in altitude, bad weather, or an engine may give out.

A good Airplane Pilot is one who can make decisions fast. In situations like those described above, timing can be crucial. For example, if the incident becomes dire and an emergency landing is needed, the Airplane Pilot must know where and when.

Above all, he must inform the passengers of the situation and explain clearly what needs to happen. It is important to make sure the passengers don’t panic.

4. Ability to Handle Pressure

An Airplane Pilot may seem like he has it all – great job, well-paying career, and a chance to see the world every month. With the perks come the pressure. Remember, in your hands are the lives of hundreds of passengers!

Flying through inclement weather, turbulence, or low visibility are examples of high-pressure situations. You should have the ability to maintain composure and do what needs to be done to get the passengers safely to their destination.

How do you highlight your soft skills in the resume? The answer is in the next section of this article. The work experience section will give you the opportunity to share the experiences that validate your soft skills to the recruiter.

Airplane Pilot Duties And Responsibilities

The work experience section is very important because it serves to answer a vital question for the airline company:

“What can you do for us?”

Similar to the resume objective, don’t submit a generic sounding Airplane Pilot work experience section. To be clear, write one that is personalized to the demands of the job as described by the airline company:

1. Review the Job Post. What are the responsibilities of the job? The HR Officer will have the duties and responsibilities of the Airplane Pilot summarized under “Scope of Work” or “Duties and Responsibilities”.
2. Review Your Work Experience. Have you done these tasks in your previous employment? If so, write your job description in a way that addresses the needs of the company. For example, if the company wants someone who can conduct meetings, you can write on your descriptions as follows: Conducts meetings and briefings with cabin members and flight crew on a regular basis; makes sure that everyone is on-board with standard flight procedures as well as with instructions from air traffic control. 
3. Go Into Detail. Create imagery in the mind of the recruiter by describing your duties and responsibilities in detail. The person reviewing your resume probably is a pilot himself and has an idea of what you do. It will be easier for him to follow and understand your level of experience by describing your tasks in greater detail.
4. Differentiate Your Job Descriptions. Did you work for 2 different airlines? Don’t write the same job description for both work experiences. Preparing a good resume should not involve copy and paste! Even if the tasks are similar in nature, there will be differences in procedure and objective. Highlight these differences in order to differentiate your job descriptions.

If you have extensive work experience, use the Chronological format for your resume.

With the Chronological, you start from your current or most recent work experience then work your way back to your earliest relevant work experience.

The purpose of the Chronological format is to present your skills and abilities as they are right now. For this reason, recruiters love the Chronological format because it makes it easier for them to assess your current level of qualification.

If you plan to use the Chronological format, your Airplane Pilot resume should follow this template:

• Contact Information – Don’t forget your Commercial Pilot license number
• Chart of Flight Experience
• Objective Statement
• Skills
• Work Experience
• Certification/Licenses
• Education

Entry Level Airplane Pilot Resume

Are you looking to land your first job as an Airplane Pilot? As long as you have logged in the miles and have acquired your license as a Commercial Pilot, you have a good chance of getting hired.

The trick is to make sure your entry-level Airplane Pilot resume attracts the interest of the person reviewing it.

Here are a few tips on how to come up with a top-flight entry-level resume:

1. Indicate your commercial pilot certification/ license number in the Contacts Section of your resume. Make sure it can be seen right away by placing the license number below your name.
2. Emphasize your years of experience flying an airplane. Include volunteer work, experience as a private pilot, and even limited-hour flying engagements within your community.
3. Use the Functional format for your resume. With this format, the focus will be on your skills and qualifications, not on your work experience.

If you plan on using the Functional format, your Airplane Pilot resume will be rearranged as follows:

• Contact Information – Don’t forget your Commercial Pilot license number
• Chart of Flight Experience
• Objective Statement
• Skills
• Certification/Licenses
• Education
• Work Experience – Include volunteer work and experience as a private pilot

If the job market dries up, don’t give up! There will be frequent openings for a good Airplane Pilot. Thus, keep you Airplane Pilot resume updated. In time, you will be flying across the great blue skies!

Advice for a Airplane Pilot Job Interview

But apart from creating a great resume, you need to be well prepared for the dreaded job interview. Here are tips that can help you convince the interviewer that you are the perfect person for the position.

Study the Airline Company

What does the company have that other airlines do not? There must be something about the airline company that has driven you to seek a position with them. By studying the history and operations of the company, you can determine if it can help you meet your goals as a plane pilot.  Airlines are notorious for mergers so make sure you know their merger history.  Also be sure to know which destinations they fly to the most.

Dress Appropriately

When called in for a personal interview, you need to leave a lasting, good mark on the employer’s mind by dressing appropriately. A sophisticated business suit will do the trick.

Work on the Possible Questions

A day or two prior to the interview, allow some extra time working on some of the questions you might be asked. Here are some of them:

• How many hours have you worked as a plane pilot in your previous companies?
• What commercial piloting certifications do you possess?
• Have you attended post-graduate training to improve your craft?
• After 9/11, how do you ensure that security measures are well implemented prior to departure?
• How would you deal with a passenger who is being abusive to a member of the cabin crew or other passengers?
• Name one certain thing that poses the greatest threat to airline security today. Explain.
• In case of an engine malfunction, what is the first thing you would do so as not to cause panic among your passengers?
• Cite one significant business issue that is currently affecting the industry and the measures that you think this company should take in response to its effects.

Questions You Can Ask                

Once the airline is done asking questions, you can then begin to ask the airline interviewers questions of your own.  Here are some questions you can ask them

• The airline industry is a very volatile industry with a lot of acquisition and mergers.  Are there any upcoming mergers concerning this airline?
• What other airlines do this company partner with?
• How often will I have to pilot a flight internationally?

Send a Note of Thanks

It doesn’t hurt to send a thank you note to the employer a day or two after your interview. Showing your gratefulness for the time he has given you may not give you a total edge over the other applicants but can give you the best chance to ask about your status, whether you are hired or not.