I've never applied for a flying job. Flying places more focus on numbers than other job selections, but if your situation was transferred to the commercial world, this is what I would say. 1. With your experience, you must have done some good things that others haven't. Highlight them. But, highlight the transferable skills that you gained from the experience. Some of them may not directly relate to flying. 2. Formally sit down and think about the key questions you will be asked, figure out responses, write them down, rehearse them. There must be a positive reason why you took the job choices that led you here - sell them. 3. Remember that a CV is a selling document - not a catalogue. Why would you hire yourself against the perfectly groomed candidate? Make sure it paints a picture of why you would be a good employee. The best technician can be a mediocre employee and vice versa. 4. If you have a handicap (ie not enough multi time), then you will have to work harder than your competitors to sell yourself. This might be networking to meet chief pilots, it might be turning up in person, it might be mailing paper copies, it might be lots of things. 5. In this age, make sure your facebook / Linked-in pages etc are up to date and portraying the correct image. Lose the photo's of drinking trips to Bali, add pictures of flying destinations, etc. 6. Stay active. Fly a sim or whatever, mix with aviation people at clubs, etc. Hang around airports, whatever. The process is serendipitous. You never know where you might meet someone who helps. Keep working the odds.