Eagerbeaver has it absolutely spot-on. I was involved in pilot recruitment as a pilot manager in two airlines over a number of years until the whole system became streamlined and more formalised. I remember that – fairly recently – there was a 2-month period during which I personally read over 750 CVs. At the end of that, well frankly I needed a rope….
One major aviation college’s students produce CVs in precisely the same format, so, with the best will in the world, it is practically impossible to remember a particular individual. Furthermore, it seems that many new entrants to the industry have a very stylised – and erroneous – impression of just what sort of person the airlines want. Again, as eagerbeaver wrote, something ‘interesting’ makes you pause and look more closely. Under the ‘Personal’ heading it appears that there are literally hordes of pilots out there whose only out-of-hours activity is going to the gym. Doesn’t anyone go to a concert, play the flute or be interested in, oh I don’t know - say, astronomy? I’ll tell you one thing – the girls’ CVs are often much better written and much more interesting, and frequently make them stand out from the ocean of applications.
It’s a mistake to assume that the airlines are looking for shining supermen/women. They are looking for people who have reasonable academic qualifications, can actually fly an aeroplane, will be a comfortable, non-irritating companion on a 13-hour day and who will come to work, do the job according to the SOPs with enthusiasm and without whining all the time - and go home at the end of the day without having caused a fuss. Turn up on time and don’t be a to$$er sums it up.
Pitching up with your CV in your hand can get mixed results, but it’s hard to argue with “don’t ask don’t get” – just be careful with who you approach and when – at all costs avoid being a ‘stalker…’ One chap I know got it right – he just quietly and very politely kept me updated with his progress via email and then one day he phoned and said “I’m in the area, can I buy you a coffee?” .. and I thought “why not?” When we met it was obvious that he was a thoroughly good bloke and he’s been with us for about 3 years now, but he was lucky – I happened to be free that day and we didn’t offer him the job for a year after that meeting, and he had to follow the entire assessment process – he didn’t get a fast-track entry. I remembered him though, and that did no harm at all.
Keep banging away shockwave – persistence is the key. When I started in the airlines (70s) it took me 9 years to get in an airline door from the issue of my PPL – I did air-taxi, instructing, corporate etc - but airline flying was my sole aim when I started.