First CV

[Rotorbod]

Anybody any tips for writing and compiling ones first aviation CV? I've a pretty good CV (well, I think so) from my previous non-aviation job, but is looking a little sparse with my low hours and experience? appreciate any help. :confused:

[mad_jock]

CV is the biggest killer for most low houred pilots.

The utter rubbish that they put out is outstanding.

A pilot CV isn't like a normal CV so you can't really use one from another industry.

There are a few pro CV writers out there, I would recommend that you use one of them, Whats 50 quid after spending what you have on training. By doing so it will put you above 90% of the oppersition.

[CY333]

anyone mind suggesting one then?

[redsnail]

CY,
Some simple pointers.

1 page only.
Important info first.
Name
Address
Contact details. Phone/email. Don't use hotmail.
Nationality (Visa issues?)
DOB (Are you old enough to go into a bar and buy the Captain a beer)
CPL/IR etc

Hours.
Types.
Be76 50 hours. (IR training)

Education/Flying school
Eg BSc. at University of Life.

Work history.
If you're a low houred CPL then just say what you're doing now or what you have done that might be relevant.
Bar Manager at The Sunburnt Arms, Torremelinos, Spain.
Supervised a team of 10 during the Summer peak season.

Any other relevant skills.
Fluent in French and Chinese.
Familiar with Windows and Mac operating systems. (etc)

Interests. Carpentry etc.

Contacts. (keep it simple).
Captain Blogs at Ace of Base Flying School.
Sir Shifty Dave, proprietor of The Sunburnt Arms, Spain.

What the potential employer wants to know is "are you qualified for the role, how old are you and how can I contact you."
Any thing more than 1 page is waffle.
Please don't put "works well in a team" (really? So you don't bite people, that's nice). Also, "will work for free" (so you don't value your CPL then?)

I have over 7,000 hours and my CV is only 1 page long.

Use a spell checker appropriate for the country. (US English versus UK English). Make sure you have the company's name correct.
Make a phone call to get the name of the relevant Chief Pilot or HR person you're writing to.

[MIKECR]

Personally, I wouldnt use 'fancy' computer software to create a CV. The recipient(assuming you email it) needs to be able to open it and format it at their end. Microsoft Word is all you need to come up with something smart and sensible. Or a pdf doc or similar. Oh and as redsnail says, keep it to one page.

[Rotorbod]

Many thanks to everyone who replied, its a big help :)

[galleypower]

Have a look at some successful resumes and cover letters (http://www.flightwork.com/library.html) on IPN. Just type 'resume' into the search box.

Advice similar to the above posts are also available on this page. (http://www.flightwork.com/training/pilot-interview/preparing-your-pilot-cv.html)

And if you want to see how other write their CVs, have a look at the CV database (http://www.flightwork.com/pilot-cvs.html) here.
Good luck.