Present and correct

All this got me thinking about presentation. For a pilot wanting to do well at interview, regardless of whether for a basic charter job or an airline slot, presentation is so important. That presentation is something that is seldom taught at flight school. Presentation is both how one presents oneself in person by way of dress and attitude and how the CV is constructed.

These days a lot of flight schools like to present their staff members in photos and with a bio. It is so easy to pick the guys that are just having a ‘first date’ with a collar and tie. The shirt is ill-fitting at the neck and the tie is not done up correctly.

Presentation is something that needs to be worked on from the day that the budding pilot makes the decision to become a commercial pilot.

The right attitude comes from the discipline of dressing and presenting well.

At selection time, the interviewer will be looking at the candidate in the same way that the fare-paying passengers will be viewing the pilot, be he or she the captain of an Airbus or a Cessna 172 scenic flight craft. Does he look like he/she will get me there in one piece? And I am being serious.

Much the same applies to the CV that a pilot builds up for that first or second job application. Over the years I have seen many a CV.

Many of those tell lots of things but not necessarily what the pilot should be telling the interviewer.

A basic or initial CV should be a one page sheet on white paper. At the top it should have the basics: your name and your contact details – phone number and email address, and maybe a location or town.

CHECK THAT THE FLIGHT TIMES ADD UP CORRECTLY

Next should be an objective. What you want to do. Work as a commercial pilot, be part of a team, fly safely, learn more about aviation? The next is the key part. A prospective employer does not have all day to wade through the half-dozen CV applications that came in the mail that day. He wants to be able to skim through the applications, see what experience the pilot has and put it aside or consign it to the round file. Experience. That can cover a lot but must include total time, hours dual and solo, time on types. Twin time, IF time, night time. Make sure that the times add up correctly.

It can be best to have time on real commercial aircraft types, better still the types that the operator has in use. There are some types flown by commercial pilots that may be termed ‘baby planes’.

Does the CV have, in brief, qualifications and certificates of interest. These could be a Dangerous Goods Awareness, computer skills, military or mechanical experience, for example, time as a car mechanic.

‘The right attitude comes from the discipline of dressing and presenting well. ’

Any other experience? The scenic flight operator will be interested in a pilot who was a tour guide in another life, otherwise known as working with people. Is there other experience or ab outside qualifications that could be of interest to a possible employer, maybe from other occupations. Outside interests? Hiking would be of more interest than collecting butterflies.

Hiking would show one is able to look after one’s self. On the CV one can say ‘referees and referrals available on request’.

Now a few things not to do. Do not mention marital status. It would probably come out at an interview anyway. Do not put your birth date on the CV. The interviewer will find that out when he looks at your pilot’s licence. Do not include a photo. Do not indulge in overkill. In short, do not include things that might well have your CV cast aside.

If you have a lot of other qualifications then have a copy on hand at the interview.

The way that a budding commercial pilot looks and presents can influence the outcome of an application for a job. It is something that needs to be practised and worked on early in the training of a commercial pilot.

Just do it better than the other applicant!.

Instructor tip of the month

Every pilot needs to include two bits of hardware in the flight kit. The first is a fuel tester and the second is a torch. Not every aircraft comes with a fuel tester to ensure that the fuel drains can be checked for water and foreign matter.

The short test tube type is best. An electrical tie wrap can be put through the slot and cut to length. That makes it easier to pull the yellow shaft out of the tube.

A torch should be in every pilot’s kit.

Check periodically to ensure it will work when wanted. It is good for checking inside the engine bay and to read the VDO or the Hobbs at the end of a flight in the afternoon. It is also good to help find small things in the dark of a cockpit floor. If a pilot gets caught out and gets back late in the day, a torch is good to have to help close up the aircraft after the flight.