Your First 1000 Hours

[Daz]

Unless they endorse you on type, you can't count any of the sandbag time in your long book in Canada. Certain FAA employers i've flown with have Counted my 500hrs of 214B bobble-heading in the total, but never in Canada.

 

Good to know; thanks.

 

- Darren

[whippersnapr]

Some great advice in this thread. I just returned from my first major road-trip, and it was more of a learning experience about how NOT to just show up at an operator rather than how to land a job.

 

I'm in a similar boat where I'm currently employed; paying down my student loan. I would love to walk out the door and spend 100% of my time finding work, but right now I'm trying to balance the two efforts.

 

What really matters on a low-timer resume? I sometimes think that people take one look at my resume and pass me off as a white-collar computer nerd. I have a lot of diverse skills from past jobs, but my current work experience paints me as an office-type; when I'd be much happier on the shop floor. I'm not sure if I should discard much of my technical certifications and experiences, or how I should tilt my resume to show my aviation aspirations.

[What Limits]

I know of two cases recently where low-timers were employed because of their computer skills. What you bring to the table is what gets you the job. There is no shortage of low-time pilots, those who have life skills and experiences are the ones who stand out.

Good luck

[What Limits]

Reading this thread reminds me of one of the many low-timers that I interviewed. He was clearly on a road trip but appeared at the interview as if he had slept in his car in the parking lot and had got up two minutes before.

 

He was dirty, unkempt and he stunk.

 

Remember that if you get called for an interview, the employer wants to hire you. You have got the job until the door opens then it all goes downhill from there. How far downhill depends on you.

 

You may not think that your appearance matters, but it does to my customers.

 

BTW: he didn't get the job.

[SuddenStop]

so did you just stereotype him into being an unkempt slob? or did you actually take the time to know him and his situation and ask him about it? Maybe he had car trouble that night and made it in really late, possibly just before the interview. Maybe something else messed up his plans. He may have done his best to at least make it to the interview under terrible circumstances.

The resume clearly had the skills you wanted as you gave him an interview, but you failed to be a good potential boss. You didn't care. You just labelled him and tossed him aside.

[Daz]

I'm not sure if I should discard much of my technical certifications and experiences, or how I should tilt my resume to show my aviation aspirations.

 

 

 

I feel your pain - I look at my resume with a critical eye, and all I see is SKI BUM. However, in the 20+ years I've been working in that industry, I've operated expensive and delicate machinery, trained, supervised and mentored people, learned a lot about human factors, decision making and interpersonal relations, and used all that stuff in high-stress and high-risk environments. It's also turned me into a certified Class 1 Grade "A" weather weenie. None of that is as golden as hours in a logbook, but I'm sure it'll come in useful at some point in my flying career.

 

You describe yourself as a "white-collar computer nerd" - now, I'm no chief pilot or ops manager, but this suggests to me that you are educated, and likely have skills and experience in time management, organization, problem solving, working in a team environment, and so on. I would bet that you could apply a lot of your skills to the heli world - the tricky part is figuring out how to convey that to potential employers. I'm still figuring that out, too.

 

Good luck on your next roadie - at least you've gotten out and made some connections!

 

- Darren

[Elvis]

"I feel your pain - I look at my resume with a critical eye, and all I see is SKI BUM. However, in the 20+ years I've been working in that industry, I've operated expensive and delicate machinery, trained, supervised and mentored people, learned a lot about human factors, decision making and interpersonal relations, and used all that stuff in high-stress and high-risk environments. It's also turned me into a certified Class 1 Grade "A" weather weenie. None of that is as golden as hours in a logbook, but I'm sure it'll come in useful at some point in my flying career."

 

Be careful your don't fall off your pedestal Daz :)

 

:elvis:

[Daz]

Dude, wait'll you hear me tell you about my hot guitar skillz!

 

[Elvis]

[Grasshopper]

Where'd y'all get that picture of me, man?