Pilot Resume Template & Aviation Resume Example

“The jobs are there,” they say.

“Good pilots are hard to find,” they say.

But if you’re like many pilots, you may have already sent out hundreds of job applications and never heard back. Don’t despair. Try our tried-and-true pilot resume guide, and you’ll take your career to new heights in no time.

This guide will show you: 

• A pilot resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a pilot resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a pilot resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a pilot to get any job you want.

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Sample Airline Pilot Resume

An aircraft pilot is a person responsible for a plane and its flight, including navigation, directional control, and communications. An airline pilot resume needs to talk up your cockpit experience, flight hours, plane ratings, aviation skills, and aircraft education.

Above was our take of a perfect sample pilot resume. Let’s make yours just as awesome—

Here’s how to write a pilot resume as solid as your flight skills:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Airline Pilot Resume

The Delta Air Lines slogan is “Keep Climbing.” Want your airline career to keep climbing?

Then—

It all starts with formatting your aviation resume template in an organized, easy-to-understand way.

Here’s how to format a pilot resume template:

• In your professional header, start with your resume contact information.
• Use legible heading titles to split up your sections of a resume.
• Use the standard resume format: the reverse chronological resume template.
• Choose the best font for a resume, and play around with font size and bolding to make it stand out effectively.

Pro Tip: Save your resume format in PDF, unless the airline pilot job description explicitly requests one as a Microsoft Word document.

2. Write An Airline Resume Objective or Summary Statement

An airline pilot resume objective or summary, also called a resume profile, is a short paragraph introducing you to them, like an elevator pitch.

It gives airline employers a short introduction into your flight experience, aviation skills, and airline background.

Are you a seasoned veteran of the friendly skies? Choose the resume career summary.

The summary statement on a resume for airline jobs promotes you by listing your flying achievements, aircraft skills, and airline employment history.

New to this particular level of pilot work? Choose the resume career objective.

The airline pilot resume objective offers your flight career goals instead of your history, but it also gives a numbered accomplishment to prove you’re top gun.

Pro Tip: Write the heading statement last, because it’s easier to choose the best inclusions when the rest of the airline pilot resume is written first.

3. Create the Pilot Job Description for an Airline Resume

Whether writing a resume for FedEx pilot jobs or Delta Air Lines careers, the relevant work experience on your pilot resume needs to be listed correctly.

So—

Here’s how to write a pilot job description on an aviation resume:

• Go in reverse-chronological order, placing your most recent job first.
• Add your job title at the top of each entry, then the dates you were employed, and the company name and location.
• Provide 5 or 6 bullet points detailing the most impressive aspects of your flight responsibilities.
• Use power verbs (e.g., navigated, coordinated, etc.) to start each bullet point.
• Add one or two achievements you’re proud of, using numbers, to prove you’re as awesome as your resume suggests.

Pro Tip: Tailor your resume to this one specific airline and pilot job. Generic resumes get tossed in the bin immediately.

4. Make Your Pilot Resume Education Section Soar

Next stop: listing education on a resume.

Keep these rules in mind to get it right:

• List your most advanced degree first, then the one before it, in reverse-chronological order.
• Add your major, the school name and location, graduation date, and any coursework relevant to aviation jobs.
• Don’t add high school on a pilot resume, unless you don’t have a completed college degree.

Pro Tip: Your pilot flight school experience is more important than a bachelor’s degree for pilot jobs (though you usually need a bachelor’s degree, as well). So, add your flight school program first, followed by any traditional university courses beneath.

5. Highlight Your Pilot Skills on an Aviation Resume

Airline and commercial pilot jobs are projected to increase by 4% between 2016–2026. That’s 4,400 new aviators challenging you for this job.

So—

Impress the airline by listing the right aviation resume skills and piloting abilities for this airline job:

Pilot Skills for Resumes—Examples

• Great Understanding of Mathematics & Physics
• Modern Aviation Technology & Instrumentation
• Teamwork & Collaborative Skills
• Excellent Communication Skills
• Attention to Detail
• Spatial Awareness & Hand-Eye Coordination
• Ability to Stay Calm Under Pressure
• Situational Awareness
• Environmental Awareness
• Quick-Thinking Skills
• Weather Systems & Weather-Based Decisions
• Excellent Communication Abilities
• Project Management Abilities
• Interpersonal Abilities
• Decision Making Abilities
• Technical Abilities
• Time Management Abilities
• Problem Solving Abilities
• Leadership Abilities
• Management Abilities
• Teamwork Abilities
• Critical Thinking Abilities
• Creative Thinking Abilities

But, one thing—

Remember to tailor your pilot resume (like we mentioned earlier).

That means you can’t just take our list or any list of aviation skills off the internet and put it straight into your resume for pilot jobs.

Rather, here’s what to do:

• Write down all of the professional skills you possess which are related to being a commercial pilot.
• Include a healthy mix of both soft and hard skills.
• Look at the job responsibilities in the pilot job ad to find the best resume keywords.
• If there’s a match, add it to your private pilot resume or corporate pilot resume.
• Stick to the wording they use in the job ad to be as safe as possible when it comes to any ATS. The ATS (applicant tracking system) is software which reads your resume first, and if they don’t understand what you wrote, no job.

Creating a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide and use content from Certified Professional Resume Writers to have a resume ready in minutes.

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When you’re done, our free resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your Airline Pilot Resume

You know that awe you feel as you fly during a gray, rainy day and finally break through the clouds? Your pilot resume should be just like that, an epiphany, far above the other pilot candidates.

And extra resume sections give exactly that effect.

Here are great additions for a resume for piloting and airline jobs:

Pilot Resume Examples—Extra Sections

• Certifications (e.g., flight, safety)
• Foreign language skills
• Awards & commendations
• Pilot flight time
• Pilot ratings (Multi Engine, Single Engine, Instruments)
• Aviation association and airline organization memberships
• Hobbies and interests on resumes
• Volunteering on a resume

For flight hours, there are several factors you may include on a pilot resume template:

Pilot Resumes Examples—Flight Hours

• Total flight time (in hours)
• Flight hours as Pilot in Command
• Flight hours as Second in Command
• Flight hours on plane model type
• Flight hours on cross-country (“x-country”) trips
• Flight hours during nighttime travel
• Turbojet hours
• Turboprop hours
• Instructor pilot hours

Pro Tip: Unlike resumes for other vocations, pilot resumes must be sent with supporting documentation. This will include your licenses, copies of your flight ratings, passport, medical records, and more.

7. Attach a Pilot Cover Letter to Your Airline Resume

How important are cover letters for airline jobs? Well, half of employers believe that a resume without a pilots cover letter is like an engine failure—

Your prospective job will crash and burn.

Here’s how to write a pilot covering letter they’ll appreciate:

• Figure out the covering letter format before writing begins.
• Start with a compelling cover letter intro.
• Show them why you’re the best pilot for the job.
• Explain that this job is perfect for you.
• Add key, quantifiable achievements to seal the deal.
• Close with a cover letter ending including a strong call to action.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to follow up on your application by sending them an email after waiting at least a week. While you’re waiting, prepare for the interview!

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

That’s it—

Now THAT’S a pilot resume as impressive as Sully himself!

Got any questions on our sample pilot resume? Not sure how to list your flight hours, pilot instructor certifications, or aircraft ratings? Get at us in the comments below, and thanks for reading!

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This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

Sources

• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/airline-and-commercial-pilots.htm