Resumes as fiction
By Bob Howie
March 15, 2011
Don’t people want jobs? From pouring over resumes while trying to decide who to turn loose with a $30 million jet and a few billion in my company’s liability, I’m not so sure.
They say pilot logbooks and resumes rank as some of the best fiction ever written and I’m beginning to believe it. Poor spelling and bad grammar are often combined with “There I was…” stories, all of which is certainly not what is being sought.
Job markets are tight. For every flying job, there are at least 100 (or more) applicants. But, like the recent article in The Triton about freelancers and honestly representing their availability, there’s something to be said, too, about honestly representing your resume.
In aviation – and, of course, yachting – where safety- and security-sensitive issues are commonplace, we are taking ever-increasing care in the hiring of flight crews … even those we know (or, once-upon-a-time knew).
Backgrounds checks including credit reports, criminal histories, chats with former employers, friends and references are common today.
Driving offenses involving drugs or alcohol, felony convictions, misdemeanors other than Class C (speeding, parking tickets), dings on a pilot’s certificate resulting in a suspension, all instantly disqualify a candidate. A prospective new-hire was surprised a domestic violence arrest kicked him off the list, another claimed college degrees he didn’t have and then there was that guy who claimed to be a former Navy SEAL … but, wasn’t.
Social networking sites can doom a prospective new-hire’s chances, too. Ill-conceived postings can be revealed despite a site’s so-called settings because a 12-year-old chewing on a banana can hack privacy settings, revealing a person’s entire party history.
Having a good time isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but being recognized by high-net worth, affluent and typically well-educated clients as the pilot wearing the grass skirt, coconut bra and lamp shade with a rum punch in each hand at the Bahamian bikini beach party doesn’t instill confidence.
It’s not the obvious things that can trip people up. Neither is it unusual for prospective new-hires to put the very best spin on their resumes because, after all, the product they are trying to sell is themselves, so a reasonably varnished resume is to be expected.
It’s the little things, though, that pile up to become insurmountable obstacles.
For instance, someone who began flying 10 years ago isn’t going to have 15,000 hours; nobody flies, on average, 1,500 hours a year for a decade. Airline pilots are limited to 1,200 hours annually and another 300 tacked on top of that means someone isn’t eating or sleeping.
People who have acquired expertise over a period of time can instantly recognize those who claim to possess the same, but actually don’t. The giveaways are subtle; unrecognizable and indescribable to the uninitiated, but those who have it know when others don’t. Don’t fall into the trap of claiming something that’s clearly not true.
During the interview, a prospective new-hire who explains how nothing bad is ever their fault suggests an inability to accept responsibility and to hold themselves accountable; fatal flaws, to be sure, and especially if a captain’s post is being sought.
Job seekers need to be honest; just be themselves. An interview board knows the candidate can be nervous and no one discounts the stress in trying to put a best foot forward in leaving that all-important good first impression.
A relaxed, honest prospective new-hire who convinces the interview board he or she would seamlessly fit in well within the company and easily contribute to its success will walk away with the job every time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob Howie
Freelance writer
Bob Howie is assistant chief pilot with Wing Aviation Charter Services in Houston, Texas. He spent 13 years as a writer with the Houston Chronicle, and is a lifelong boat owner.
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