One area of job searching that confuses plenty of job seekers is what to include on a resume. After all, your resume is a representation of “you” on paper. Include too much information, and you’ll lose recruiters in unimportant details. But, with too little information, recruiters won’t be sure you’re qualified for the next step in the process any may not contact you for in interview.

Since most job seekers have excessive information on their resume and don’t know what to eliminate, let’s start with four things you can always leave off of it. These tips will help you better organize your information, and present it in a format that is easy-to-read and quickly understandable for recruiters.

1. An "objective.” This is the statement at the top of a resume that tells an employer what you're looking for -- but it’s got to go. They already know you're interested in their job, so it's unnecessary. Instead, use a "summary of qualifications" to introduce employers to your most relevant skills and experience, and to show them exactly how your experience can fit their needs to grow their company.
2. Unrelated awards, hobbies and interests. We once had a job seeker who claimed to be a "pie-eating champion" on his resume, which is a great accomplishment, I'm sure. But it had nothing to do with the job he applied for, and it distracted from the rest of his qualifications. Unless it directly adds to your qualifications for the job, or helps the employer see how you fit with their company culture (for example, if you’re applying to a catering company and you love to cook, that’s a hobby that matches their culture), leave it off your resume.
3. Too much formatting. Keep your resume simple, so recruiters can read it quickly and easily. Don't use bold, italics and underlines all at once. Don't use more than one font, and be consistent in the way you present information. Bulleted lists are much easier to read than paragraphs. Keep your resume single-spaced, and shrink your margins to a half inch. You’ll be surprised at how much space poor formatting can take up on your resume, pushing it far longer than it needs to be.
4. Lists of tasks for each job. Instead of telling recruiters what you did at your past jobs, tell them what you accomplished -- what were the overarching results of your day-to-day tasks? Rather than rewriting your job description, tell recruiters how you did what you did and why it made a difference to your employer and customers.

What you leave off of your resume can be just as important as what you include, so make sure that precious real estate is taken up with relevant, well-stated, interesting information. Recruiters should be able to check off their list of qualifications easily by reading your resume, and come away with a sense of who you are and the value you can bring to their company.

Avjobs Job Board Listings
The Avjobs Job Board connects job-seekers around the world with unique career opportunities in the aviation industries. While we publish a wide range of job listings, we also provide assistance in building professional resumes, improving your interview skills, and enhancing networking opportunities through our aviation company directory.

In today's competitive aviation job market, a well-written resume is the single most important factor in getting your foot in the door and on your way to landing the perfect position. The Avjobs Resume BUILDER and PUBLISHER automatically creates your aviation specific resume and gives you the tools to mail, print, email and fax your resume, quickly and easily, all in one convenient location - online! Get expert guidance on writing your aviation specific resume and in minutes, you'll be on your way to creating a resume that will impress even the most discerning employer and put you ahead of the competition for that dream position!

Write an Aviation Specific Resume Online!

In today's competitive aviation job market, a well-written resume is the single most important factor in getting your foot in the door and on your way to landing the perfect position. The Avjobs Resume BUILDER and PUBLISHER automatically creates your aviation specific resume and gives you the tools to mail, print, email and fax your resume, quickly and easily, all in one convenient location - online! Get expert guidance on writing your resume: industry and occupation-specific advice and recommendations for your personal career situation, at no extra cost. Don't miss out on that once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity - get started today!

In minutes, you'll be on your way to creating a resume that will impress even the most discerning employer and put you ahead of the competition for that dream position!

The Avjobs Resume Builder Service was created with the help of 17 different major airlines, and other large aerospace and aviation companies. This service is presented as an On Line Job Application, the same as you would fill out when applying for a position with these companies (on paper) and was formatted with the employer viewing in mind. Avjobs is working together with the aviation industry to make sure you get connected with the job that is right for you. Simply fill in the fields and our Resume Builder System (located in the Avjobs Applicant System) will extract the necessary information from your application and produce a complete resume written to aviation standards.

Aviation Specific Resumes & Cover Letters
Once your career goals have been targeted, resumes and cover letters should be tailored to reflect your qualifications as they relate to the interests of prospective employers. Guidelines for developing these job search materials start with our Online Job Application, Designing Your Aviation Specific Resume, Resume Checklist, and Sample Resumes.

What Employers look for in a Resume
It's important that your resume be as strong and positive as possible. With your resume before them, employers can visualize how you will operate within the framework of their corporation, and how your skills and abilities will be utilized in the future development of the company.

Your Employment Summary
Although the Avjobs Resume Builder will automatically sort your previous positions by date, you should start with your most recent employer, and then continue in descending order. When entering your current position (present employer, student, or military), the date fields may be left blank and the system will automatically default this information to be your present position.

Unemployed Periods
Only list unemployed periods that were longer than 30 day. You'll be more likely to impress an employer if you can show that you used the time between jobs to acquire new skills or additional qualifications.

Additional Employment Information
Make the most of your skills and strengths when building your own resume. With your resume before them, employers can visualize how you will operate within the framework of their corporation, and how your skills and abilities will be utilized in the future development of the company.

Military History
Military personnel offer a great deal of experience and dedication to prospective aviation employers.

College, Trade or Military School, License and Certificate History
Emphasize those skills, the education and training that specifically pertain to the position you're looking for. List the highlights of your education and training that clearly fit the type of skills employers are looking for.

Pilot Supplement
The Pilot supplement was created with the help of 17 different major airlines, and other large aerospace and aviation companies. The information contained on this page is the only pertinent information requested by these companies. Please try to include all of your necessary skills and background information within the provided fields. This section provides employers with the general overview of your piloting experience, training and background that they request. Be as specific as possible. Provide full and abbreviated names when listing aircraft flown.

Mechanic Supplement
This area applies to all mechanical experience. Review the skills and equipment listed in the Applicant System to identify the specific skills you possess. For those skills/equipment experience you possess, check the corresponding buttons to indicate your level of expertise. You may come back at any time to change your level of experience as your training continues.

Today is a great day to update your online job application and resume in the Avjobs Applicant Portal system. Please take the time to review and update all of the pages of the online job application so that employers have a complete view of your experience and background.  If you have completed as much as you care to complete, you should at least review the information to insure that your contact information is accurate and up to date.  And remember, all resume search results are sorted by edit date (most current at the top of the list).

To do this, just log into your applicant account at http://members.avjobs.com, click on Job Application and then click on Update Your Online Job Application & Resume Now at the bottom of the instructions and information area.

All of the fields in the application are searchable by our participating employers so if a question, or an entire section of the application does not apply to you leave it blank. Not all information provided in the application is displayed on your resume. Employers can Drill Down to see the detail as necessary, but only pertinent resume information is displayed to Employers in their summary or Resume View to provide a clear, professional aviation standards overview of your experience.

Additional Information
The recruiters and hiring managers that use the Avjobs system are usually pretty busy trying to find qualified, motivated applicants like you. Unfortunately, there are many who will view incomplete job applications and resumes as UNQUALIFIED simply due to the lack of information provided. Many remember the names of the applicants they have encountered with incomplete documentation and never look at their credentials ever again (remembering it was incomplete last time and thinking it is still incomplete) in an effort to save time.

Make a great first impression and increase your success rate by completing your online job application and resume in our system right now. You never know when an employer will be viewing your resume or how they will react if it is incomplete.

NOTE: Our Online Job Application was created with the help of 17 major airlines, and other large aerospace and aviation companies. It specifically collects the information recruiters and hiring managers need to make their decision to contact you and move on to the next step, or move on to the next applicant. The Aviation Standards Resume Format used by Avjobs is widely preferred in the industry.

Additional sections or areas of the online job application and resume builder system that you should complete as soon as possible include:

1. Personal Information
Its important that your resume be as strong and positive as possible. With your resume before them, employers can visualize how you will operate within the framework of their corporation, and how your skills and abilities will be utilized in the future development of the company.

2. Employment Summary
Enter your employment history for the last 10 years. You should start with your most recent employer, and then continue in descending order. History older than 10 years is not necessary, unless you feel strongly about the information, or the position is directly related to the type of position you are looking for now. When entering your current position (present employer, student, or military), be sure to complete the date fields. When selecting a day, the first or last day of the month is acceptable if you cannot remember the exact dates. Sub-sections of the Employment Summary include:

a. Unemployed
Enter all unemployed periods longer than 30 days in the last 10 years.

b. Additional
Make the most of your skills and strengths when answering these questions.

3. Military History
If you served in the armed forces, describe your length of service, branch of service, rank, and discharge and/or reserve status. Employers generally react favorably to military service experience as it shows leadership, commitment, and dedication.

4. Education Summary
Enter your education and training history. This includes any College, Trade or Military School, Licenses and Certification history. Be sure to include additional training you may have overlooked such as First Aid, CPR, AED, and any other certifications. Emphasize the skills, education and training that specifically pertain to the position you're looking for now. List the highlights of your education and training that clearly fit the type of skills employers are looking for in their job descriptions. Sub-sections of the Education Summary include:

a. High School
b. College
c. Trade School
d. Military School
e. Licenses
f. Certificates

5. Pilot Supplement
This section provides employers with the necessary overview of your piloting experience, training and background and is the only pertinent information requested by recruiters and hiring managers during this stage of the application and recruiting process. Additional piloting information will be requested as it becomes necessary in the interview process. Please try to include your skills and background within the provided fields. Be as specific and thorough as possible. Provide full and abbreviated names when listing aircraft flown. List and describe your Flight Education, Training, Licenses and Certificates in the Education area as they are related to learning and not considered actual piloting experience.

6. Mechanic Supplement
This area applies to all mechanical experience not just A&P Mechanic experience. Review the skills and equipment listed in this section to identify the specific mechanical skills you possess. Check the corresponding proficiency buttons to indicate your level of expertise.

Important Note
You should revisit the online job application and resume builder frequently to update your contact information, work history, level of experience and additional training as you continue your job search. When employers search or view resumes in our system, the results are sorted by edit date with the most current at the top of the list. Keep your credentials current, particularly your contact information & telephone number and update your job application and resume frequently to stay at the top of the search results list.

Thank you,
The Avjobs Support Crew
Avjobs, Inc.

Get noticed today!  Login to view the latest jobs and update your online job application/resume.