Learn to write a resume as an aviation specialist in 5 steps
Aviation specialists have the massively important duties of scheduling flights and managing flight logistics in both civilian and armed forces settings. To earn a position as an aviation specialist, you must not only undergo rigorous training but also write an eye-catching resume that will impress employers.
In this guide, we will teach you all about writing an effective aviation specialist resume in 5 easy steps. Keep reading to learn how to:
- Choose a resume format that compliments your experience level
- Write a resume summary that captures employers’ attention
- Include key aviation specialist skills on your resume
- Describe your work experience as an aviation specialist concisely
- List your education as an aviation specialist correctly
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1. Choose a resume format that compliments your experience level
In general, the standard resume format expected by most employers is the reverse-chronological resume.
A reverse-chronological resume will focus primarily on work experience, listing your most recent position first and working chronologically backward from there. This type of resume gives you the best opportunity to highlight your work experience and accomplishments from past jobs.
However, if you are new to the industry or have only recently completed your education or training, you may not have an extensive work history to show off just yet. In this case, you should consider one of the following alternative formats:
- Functional Resumes: Functional resumes focus on education, skills, and unpaid experience rather than formal work experience. This format works well for applicants who are still in school or those who have recently graduated or completed training.
- Hybrid Resumes: Hybrid resumes combine elements of both functional and reverse-chronological resumes. Rather than having one or two focal sections, this resume format spread the focus out between all sections. A hybrid resume is a good choice for applicants who are changing career paths or have large gaps in their work history.
Choose your preferred template and make your resume shine.
2. Write an aviation specialist resume summary that captures employers’ attention
A resume summary is a brief statement at the beginning of a resume that helps to introduce the applicant to the employer. In this summary, you should aim to include the most compelling professional details about yourself, such as academic or professional accomplishments and awards.
To help show you how to write an effective resume summary, here is a weak example followed by a correction and explanation:
Incorrect aviation specialist resume summary example
Aviation Specialist with multiple years working in the armed forces, helping to plan and coordinate aircraft missions. Skilled in logistics and budgeting, with a proven track record of cutting operational costs while maintaining proper operational standards. Recipient of an ATCA award in 2021.
Why is this Incorrect?
Whenever you write a resume summary, it is crucial to be as specific and detailed as possible. In this example, the applicant provides good information but fails to offer enough context to make it sound highly relevant or impressive to employers.
Corrected aviation specialist resume summary
Army Aviation Specialist with 5+ years of experience planning and coordinating military aircraft missions. Developed a new logistics and budgeting plan that reduced overall operational costs by 15%. Recipient of the 2021 ACTA Annual Aviation Systems Specialist Safety Award.
Why is this Correct?
In this corrected example, the applicant offers highly specific information such as the exact number of years of experience they hold and the name of the award they received in 2021. By doing so, the summary has far greater context, making it more impactful and impressive to the employer reading it.
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3. Include key aviation specialist skills on your resume
When writing an Aviation Specialist resume, it is important to include a diverse array of skills that showcase not only your technical abilities but your interpersonal ones as well.
Technical skills refer to the abilities you gain through education and training, such as logistics and budgeting. On the other hand, interpersonal skills refer to your ability to understand and work well with the people and work environment around you. These interpersonal skills can be both learned and inherent.
With this in mind, here are 10 examples of both technical and interpersonal skills for Aviation Specialists:
The best technical skills to put on your aviation specialist CV
- Flight logistics
- Arrival & departure scheduling
- Budgeting
- Coordinating flight plans
- Maintaining flight logs
- Emergency alerts
- Flight & aircraft safety standards
- Knowledge of navigational aids
- Developing training directives
- Preparing operational plans
Effective aviation specialist interpersonal skills for your resume
- Exceptional verbal communication
- Active listening
- Attention to detail
- Leadership
- Organization
- Time management
- Multi-tasking
- Problem-solving
- Collaboration
- Emotional intelligence
4. Describe your work experience as an aviation specialist concisely
Your work experience section of your resume is where you can provide in-depth details on your work history, previous responsibilities, and professional accomplishments at specific jobs.
When writing this section, it is important to keep the information shared concise to allow the person reading it to quickly skim over the entire section with ease. Employers rarely read every word of a resume, so keeping your descriptions short and sweet is key.
Here is an example of a work experience entry from an aviation specialist resume:
Piedmont Airlines, Huntsville, AL
Aviation Operations Specialist
March 2018 to January 2022
- Scheduled incoming and departing flights, achieving a 90% success rate of on-time arrivals and departures.
- Collected and analyzed data for airline safety reports to ensure that each flight met proper safety standards.
- Developed a new budget that reallocated a portion of funds towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel, reducing overall jet fuel emissions by 10%.
5. List your education as an aviation specialist correctly
There are two main types of aviation specialists: civilian aviation specialists and armed forces aviation specialists.
To become a civilian aviation specialist, you will need a minimum of either an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in a related field, as well as undergo aviation training to earn the proper licensing required by public and private airports.
As for armed forces aviation specialists, you will need to enlist in a branch of the military, undergo basic training, and earn at least a 91 on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test. You may also be able to earn an aviation degree as part of your military training, but it is generally not a base requirement for the position within the armed forces.
Regardless of which route you choose to become an aviation specialist, it is crucial to include all of your qualifying academic or training credentials within your education section. This can include any relevant certifications as well.
Here is an example of a well-crafted education section on an aviation specialist resume
Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA
A.S. in Aviation Science
- Graduated: 2020, Summa Cum Laude
Certifications
- Certified Aviation Manager, National Business Aviation Association