TC written scores - worth mentioning on a resume?

[into the blue]

Hello, folks! The question is in the title. I am low-timer with a CPL, just starting to send out resumes to some 702/703 companies where I think I might have at least a slight chance of being offered a flying position. As you might guess, in my situation I don't yet have much to offer flying experience-wise. However, I did score very high on the PPL and CPL exams (96 and 95% respectively) and wondering if any operators would give a damn. I don't think it was a lucky streak, as I have spent many month before each exam in an intensive study mode and would rate my aeronautical knowledge as above average, compared to pilots of my experience level. What are your opinions?

[iflyforpie]

Don't bother. Makes you look like you know it all. You passed, that is enough.

It's really tough to break into the flying biz. The best advise I can offer is to show up where you have applied and put a face to the name on the resume. The CP will know what you have got for skills and the difference between you and the 10,000 other resumes he has is how you carry yourself and how lucky you are with timing.

Best of luck!

[thecaptain]

Hello, folks! The question is in the title. I am low-timer with a CPL, just starting to send out resumes to some 702/703 companies where I think I might have at least a slight chance of being offered a flying position. As you might guess, in my situation I don't yet have much to offer flying experience-wise. However, I did score very high on the PPL and CPL exams (96 and 95% respectively) and wondering if any operators would give a damn. I don't think it was a lucky streak, as I have spent many month before each exam in an intensive study mode and would rate my aeronautical knowledge as above average, compared to pilots of my experience level. What are your opinions?

I can't imagine any operators caring about that. If you have the certificate, that says it all.

[kevinsky18]

No absolutely not

[Rowdy]

It comes off as really arrogant. try looking for a better way to stand out than what everyone else is doing.

[into the blue]

Thanks guys. That's exactly why I asked this question - I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate or not.

[snoopy]

Definitely don't include this in your resume... but that's not to say you can't be proud of yourself for doing well! If you carry this conscientious attitude with as you prepare for future check-rides and exams for additional licenses and ratings, you will find your hard work gets you get noticed on your merit - without you mentioning a thing!

If you want to score big with a potential employer, you can put the same studious effort into learning about the company, the aircraft they operate, the type of work they do, the customer base and the locale in which they are based. Not only will the company be impressed you took the effort, the information will help you ask the right questions and guide you as to how to best sell yourself in an interview. This research will also help you make more informed choices about where to focus your job search, and whether you would make a good fit within the company.

You should know that your exam results and PPC (Pilot Proficiency Check) scores remain on your permanent pilot record, so I would strongly recommend aiming high and keeping up the good work. Those records can be checked at any time by Transport, for various reasons, so it certainly doesn't hurt to have a great record on file.

There are certain, albeit rare circumstances where you may be requested to produce an exam result. One example might be a flight-related scholarship application - again, a good score will reflect well on you.

If you're looking for things to enhance your resume and make you stand out in a crowd, I would focus on highlighting skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for, and traits that show you to be of strong social and moral character. Then I'd suggest following up your resume with a personal visit!

Good luck on the job search, and with your new career!

Best Regards,
Kirsten B.

[just curious]

Nope. It'll mark you as different. But not in a good way. Pilots tend to be overacheivers in a lot of ways, so your competitors will have similarly high marks.

If you get hired, and subsequently do poorly in a groundschool, you will have sown the seeds of doubt in your CP's mind.

Not a good resume hook.

[loopa]

I don't mean to be rude and start an avcanada war here, but the last bit of this sentence made me go hmmm...

...and would rate my aeronautical knowledge as above average, compared to pilots of my experience level.

Sorry dude, you still don't know much as a low timer. Plus, I find that this attitude by itself comes off as kind of arrogant. I also feel that with this sense of arrogance, you have a slight sense of entitlement. Maybe that's just me taking it the extra mile.

I truly to hope that you find that first flying job, but drop the attitude of "i know more than people" right now. As you will soon end up learning the hard way that being over confident, especially as a low timer will either a) get you killed or b) get you a bad name as you won't be liked by the people you work with. Also, chief pilot's are VERY quick in determining who is in it for the right reasons and who is just another "oh look at me, I can't wait to show off my uniform" kind of low timers.

You really seem to be dedicated to your exam marks, but remember, in the eyes of the employer, as long as you have the ticket, that's all that counts. Plus, your knowledge is high, how about your flying? Would you fail a King Air PPC ride if you were given one right now? Would you know what decisions to make when you're sitting there with somewhat low fuel and restrictive alternate plans? Operational decision making? have you ever worked with 2 crews before under a mandated SOP? Do you know what calls to make in the flight deck? Do you know what calls are unnecessary to make? Where do you draw the line in a King Air? Navajo? Do you know how the PT6 engine really works? Why it's efficient? Why it's use is very common across the industry? do you know why the rubber boots are used as part of the leading edge while the root of the leading edge is heated using bleed air? yati yati yata... you get my point...

I'm going to assume the answer is no to most of those questions. I don't even know all the answers... those are just some examples of things that you still have to learn. I'm sure there's more that I am even not aware of. What I'm getting at is that you have A LOT of non text book material to learn as a low timer. Things that you can't read about in a few books and score 95% on.

Remember, the day when you "know it all" is the day you should hang up your pilot hat, and burn your medical as that's the day you owe it to everybody around you to leave this industry.

Believe it or not, the boys sitting up there punching in cost index to achieve their mach speed at FL380 are also learning new things ! Remember to stay curious, no matter how well you do on any exam. Always remember that the nut wad that may get 75% may teach you a perspective about something that you have never even considered.

See for a person like you, you shouldn't be thinking, oh look at me I got 95% on my CPL exam, I'm god. You should be saying, crap, there's 5% knowledge out there that I don't know about and need to learn. That's the attitude that will take you far and build you a reputation that everybody will respect. You will be the guy people look up to because you're smart, and are always open to learn from other people's insight. It's the law of action and reaction, send off a positive tone with everybody, you will get a positive tone back from everybody.

Always strive for perfection and excellence, but don't let yourself use that as a reason to prove yourself as being "better" or "superior" than or to anybody else.

Best of luck and I wish you the safest career !

[Invertago]

And... in the end be thankful it is an anonymous forum and you can come back with a new handle pretending this whole question never happened I never tell people I scored 105% on my CPL exam (there are hidden bonus questions you must have missed ).

[TopperHarley]

That's nothing. . Norris got 120% on both his ATP exams... and he didn't even answer the last 2 questions.

[Invertago]

That's nothing. . Norris got 120% on both his ATP exams... and he didn't even answer the last 2 questions.

Damn... but he did he put it on his resume... opps wait I forgot, Air Canada sends its resume to . Norris begging him to take their money and fly the jets wherever he pleases.

[ReHeat]

I have to agree that posting your exam results is going to seem arrogant. Quite frankly I did near perfect on all my TC exams and I would expect all professionals to be similar. If you want to stand out you need to be willing to go up north to work the dock/ramp and prove your work ethic or something similar.

Good luck and if you work as hard as you did for your exams you will do fine. But remember the key ingredient to making it in this industry is simply not giving up.

[Randleman]

GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!





No, it's really not going to help

[Dust Devil]

Include your picture too. I always get a kick out of those ones.

[Dagwood]

Include your picture too. I always get a kick out of those ones.

Be sure to have white shirt, black tie, 4 gold bars, XL Raybans, crewcut, and a breitling watch. Then you'd really make an impression.

Seriously, no one is going to care how you did on your PPL. They don't want to know how much you know, they want to know if you can learn.

[Cat Driver]

Remember when you answer a question on a TC exam and get the answer they want you are not really demonstrating you know the subject you have demonstrated you figured out which of the trick questions were the most bizarre.

Out guessing a bureaucrats exam is something you do because you have to to get the license.

If I were to have to write the PPL exam tomorrow I would probably fail it.

Does that make me a poor pilot?

[HORUNNER]

"If I were to have to write the PPL exam tomorrow I would probably fail it.

Does that make me a poor pilot?"

Ofcourse not, weither your stupid or not, it would have nothing to do with your income.

You did ask !

[Cat Driver]

Yes I did.

[Randleman]

Include your picture too. I always get a kick out of those ones.

Be sure to have white shirt, black tie, 4 gold bars, XL Raybans, crewcut, and a breitling watch. Then you'd really make an impression.

...or you could just put a picture of yourself with Conan O'Brien...

[Minimums]

Give up now young lover, your dream is about to be crushed. Nobody gives a damn what your scores are. Or that you even passed an exam. Nobody cares that you have 209.4 hours in your logbook. Nobody cares that you scored 'better than average' on your exam, or that you have 5 more multi hours than the other guy. All they care about is your ability to work 26 hours a day every day for minimum wage, not complain, for untold amount of years for a promise to fly an airplane someday. Didn't you watch ice pilots? Those guys are my hero's. Go drive a bulldozer, drink lots of beer, chew tabacco, shot a moose, drive a big truck and burn a lot of gas. You'll be more of a man in my books than some sniffley nosed 40 year old with a fancy hat who sold himself for the last 15 years to get where his is making 40k a year and just starting his life still driving a beat up jap car to work every morning. Oh wait, did I just descibe the life of a jazz captain? Oops.

[Invertago]

Give up now young lover, your dream is about to be crushed. Nobody gives a damn what your scores are. Or that you even passed an exam. Nobody cares that you have 209.4 hours in your logbook. Nobody cares that you scored 'better than average' on your exam, or that you have 5 more multi hours than the other guy. All they care about is your ability to work 26 hours a day every day for minimum wage, not complain, for untold amount of years for a promise to fly an airplane someday. Didn't you watch ice pilots? Those guys are my hero's. Go drive a bulldozer, drink lots of beer, chew tabacco, shot a moose, drive a big truck and burn a lot of gas. You'll be more of a man in my books than some sniffley nosed 40 year old with a fancy hat who sold himself for the last 15 years to get where his is making 40k a year and just starting his life still driving a beat up jap car to work every morning. Oh wait, did I just descibe the life of a jazz captain? Oops.

[flyinggreasemonkey]

Good question, into the blue...topped only by Minimum's response...lol

[into the blue]

Include your picture too. I always get a kick out of those ones.

Be sure to have white shirt, black tie, 4 gold bars, XL Raybans, crewcut, and a breitling watch. Then you'd really make an impression.

Thank you both for the valuable advice. Will it stand out more if I make my picture in colour or sepia? Or should I just go with black-and-white? I mean, black-and-white looks more professional, but, on the other hand, colour will be more advantageous for showing the gold bars and the Breitling watch (which I don't yet have, but have already ordered).

[Invertago]

Include your picture too. I always get a kick out of those ones.

Be sure to have white shirt, black tie, 4 gold bars, XL Raybans, crewcut, and a breitling watch. Then you'd really make an impression.

Thank you both for the valuable advice. Will it stand out more if I make my picture in colour or sepia? Or should I just go with black-and-white? I mean, black-and-white looks more professional, but, on the other hand, colour will be more advantageous for showing the gold bars and the Breitling watch (which I don't yet have, but have already ordered).

You should quit flying because you'd make a better fisherman.