We are truly living in challenging times and aviation is one of the industries that was hit hard with the current pandemic. A lot of pilots are facing the prospect of going out and finding other employment in order to cover their basic needs. I have been listening to a podcast called Career Transition by Arpad Szakal that got me thinking. Pilots like the rest of us have a specific set of skills, these include the following:
- Self-discipline;
- Problem solving;
- Work with set procedures;
- Great team member, through CRM;
- Passionate about their career (although this can be a negative point outside Aviation);
- Analytical thinkers and
- Goal driven individuals;
- Flexibility;
- Self marketing (this will come in extremely handy).
These skills are often overlooked or down played in the broader sense of the job market, and most pilots tend to think it only applies in the cockpit but any management position ask for exactly these skills. When it comes to the question on “how do I know you won’t go back as soon as Aviation opens up”, it’s best to be honest and let them know how you truly feel about that. This is one of the questions you should get clarity on before going for the interview, since this can be the deal breaker. As they say: your CV gets you the interview, but you get yourself the job by going for the interview.
In the interim before applying for jobs decide if you should be re-skilling for example to take computer courses or up-skilling and do for example a project management course. You can also start engaging on social platforms and get a feel for the new industry that you are targeting to become a part of. Talk to people who know you and who you know, preferably in the new industry. Ask yourself which other industry I can enrich as well as benefit from personally. Good luck out there and if you need help transitioning within the Aviation industry, Simuflight is there for you. If you need a training reference also let us know. Stay positive and let us help each other through, until we can all experience the blue skies after the storm again.
Joey Schulz
Simuflight
Should you have any enquiries about our services offered by Simuflight, please visit our contact page and get in touch!