Stress-free Transition From Military to Civilian Aviation Jobs
We understand that transitioning from one job to another can be hard, and it's even tougher when your last job was serving our country in the military. At Strom Aviation, we are proud to assist former U.S. military veterans use their military aviation experience to build their civilian aviation careers. We have helped a lot of veterans during their job transition and have put together some tips that will help you with your transition.
Update Your Aviation Resume to be “Civilian”
Many of our recruiters have found that the resume writing class you took while you were out processing is missing some important information that you need to understand when looking for a job online. Make sure your resume lists actual duties, technical skills, aircraft, as well as systems you have experience with and references the specific skills or job titles that you are looking for. For full consideration, consider eliminating the acronyms that are not obvious to civilian hiring managers and replace it with the actual words that make your experience obvious.
Get Certified by the FAA
Even though you can work on military aircraft, in the civilian world, obtaining an A&P license certified by the FAA will open the door to many more employment opportunities.
If you don't already have an A&P license, all those hours you logged working on military aircraft might make you eligible to get your A&P license by the FAA. You can read more about the eligibility requirements in this document from the FAA.
Tools Needed By Civilian Aviation Mechanics
Civilian aviation mechanics are almost always required to have their own tools. This is very counter-intuitive to what you have learned in the military. Some tools, like PMEL, calibrated and specialty tools, are mostly provided by the facility. Setting up your own toolbox however, is usually required, but most of the tools you need to bring to a job site may already be in your own garage. Reach out to a Strom Aviation recruiter today for a suggested tool list based on your skill set. Please note however, each facility has their own list of required tooling, so be sure to review that while planning for your 1st day.
We hope you find these tips useful as you transition into the civilian world. Aviation is an amazing industry with a lot of helpful professionals ready to help you along the way. If you have tips you'd like to share, that you've found helpful, please comment on this post.
Thanks again for your service.
Useful Links
- Article from LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/transitioning-from-military-civilian-aviation-12-steps-schantin/
- Forecast from Rotor https://www.rotor.org/Portals/0/Files/Committees/UND_HAI_Helicopter_Industry_Forecast.pdf
- Article on Rotor https://www.rotor.org/resources/military-to-civilian-transition