From time to time someone asks on our forums about various books to use for food service. Martha Stewart is a favorite especially when coming up with recipe ideas which offer eye pleasing, mouth watering, and great tasting fare.
Online, there are sites that freely share recipes and some even include video clips from respected food experts including, Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, and others. One site, the Food Network, has all of this and more. Check it out!
From time to time I have been asked if it is worth “paying fees” to find work. I don’t know of too many companies charging corporate flight attendants, but I am sure that they exist. For the record, JPI does not charge fees.
I am not opposed to people paying a small registration fee for access to jobs or to be listed in a database. This may be the only option for someone who lives in an area with limited business aviation flying. Yes, there may be plenty of small jets out there, but few cabin class jets.
In my opinion, your best efforts at finding work are through your own efforts. That means making the calls, stopping by businesses, attending networking events/conferences, etc. It can be an all consuming process, but if you are good at what you do, it will yield results.
As far as paying fees on a regular basis to an agency I am not in favor of it. However, if it gets you some much needed flight time, who am I to argue?
Frappr, the image hosting site, is a great place for people to post pictures and stay in touch with each other. Over the past several months, members of our community have added their pictures thanks to the hard work of our “Off Topic” moderator, Midnight Mike. BTW, “Off Topic” really does suit Mike to a “t” I might add!
Anyway, you are invited to post your picture too. Nah, it doesn’t have to have a work theme, and it doesn’t even have to be your own photo. Still, why not add your own photo today and show us exactly where you are on the map?
Please visit: http://www.frappr.com/corporateflyer
For the last several weeks, quite a few of the entries on this blog have dealt with resumes. It is a very important topic, one that should not be taken lightly.
Some people who are new to corporate aviation have an extensive job history stretching back several decades to a year or two after they got out of high school. Usually, this person flew for one of the legacy airlines but has moved on due to a furlough or early retirement.
Most resume experts will tell you to list your career highlights for only the last ten years. Anything accomplished before that time isn’t necessary and it could open you up to instant age-ism.
So, what if you did work for United from 1973 on? Well, instead of focusing on dates, perhaps you should omit the dates and focus on duties and accomplishments. Yes, this flies in the face of what many people think is right, but if you list your dates it automatically tells the person that you are a 50-something individual.
Yes, I know in business aviation if they want someone young, they will get someone young. However, why put more fuel on the fire then what is necessary?
When listing employment on your resume, providing a company name and city/state address is a given. After that, including bulleted information regarding duties and accomplishments is wise. It could look something like this:
Corporate Flight Attendant; Smithco Flight Department; Boca Raton, FL. May 2003 to Present. Duties included:
- Ordered catering, arranged wine service, and provided cabin assistance to passengers.
- Liaised with flight planning department and cockpit crew before every flight.
- Restocked and arranged for cleaning of aircraft after every flight.
- Reduced food and dry goods costs by 20%, resulting in a savings of $13,000 in 2005.
Yes, this list is brief and could probably include a few more points. However, it does give interested parties valuable information about what you do. Importantly, if you managed to save costs, reduce expenses, or accomplish some other important task, why not list it? You want to create “value” in the sight of potential employers so that they will have a compelling reason to hire you.
For mostly everyone who flies corporate — in the U.S. that is — English is the tongue you speak. Generally, the large majority of people I know in business aviation have no additional language skills, at least not enough to carry on a conversation when needed.
If you do have additional language skills, list them on your resume. If you are rather limited in your abilities but can carry on a basic conversation, then mention that you speak conversational Spanish or conversational Japanese, etc. On the other hand, if you can carry on a conversation in another language just as well as you do in English, then list that you speak fluent French or fluent Afrikaans, etc.
I am not one to be politically correct, but if you do list languages don’t call them “foreign languages” instead use the term “world languages.” The assumption you know English is a given, anything else is gravy and should be included on your resume. Who knows, but your expanded language skills could open up a world of opportunities for you.
New resume listers to this site sometimes wonder if they should include a tag line on their resume. A tag line is a “marketing slogan” that is used over and over again. Typically, it is something you would post on your resume, business cards, web site, etc.
Several resumes do, indeed, feature tag lines. Take a look at Kathryn Soler’s resume and you will see her tag line: Serving California from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Kathryn can say this because she maintains residences in both metropolitan areas.
A tag line should be short, memorable, and above all else: true. If there is something about you that identifies who you are, then a tag line is appropriate. If you don’t have a tag line, try to think of a little ditty that describes what you do in 8 words or less.
I posted a note on our message boards concerning online resumes. I will “quote” it here for your review:
Hi Again….
Likely, you already received an email from me regarding posting your resume online. If you are already listed you are fine, but if you want to be listed you need to take action at once.
Specifically, this Friday May 26, 2006, by 1700 ET will be your LAST opportunity to tell me that you want to have your resume featured. I will not be opening up this opportunity again ’til after Labor Day, if then.
Featuring your resume online isn’t for everyone, but it can be an attractive option if:
–You want the power of a web site, without the expense and headaches of maintaining one.
–You want a professionally designed and styled resume on par with the look of a high quality web site.
–You want to market yourself through the #1 site for private flight attendants.
–You want to expose your personal information [resume] to potential employers looking for a corporate flight attendant to work on their business jet.
Listing your resume is not a guarantee of getting called or finding work. Many factors play into this: where you live, your training, your experience, etc. Some people have gotten called on a regular basis and have flown trips they otherwise wouldn’t have known about. Others have been less successful…I make no guarantees to you.
Are you interested? If so, please visit the following link, read the information, follow the instructions and you will get the ball rolling:
http://www.corporateflyer.net/corporate-flight-attendants.htm
One final note: By June 5th I will begin a long advertising campaign featuring the landing page for corporate flight attendants. I will be using Google and may use Yahoo! to promote the site. In addition, I have an SEO company that will help me move traffic. I expect to keep the campaign running through Labor Day, September 4th.
Thanks,
Matt Keegan
So, if you are planning on taking action, you need to let me know ASAP.
