How to use CV Discovery to filter and shortlist aviation talent

CV Discovery has hundreds of thousands of aviation profiles for you to browse free of charge. Additionally, with credits, you can unlock CV downloads and directly contact aviation professionals. With all this power at your fingertips, here’s some tips on getting the most out of the candidate screening process so that you can find the best of the best and use CV Discovery’s many features to get first-mover advantage on the best prospects.

Start with a clear idea of requirements

Before you begin shortlisting aviation profiles on CV Discovery, you need to have a clear understanding of the job requirements. Identify the key skills, qualifications and experience required for the role. This will help you to assess each CV in relation to these requirements, using this as a virtual checklist. Having a clear idea of what you’re looking for will make the process more efficient and effective meaning that you target the right CVs.

You can even use the requirements you shortlist as the filters that you apply to the search results; for example if a certain qualification is non-negotiable.

Search broad, then narrow it down

Don’t miss out on candidates by starting with an overly specific search. You can search by keyword, job title or skill, then use the filters to narrow down the search from there. Remember you can use boolean terms like OR so that you can search for a range of terms (searching for ‘engineer OR technician’ will find results for both) so you can get an overview of the candidates on our database.

Our filters then make it easy hone in on the kind of person you’re interested in recruiting, so it’s best to cast the net wide, then start applying filters in order of importance so that you don’t exclude otherwise great options.

Check for skills and qualifications

Look for evidence of the specific skills required for the role, such as communication or problem-solving skills. This may include examples of projects the candidate has worked on or specific achievements in their previous roles. Don’t just rely on a list of skills in the CV - look for evidence that the candidate has actually used these skills in their work.

Education and qualifications can be important indicators of a candidate’s suitability for the role. Look for relevant education and qualifications, such as degrees or certifications. However, it’s important to keep in mind that experience can be just as important as education, so don’t rely solely on qualifications when shortlisting.

Look at experience and achievements

One of the most important things to look for when shortlisting aviation CVs is relevant experience. Look for evidence that the candidate has experience in the specific field or aviation industry. Check for keywords in the profile that match the job description. It’s important to keep in mind that experience doesn’t necessarily have to come from a previous job - it could come from volunteering or personal projects.

Achievements can give you a better idea of how the candidate could contribute to the company. Look for evidence of quantifiable results, such as increased productivity, improved customer satisfaction, or successful project completion.

Look for attention to detail

The format of a CV can tell you a lot about a candidate’s attention to detail and professionalism. Look for a clear, well-structured CV with no spelling or grammatical errors. With so many safety-critical roles in aviation, poor formatting or errors might be a reflection of the candidate’s approach in general to the work that they do and may indicate that they are careless or lacks attention to detail.

Also, the length of a CV can also provide valuable insights into the candidate. A CV that is too long may indicate that the candidate has not prioritised their information, while one that is too short may not provide enough detail. In general, a CV should be no longer than two pages.

Check for (and query) inconsistencies

Look for consistency in the candidate’s CV. Check that their employment dates match up, and that there are no unexplained gaps in their employment history. If there are gaps ask the candidate to explain them - don’t assume the worst. For example, they may have taken time off to travel or care for a family member.

Consistency is another example when it comes to showing a candidate’s attention to detail and reliability, particularly important considerations within the aviation industry.

Use interests and hobbies as insight

Although not essential, a candidate’s interests and hobbies can give recruiters an insight into their personality and interests outside of work. Look for activities that demonstrate the candidate’s teamwork or leadership skills. For example, a candidate who plays team sports or volunteers for a charity may have developed skills in communication, problem-solving, or leadership.

Hobbies, interests and transferable skills like these have particular relevance to more-junior roles where relevant experience is more limited.

Shortlist, and shortlist again

On Aviation Job Search, click the bookmark icon to save profiles to your talent pool. You can even rate them and add private notes so that you can keep track of what made them stand out to you.

If there’s a large amount of prospects, shortlist then shortlist again to whittle down the list to the best of the best. Notes and ratings are particularly useful if you want to revisit your shortlist at a later stage (for example, if you end up recruiting in the future) as it will save time when it comes to screening.

Prioritise active candidates

Use filters to focus your efforts on candidates who are active. You can filter by last updated, last logged in and whether they’re actively looking or open to opportunities.

That’s not to say someone who hasn’t updated their profile wouldn’t accept the right offer, but with hundreds of thousands of aviation profiles, it makes sense to first target those who have logged in recently as it’s a good indicator they’re active. You can access all this information for free (and also save profiles and add notes) so that you don’t waste credits on professionals who are less likely to respond.