The job of an air traffic controller basically encompasses authorization, regulation, and controlling commercial airline flights according to government or company regulations to expedite and ensure flight safety. If you have great communication skills and a strong work ethic, working as an air traffic controller should be the best job for you.

If you are passionate about this job, be sure to dive into the industry as soon as possible. Prospective air traffic controller candidates must not be over 30 years of age. Having that in mind, it is important to start early when looking into this career.

How to become an air traffic controller?

In the United States of America, you need to be a U.S. citizen in order to be accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Once accepted, you will be required to go through education at an educational institution approved by FAA. Among the 14 schools that are approved by FAA includes Daniel Webster College, Miami-Dade College, Purdue University and Vaughn College. For those who serve in the military and have undergone such training (air traffic control training), graduating from civilian college to be accepted as an FAA candidate is not required.

What’s next? Apply! Go ahead and apply for a job with the FAA. Once accepted, you will enroll into FAA’s Air Traffic Control Academy. This is when you’ll have to decide on a specialization; en route or terminal. Relevant training and internship programs are available for the separate specialization that you decide on. The training covers hands on experience, simulator training and certification examination.

The best part about this career is that you get to pick your location of work. There are air control towers across the United States of America. So, applying for a job at your preferred location isn’t a problem. However, there are no guarantees that your application will be approved.

Certainly, there is always ways to earn big bucks ($91,600 on average) without a college degree. However, the job as an air traffic controller requires dedication, a strong work ethic and willingness to learn.

1. Make sure that you meet the requirements

Before you apply, you have to make sure that you meet the requirements set by the government. Some basic requirements are:

- You must be 18-66 years old
- You must be unemployed and capable to work
- You must be actively seeking for a job
- You must pass the means test

Those are some basic requirements that you need to complete in order to qualify for this allowance.

2. Apply for this allowance online or by visiting local office

You can apply for Job Seeker Allowance by visiting your Social Welfare Local Office to get the application form or you can apply it online through Direct.gov website. However, you need to provide necessary and accurate information in your application form. If you have difficulty in filling up the form, then you can ask some staffs from Social Welfare Local Office to help you. If you sign in for the first time and you never work before, it is better for you to visit the local office and talk to the staff there directly.

However, you can apply for the allowance online if you have a job before. Visit this link for more information: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_178228.

The payment that you receive will be paid weekly by Department of Social Protection if you meet the requirement and fill in necessary information correctly.

3. Provide necessary documents

You will be asked to provide necessary documents related to your condition now. If you lose your job, you have to show your P45 document from your last employer. If you are laid off, you might need a letter from your employer stating your current condition. If you have reduced days of work, you will need a letter from your employer to confirm this work reduction.

Aside from that, you will need to show your evidence of identity and evidence of your address. To prove your identity, you can use your passport or driver’s license. If you don’t have either passport or driver’s license, you can bring documents such as credit card, debit card, club membership card, age ID card, work ID card, or medical card. To prove your address, you can provide documents such as electricity bill, telephone bill, and recent bank statement, recent letter from insurance company, and mortgage or leasing agreement.

Other documents may be required, such as:

- Details about your household income
- Details about dependent children
- Details about your income
- Personal Public Service Number
- Your recent efforts showing your activity to get a new job

If you follow the above steps, you will have higher success rate to receive the allowance. However, you have to be patient for your application to be processed. In any case, it is better for you to get as much information as possible before applying for Job Seeker Allowance, either online or offline.

1. Don’t make excuses

You may have some excuses that lead you to give up on your job search. You might think that you are not competent, that companies don’t need you, that you are useless, and so on. They can be your excuses to stop searching. In fact, don’t buy on those excuses whenever they pop up on your mind.

2. Keep searching

Although you’ve seen many failures in many job interviews, you have to keep searching for the job that you want. Remember that giving up is not your choice. You have to keep doing something that lead to the accomplishment of your goal.

3. Keep your professionalism

Even though you must experience failure in your job interviews, you have to keep your professionalism. Nurture your professionalism and make sure to show more of your professionalism in your next interview.

4. Focus on your value and strengths

Don’t think too much about your weaknesses. You have to think more about your value and strengths. It will keep you to think positive about yourself.

5. Don’t look to the past

If you experience failures in your job search, then you shouldn’t think that you regret to leave your past job. Your past job has been gone and you don’t need to cry for it. You have to keep looking forward to find the right job for you.

6. Embrace failures

Embrace failures because you sure will meet a lot of failures in your way to find the right job for you. You might be called for numerous interviews, but might experience failures in those interviews. That’s why you need to embrace your failures. Realize that in order to succeed, you have to fail first.

7. Keep yourself committed to your goal.

You have to keep your commitment to reach your goal. Even though you experience many difficulties and many obstacles in your job search, you have to keep yourself committed to your end goal.

8. Seek support from others.

In times of difficulties, you will need support from others to keep you motivated. If possible, you should consult and seek support from others that you trust.  They will give you valuable support that you need.

9. Know that better opportunity is in front of you.

For every failure, you will meet a better opportunity. Know this fact. If you understand that the failure that you meet is not bad at all, you will realize that you will have better opportunity to grab a better job next time.

10. Keep a positive and optimistic thinking.

The next thing that you need to do is to keep yourself positive and optimist. Eliminate all negative thoughts that you have.

Follow those tips to keep yourself strong in the middle of failures in your quest to find your dream job.

1. Prepare your look and appearance

The first thing that you should pay attention is your look and appearance. This is important because it will help you to create a good first impression to the interviewer. Make sure that you display your best appearance to the interviewer. Wear clothes that show your confidence.

2. Prepare to arrive at the interview early

Few days before the interview day, you should check the route to get into the office. Calculate how much time you will need to arrive at the interview place. Make sure that you won’t arrive at that place late. Aim to reach the office 30 minutes earlier.

3. Prepare your stamina

Interview process may take a long time and it may drain your energy and emotion. That’s why you need to prepare your best stamina before the interview. Also, there will be other people to be interviewed, so you might possibly wait for some time before you finally enter the interview room. You have to keep your body fit before this waiting period.

4. Prepare some answers to the common questions

You have to spend some time to prepare your answers for the common interview questions. Questions such as ‘tell me about yourself’, ‘why you leave your last job’, ‘what you can do for the company’, ‘what’s your weakness and strength’, and so on should be answered appropriately and confidently.

5. Check everything that you need to carry

Check the company requirement regarding what you need to carry when you attend the interview process. Make sure that you don’t leave anything behind. You have to double check what you need to carry to the interview place. Also, don’t forget about your resume. Make sure to craft your resume as good as possible.

6. Prepare your self-esteem

One of the most important things for a successful job interview is to display your confidence attitude to the interviewer. So, you have to prepare your self-esteem carefully. Learn to talk in a confident way, sit confidently, and walk confidently. You have to be able to eliminate your nervousness during the job interview process.

7. Relieve all stress and tensions

Don’t let this job interview makes you stressed. Before the job interview, you have to release all your tensions and stress from your body and mind. Make sure to keep your mind calm. A cool and calm attitude is important for a successful interview. Keep yourself relaxed before attending to the job interview.

Before attending to a job interview, you need to prepare yourself so that you can display the best of yourself to the company. The preparation tips above can help you to make your next job interview a success. So, use them for your own good.

1. Write a thank you note

When you’ve done the interview process, you should write a thank you note to the interviewer, either by hand or by email. This thank you note should not sound like a ‘bribe’ and it should be simple and straightforward. You can send this note by postal mail or email.

2. Know your value

You should know the value that you will bring to the company. When the interviewer asks you, you should explain clearly what you can do for the company. If the interviewer asks you about how to solve certain company problem, you have to know how to answer it and bring the message that you are a valuable candidate for the company.

3. Focus on your message

You have to focus on one message that you will bring to the company. The message that you bring is generally ‘why the company should hire you’. In whatever question that you answer, you should insert that message. Remember to insert the message subtly.

4. Make yourself unique

Remember to be yourself and make yourself unique in the interview process. This will be your unique selling point that will persuade the company to hire you. So, you should show your uniqueness to the interviewer. In this case, don’t be an average job seeker.

5. Know your expertise

In order to be successful at your job interview, you have to know your stuff. It means that you need to know your expertise. You have to know exactly what your strengths and weaknesses. When the interviewer asks you, you need to explain your expertise confidently.

6. Take enough preparation

Good preparation is the key to a successful interview. Before the interview process, you have to prepare everything. Prepare what you will wear, prepare when you will go to the interview place, prepare what you need to carry, and so on. If you prepare good enough, you will be able to win your interview.

7. Shaking hand and good eye contact

When you meet your interviewer, you have to shake his hand confidently. During the interview process, keep a good eye contact with the interviewer. These two points should give you more value. These points will help you to create a good first impression to the interviewer.

A good interview will lead you to have a better job than your last job. Also, if you can make your next interview successful, you will have more opportunity to be hired by the company. Using the strategies above will help you to get the job that you want. The key is to keep you determined and serious during the interview process.