Create for free Login

Air Traffic Controller Resume 2026 - CTO, facility level and position certifications free

Антон Литвинов
Антон Литвинов Founder, AI Resume Master
in 𝕏
Published: 03.10.2026 Updated: 03.10.2026

An air traffic control resume is read by somebody who already knows the job, and that changes what belongs on it. Nobody at a tower or a TRACON needs to be told the work is high pressure. They need to know which positions you are certified on, what type and level of facility you earned them at, how much traffic you work, and whether your certificate, medical and clearance are current. Those four things are the resume. The route in is unusually structured too, and where you sit on it is the first thing a reader looks for: the FAA bid window, the Air Traffic Skills Assessment, the medical and security investigation, the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, then developmental status and on-the-job training until you check out position by position as a Certified Professional Controller. Coming from the Air Force, the Navy or the Army, translating that record into FAA language is most of the work.

Create resume → See the example 5 minutes - AI suggestions - ATS friendly
Ready sample

Air traffic controller resume sample

The order a facility manager reads in: certificate and currency first, facility type and level second, positions certified third, traffic volume fourth, training and supervisory qualifications last.

Certificate and currency in the top block

CTO certificate with year of issue, facility ratings, medical class and currency, clearance status. A reader who cannot tell in six lines whether you are current has to assume you are not.

Facility type and level, every time

A Level 12 Class B tower and a Level 4 VFR contract tower are different trades. Level is one number carrying traffic, complexity, mix and staffing, so write it beside every facility you have worked.

Positions listed one by one

Flight Data, Clearance Delivery, Ground, Local, and on the radar side Radar Associate and Radar, each with the month you checked out. Facilities hire against a specific shortfall, so the list beats the phrase all positions.

ATS friendly

Airport authorities, contract tower operators and federal systems all parse before a human reads. Single column so text does not interleave, the posting title mirrored in your headline because the parser reads that line as your job title, certificate numbers and position names as plain text rather than inside a table, dates in a consistent MM/YYYY form, no icons, no photo.

Sample resume text

Use it as a reference: keep the structure and wording, put in your own facts and numbers.

Dana Whitfield

Certified Professional Controller (Tower and Radar)
Memphis, TN
dana.whitfield@example.com
(901) 555-0164
linkedin.com/in/example

Profile

Certified Professional Controller, 8 years in FAA terminal facilities, currently a Level 10 TRACON with roughly 320,000 annual operations. Certified on Flight Data, Clearance Delivery, Ground Control, Local Control, Radar Associate and Radar. Work 55 to 70 operations an hour on a single radar position with up to 14 aircraft under control, 70/30 IFR to VFR. CTO certificate since 2018, OJTI since 2021, Controller-in-Charge since 2023. STARS, ERAM, ASDE-X, electronic flight strips. Class II medical current. Prior Air Force 1C1X1, 50 months facility-rated.

Experience

Certified Professional Controller - Radar and Tower08/2021 - present

Federal Aviation Administration, Cedar Bluff TRACON and Tower (Level 10), Memphis, TN

  • Work all radar and cab positions at a Level 10 facility of roughly 320,000 annual operations, peaking at 55 to 70 operations an hour on one arrival sector with up to 14 aircraft under control
  • Checked out on Radar Associate in 7 months and Radar in a further 11, both inside the facility training time standard
  • OJTI since 2021; trained five developmentals, four of whom checked out on at least two positions
  • Controller-in-Charge on 140 shifts, including two unplanned runway closures and a field condition event that diverted nine arrivals
  • Rewrote two sections of the facility SOP on satellite airport releases after a letter of agreement change with the adjacent en route centre
Certified Professional Controller - Tower03/2018 - 08/2021

Federal Aviation Administration, Hallowell Tower (Level 9), Springfield, MO

  • Worked Local and Ground Control in a Level 9 Class C tower, roughly 190,000 annual operations on two parallel runways, peaking at 62 operations an hour, 70/30 IFR to VFR
  • Checked out on all four cab positions in 13 months as a developmental; CTO certificate from 2018
  • Daily mix of regional jets, a flight training operation and night cargo, including LAHSO when authorised
Air Traffic Control Journeyman (1C1X1)06/2013 - 01/2018

United States Air Force

  • Facility rated 50 months on tower and radar approach control at a joint-use field with mixed military and civil traffic
  • Worked Local, Ground, Flight Data and radar arrival, including formation recoveries and unscheduled airfield closures

Education

Ridgeline Community College2018 - 2020

Associate of Applied Science, Air Traffic Management

Skills

Separation and sequencing under JO 7110.65, including wake turbulence minimaTower cab: Flight Data, Clearance Delivery, Ground Control, Local ControlRadar: Radar Associate and Radar, arrival and departure sectorsSTARS, ERAM, ASDE-X, D-BRITE, EFSTS electronic flight strips, ATISSimultaneous parallel and intersecting runway operationsLetters of agreement, SOP amendments, point-outs and APREQ coordinationTraffic management: ground stops, metering, miles-in-trail, EDCTsEmergencies, NORDO procedures, ARFF alerting, runway incursion responseOn-the-job training instruction and Controller-in-ChargeLow-visibility and SMGCS operations, field condition and RVR procedures

Certifications and Training

  • FAA Control Tower Operator (CTO) certificate, 14 CFR Part 65 - issued 2018
  • Certified Professional Controller, all tower cab positions - 2019
  • Certified Professional Controller, Radar Associate and Radar - 2023
  • FAA Academy, Oklahoma City - initial tower cab and terminal radar qualification, 2018
  • On-the-Job Training Instructor (OJTI) - 2021
  • Controller-in-Charge (CIC) - 2023
  • FAA second-class medical certificate - current, renewed annually
  • Private Pilot certificate, single-engine land - 2016, 210 hours

Download a resume template

Build your resume in our AI builder and export in the format you need

PDF
Classic Build
PDF
Modern Build
PDF
ATS friendly Build
Use this template in the builder →

What you get

  • A complete air traffic controller resume sample
  • 3 PDF templates
  • How to write facility level, position certifications and traffic volume
  • 6 mistakes that get controller resumes set aside
Profile

Air traffic controller profile summary

Four or five factual lines: certification status and the facility it belongs to, facility type and level, positions certified, traffic volume, currency of certificate and medical. The manager is deciding one thing - whether you can be trained onto a position in weeks or in a year - and only certifications and facility level answer it.

From the military, write the civilian equivalent first and the service detail second. Certified on all tower cab positions at a Level 8 equivalent facility, CTO issued 2021, 1C1X1 gives a civilian panel what it needs; watch supervisor, 7th Operations Support Squadron does not, however senior it sounds. State facility-rated time in months, because 52 consecutive weeks is the threshold between an experienced applicant and a developmental.

WeakDedicated air traffic controller with excellent communication skills and the proven ability to stay calm under extreme pressure. Safety-focused team player seeking a challenging position in aviation.
StrongCertified Professional Controller, 8 years in FAA terminal facilities, currently a Level 10 TRACON with roughly 320,000 annual operations. Certified on Flight Data, Clearance Delivery, Ground Control, Local Control, Radar Associate and Radar. Work 55 to 70 operations an hour on a single radar position with up to 14 aircraft under control, 70/30 IFR to VFR. CTO certificate since 2018, OJTI since 2021, Controller-in-Charge since 2023. STARS, ERAM, ASDE-X, electronic flight strips. Class II medical current. Prior Air Force 1C1X1, 50 months facility-rated.
Tip
Put the facility level in the summary, not only in the job history. To a reader who knows the system, Level 10 TRACON is a complete description of complexity, traffic and staffing in three words.
Skills

Air traffic controller skills for a resume

Separation, sequencing and phraseology are the trade, but screening happens on certifications, equipment and facility experience. Name the positions, the scopes, and the order you work to - a facility running STARS does not want to guess whether you have seen it.

Hard skills

  • Separation, sequencing and spacing under FAA Order JO 7110.65, including wake turbulence categories and minima
  • Tower cab positions: Flight Data, Clearance Delivery, Ground Control, Local Control
  • Radar positions: Radar Associate and handoff, Radar on arrival and departure sectors
  • STARS, ERAM, ARTS, ASDE-X, D-BRITE, EFSTS and electronic flight strips, ATIS composition
  • IFR clearance delivery, releases, departure sequencing and holding instructions with approach control
  • Simultaneous and dependent parallel runway operations, intersecting runways, land and hold short where authorised
  • Letters of agreement and facility SOPs, handoffs, point-outs and APREQ coordination
  • Weather and field conditions: RVR and tower visibility, wind shear alerts, braking action, low-visibility and SMGCS operations
  • Traffic management: ground stops, ground delay programmes, metering, miles-in-trail, EDCTs
  • Non-routine handling: declared emergencies, NORDO, ARFF alerting, runway incursion response
  • Flight data processing, flight plan amendments, strip marking, position relief briefings
  • On-the-job training instruction and Controller-in-Charge, including combining and decombining positions

Soft skills

  • Holding the whole traffic picture while talking on frequency, typing and answering a landline
  • A relief briefing that leaves nothing for the next controller to discover
  • Changing a plan early instead of defending one that has stopped working
  • Standard phraseology with a pilot whose English is a second language, without speeding up
  • Saying unable without hesitating when a request cannot be approved safely
  • Admitting the picture has gone and asking for help on position rather than riding it out
  • Training a developmental without taking the keys off them too early or too late
  • Rotating shifts and mid watches without letting fatigue reach the position
  • Coordination with the adjacent sector kept short, complete and unambiguous
  • Debriefing an event factually, including your own part in it
Experience

How to write air traffic controller experience

Formula: facility with type and level, positions certified with dates, traffic volume, then what you did beyond working traffic. Maintained safe separation of aircraft is the job description, not an achievement. Peak operations per hour on your position, aircraft under control at once, annual facility operations, the IFR to VFR mix, developmentals certified as an OJTI and shifts held as CIC are what a manager can act on.

Dates on position certifications say more than they look: checking out on all four cab positions in thirteen months at a Level 9 facility tells a reader something no adjective reaches. If you have transferred, show the level at each facility and how long re-certification took. Secondary qualifications - OJTI, CIC, traffic management, airspace and procedures, quality assurance, safety team - get their own bullets, because they are why a facility picks one certified controller over another.

Weak- Controlled air traffic and maintained separation between aircraft, coordinated with adjacent facilities and ensured compliance with FAA regulations.
Strong- Work Local and Ground Control in a Level 9 Class C tower with roughly 190,000 annual operations, peaking at 62 operations an hour on a 70/30 IFR to VFR mix across two parallel runways; checked out on all four cab positions in 13 months; certified three developmentals as an OJTI, each inside the training time standard; held Controller-in-Charge on 140 shifts, including two runway closures and a field condition event that diverted nine arrivals.
What to include
Facility name, type and level - annual operations - positions certified with the month earned - peak operations per hour - aircraft worked at once - IFR to VFR mix - equipment by name - OJTI and CIC with volume - currency of certificate and medical.
Education

Education and training

Air traffic control is a training pipeline rather than a degree requirement, so this section should mirror the pipeline. A developmental passes the Air Traffic Skills Assessment, a medical and a security investigation, qualifies at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City on a tower cab, terminal radar or en route track, then trains on position until each is certified. An experienced applicant comes in on 52 consecutive weeks of facility-rated experience. Write dates and outcomes plainly - this is a qualification check, not a narrative.

  • FAA Academy initial qualification - tower cab, terminal radar or en route - with the year
  • Control Tower Operator certificate under 14 CFR Part 65, with year of issue
  • Facility ratings held, each with the facility and the year
  • Air Traffic Skills Assessment completed, if you are mid-process
  • Air traffic collegiate training programme or aviation degree, in one line
  • Military training translated: Air Force 1C1X1, Navy AC rating or Army 15Q, with year
  • OJTI, Controller-in-Charge, traffic management or quality assurance training, with dates
  • Medical certificate class and currency, and the status of your clearance
  • Pilot certificates, ratings and total hours if you hold any - relevant and often left off
Careful
Never describe a specific operational error, deviation or incident on a resume. The event is in the facility record, the investigation is not yours to summarise, and a narrative version on a document you hand to strangers helps nobody.
No experience

Air traffic controller resume with no ATC experience

The FAA hires developmentals with no air traffic background - that is what the Academy exists for - but the bid window is narrow and the screening is mechanical. Entry as a developmental is age limited, generally requiring applicants to be under 31 when they apply, and everything after the bid is a sequence of pass-or-fail gates: the Air Traffic Skills Assessment, a medical, a security investigation, then the Academy. Your resume here is not proving you can work traffic. It is proving you will get through training.

So write evidence of the capacities the job uses: holding several moving things in your head at once, speaking precisely under time pressure, following a written procedure exactly, and working shifts without deteriorating. A dispatcher, a flight instructor, a pilot with a current medical, a crew scheduler or an emergency call taker all have usable material. Give the volume, name the procedures, say what you were accountable for.

  • Radio or dispatch work: calls or movements per shift, the radio discipline you were trained on, the procedures you worked to
  • Flight experience: certificates, ratings, total hours and classes of airspace flown - a pilot certificate belongs in the top block, not buried
  • Air traffic collegiate training or aviation coursework, with the subjects named
  • Procedural evidence: checklists you were accountable for, logs you kept, anything audited and passed
  • Shift work history including mid watches, with an attendance record if it is clean
  • Facts a federal process verifies anyway: citizenship, any clearance held, clean driving record

Ready to write your air traffic controller resume?

The builder puts your certificate, facility level and position certifications in the top block where the facility manager and the screening system both find them, and keeps the layout single column.

Create resume → See examples
Mistakes

Common mistakes

Adjectives where the certifications should be

Calm under pressure is the one thing nobody needs to be told about a controller. Positions certified, facility level, peak operations per hour. Same claim, made checkable, in less space.

No facility level anywhere on the page

Level carries traffic volume, complexity, mix and staffing in a single number. A resume that names facilities without levels makes the reader look them up, and most readers will not.

Positions written as a lump

Certified on all positions is weaker than the list, because facilities hire against a specific shortfall. Flight Data, Clearance Delivery, Ground, Local, Radar Associate, Radar - each with the month earned.

Military experience left in military language

An AFSC, a squadron and a watch supervisor title mean nothing to a civilian panel. Lead with the CTO certificate, facility rating, equivalent facility level and positions certified, then put 1C1X1, AC or 15Q in brackets.

One document sent to a federal process and to a contract tower

A federal application needs hours per week, supervisor details and enough narrative to support a qualification determination, and it legitimately runs several pages. A contract tower operator or airport authority wants one or two. Writing one document for both guarantees that one of them is wrong.

Currency not stated

A certificate, a medical and a clearance all lapse. If the resume does not say the medical class and that it is current, hiring you might mean a delay - and a possible delay is a reason to open the next file.

Takeaways

Takeaways

Remember

  • CTO certificate, facility rating and currency in the top block
  • Facility type and level beside every position held
  • Positions certified listed individually, with the month earned
  • Peak operations per hour and aircraft worked at once
  • Equipment by name: STARS, ERAM, ASDE-X, electronic flight strips
  • Federal and private resumes written as two separate documents
Create resume →
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Your certification status and the facility it belongs to: CTO certificate with year of issue, facility rating, the positions you are certified on, facility type and level, and the currency of your medical. A reader decides in six lines whether you are a certified controller who can be put on a position, a developmental part way through training, or an applicant who has not started. Those are three different conversations.
Put the FAA-recognisable facts first and the service detail in brackets: CTO certificate and year, facility rating, positions certified, equivalent facility level and traffic volume, then 1C1X1, AC or 15Q. Count your facility-rated time in months, because 52 consecutive weeks of facility-rated experience is the threshold for applying as an experienced controller rather than a developmental, and a reader should not have to work it out from your dates.
Because it is the trade's shorthand for complexity, encoding traffic volume, mix, airspace and staffing. A Level 11 TRACON and a Level 5 VFR tower describe two different skill sets even though both say air traffic controller. Write the level beside every facility, including ones you trained at but did not certify at, since that still tells a reader what you have seen.
Yes, and they should be two documents. A federal qualification determination is made by a person reading against written criteria, so it wants hours per week, supervisor contact details, series and grade where applicable, and enough narrative to support each claim - it runs long and that is correct. A contract tower operator, airport authority or airline operations centre wants one or two pages with certifications in the top block. Shortening the federal version is not the same as writing the private one.
Yes - the developmental route exists for exactly that and most controllers come through it. It is age limited for most FAA developmental hires, generally requiring applicants to be under 31 at application, and it runs through the Air Traffic Skills Assessment, a medical, a security investigation and the Academy. Show procedural discipline, precise communication under time pressure, shift work, and any aviation exposure such as a pilot certificate or dispatch experience.
The ones a receiving facility screens on. On the radar side STARS, ERAM and ARTS, plus ASDE-X and D-BRITE where you had them; in the cab, electronic flight strips and EFSTS, and ATIS. Name JO 7110.65 as the order you work to, and say whether you have written or amended a facility SOP or a letter of agreement, because that is work beyond the position.
Not as a narrative. Do not describe the event, the aircraft or the investigation; that record lives with the facility and the safety reporting system, and a summary on a document you hand around serves no purpose. If you want to show safety engagement, write the constructive side: safety team membership, position debriefs you have led as an OJTI, or procedures you helped change.
Yes - the full sample above and all the templates on this page. You can assemble your own version in the builder for free and see the finished result; downloading the PDF is paid, by subscription or a one-time payment. The layouts stay single column and plainly headed, which matters because aviation employers and federal systems parse the document before anyone reads it.
Useful reading

Resume and interview advice

Tips

How to Tailor a Resume to a Job Description in 10 Minutes

A step-by-step routine with a time budget: how to customize your resume for a specific job in 10 minutes, use keywords from the posting and invent nothing. With a before-and-after example for a B2B sales role.

Read → ATS

What Is an ATS System? Applicant Tracking Explained

How recruiters work with applications inside an applicant tracking system, whether a "robot" really rejects your resume, and what to do so your resume gets found.

Read → AI

AI Resume Builder in Claude and ChatGPT via MCP

Create a resume with AI in a normal conversation with Claude or ChatGPT, and get a real document with a template, layout and PDF instead of a wall of text in the chat.

Read →
Related Professions

Resume examples for other roles

→

Flight Attendant
→

Dispatcher
→

Police Officer
→

Logistics Coordinator
Create resume →