Airline Interview 101
The mystery of an airline interview only adds to the applicant’s apprehension.
It’s natural that everyone wants to know what goes on, what happens, and what
will be asked during the interview. Well, it’s not impossible to find out the
answers to most these questions. If you approach the airline interview process
in the same manner as studying for a new rating or aircraft you will learn the
do’s and don’ts, as well as have a better insight to what will happen from start
to finish. This all begins with doing your homework and studying. Research is a
very important part of preparing for an interview. Gathering information for the
technical part of an interview often seems like the most important part of
preparing for a pilot interview. Airlines do not want to hire just a Pilot with
strong technical skills, they want a good employee. That includes personality,
social skills, and reliability. Many challenges a pilot will deal with in the
airline environment will require judgment and tact in areas outside of actually
flying the plane.
Interview Attire
A common question many candidates have about the interview process is what
should I wear. An important thing to remember is that the piloting profession at
an airline is much like other jobs when it comes to professionalism and
responsibility. Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants all have an established dress code
for interviews and conducting daily business.
Interview Apparel, Men:
-
Black or Navy suit
Black shoes, polished
Red tie (other colors may be worn but should be conservative)
Plain White shirt, pressed
Briefcase or document tote, leather preferred
Limited jewelry (wedding band, college ring, Watch)
Interview apparel, Women:
- Black or Navy suit
Pants or Skirt no shorter than knee length
Black shoes, polished
Conservative necklace or scarf
Conservative shirt, pressed
Briefcase or document tote, leather preferred
Limited jewelry (wedding band, college ring, Necklace, Watch)
An interviewer will look at the candidate’s ability to wear a suit as an
indication of their ability to conform to a uniform policy, their level of
professionalism, and personal demeanor with regard to their professional
progression in their career.
Orientation
During the interview one of the first things you will encounter in some form is
an orientation. This will generally include a brief overview of the company, a
description about how the interview will be conducted, as well as an
introduction of the interview staff. If time remains, some time may be spent
answering questions from applicants. This is a great opportunity to make a good
first impression. Before your interview you should spend some time researching
the company (history, current operations, stock info, etc.). This benefits you,
because you should always know about a company before getting involved, but it
also shows the interviewer(s) that you have made an effort in getting to know
their company. We will discuss what to ask and what not to ask later in this
course.
Logbook Review
One of the most basic and yet sometimes most challenging parts of the interview
is the logbook review. This should really be an easy part of the process, but
some people manage to get so creative with their logbooks that it ends up
attracting too much attention to the wrong things. Having turbine time is great,
but not if it was logged incorrectly. The same goes for IMC, night, SIC, Dual,
Etc. Make sure your logbook is kept neat, up to date, and that you are not
“enhancing” anything to make yourself more competitive. Mistakes in a logbook
are ok, just be sure to make corrections clear, neat, and initialed. Take the
time to check your math and make sure your time adds up and is correct. This is
not a task to undergo the night before an interview. Be prepared in advance.
Check rides should be tabbed
Technical Interview
The technical portion of the interview will gauge how well prepared the pilot is
for not only the job in question, but for their current work. The interviewers
during this portion of the interview are generally all flight crew members and
will be asking questions that range in difficulty from very easy to very tough.
This can be a great test of technical knowledge, reasoning, and judgment. If you
have come to the interview well prepared you should have an answer for every
question. If you are given a question to which you do not know the answer, treat
it like a check ride; do not make up the answer. Instead, look them in the eye
and apologize telling them you do not know the answer to their question. Be sure
to have a solid grasp on the regulations and operations of your current job. The
questions will usually be focused on the aircraft you have most recently flown
and have the most time in. We will cover technical questions specifically later
in this course.
Human Resources Interview
The Human Resources interview is conducted generally by non pilot personnel or
management pilots. During this segment the interviewers are going to ask and
look for answers which will help them determine if you are what they are looking
for as an employee and a co-worker. Part of the HR interview is determining if
you are someone they would enjoy sitting next to on a trip. This is a perfect
opportunity to sell yourself. Later in this seminar we will look at many
techniques for answering HR questions and also evaluate our strong and weak
points to expose any areas that may pose a problem during an interview.
Simulator Evaluation
Some airlines include a simulator evaluation. The goal here is to see how well
you can adapt your skills to something new. An ILS is still an ILS no matter
what aircraft you are flying. They are looking at how you brief the approach,
how you deal with mistakes, corrections, and if you can apply the “IFR Basics”
to a different aircraft. Some airlines conduct the sim rides in planes they
don’t even fly. It’s an exercise in CRM and the basics. When preparing for a
simulator evaluation focus on some key areas.
Simulator
briefing - learn to listen to instructions closely and carefully. Be
sure not to miss important numbers, power settings, resources, or objectives. Be
sure to note the profile used for the maneuver or approach. If unsure, ask how
something should be set or used, the sim instructor will let you know if they
can be used as an additional crew member or how to set radios and navaids.
Flying the FTD
- Be sure to prepare yourself to fly a simulator or FTD. The handling qualities
of these devices are generally different than that you are used to. Learn to
interpret raw data, use the trim, and make smooth corrections. While focusing on
flying, don’t forget some basic things like holding speeds and other IFR rules.
CRM -
Don’t forget that one of the main things you will develop while in ground school
at an airline is CRM. Be sure to demonstrate good use of others if available
during your simulator session. If the sim instructor says he will act as your
Captain or First Officer be sure to take advantage of that resource. Manage the
cockpit and use standard callouts or as instructed during the brief.
Sound judgment
- When conducting an approach or landing the aircraft, be mindful of
the touchdown zone, as well as runway centerline, and remaining stabilized on
the approach course. A missed approach looks better than a crash or fouled up
approach.
Quality- Hold yourself to a high standard. Practice approaches before your
simulator evaluation and stay instrument proficient.
Panel Review
A few airlines conduct a Panel review or board review. This generally is a group
of pilots, or management, or a mixture of both that review an applicant after
all information has been collected and make a final decision. You need to
understand that just being a great pilot is not enough to get you hired. You
have to show that you are a good employee, a good crew member, and reliable.
This industry is built on the safe and reliable transport of people and cargo.
Airlines will accept nothing less than a pilot who is safe and reliable, it is
your responsibility to demonstrate you have those qualities.
Background Check
After the interview is completed and you have been offered the job your journey
is not over yet. The background check is a way to make sure that the person they
have hired is exactly who they say they are. It is very important that you give
complete and truthful answers on the application. It is even more important that
you do not do things in life that would not look good on your record like, DWI,
DUI, Jail Time, Arrest Record, etc. All of these items will almost surely end
your career before it has started. Any information on an airline application
that is found to be fraudulent will usually result in immediate termination.
Avoid these issues by providing accurate information. Things always have a way
of surfacing.
Initial Training
The final part of the interview is ground school. Ground school is where they
give you one last chance to prove them wrong for giving you a job.
Unfortunately, some pilots forget they are still being watched, and do things
that jeopardize their employment. While in ground school you are walking a tight
rope. The training department personnel are usually closely knit to those
persons in charge of both hiring and firing pilots. You will hear many stories
while in training about those who let themselves get too relaxed while in ground
school and ended up being terminated.