Ok ill try my best to give a somewhat organized run down on what was involved....Most of you probably know this, but if you dont, first to get your package together( which is what you send to the unit in hopes of them thinking your competitive and calling you back for an interview) youve got to talk to a recruiter and schedule the AFOQT & BAT tests....Borders book store has a study guide for the AFOQT, you should probaly get it.......After those are done, hopefully the recruiter can schedule you a flight physical.......but take note of this----not to disrepect or discredit the military recruiters, but some of the info i have gotten from my first recruiter was not entirerly true....really nice person, but when i went on down the line some more, i found out some info that could have been helpful...like when i asked her if she could schedule me a flight physical, she said that her unit only gives flight physicals to candidates her selection board has chosen to go off to UPT.....i ended up talking to another recruiter who promptly called me and asked if i could take a physical.....at that same unit.......so just watch out and get second opinions.....matter of fact, the unit i just interviewed with said having the physical complete, stamped and approived prior to the interview is a huge deal.....anyway, during this process so far youll want to start getting a package together and calling units to find out who to mail it to......the nomal content ive been asked to include in it was-----cover letter, resume, transcripts from what ive completed so far in college, 3 letters of recommendation, copy of last 2 or so log book pages, and a letter from my counselor saying ill be graduating at such and such a time....
When you call the units your interested in, if their somewhat close by, make sure to make an effort to ask if you can stop by sometime to meet the pilots and personell and just hang out....face time is always a huge plus...it seems like they would rather hire someone they know and have seen before......they just want to get to know you and see if you fit in....these peopple work closely together in small groups all the time, so they want to be able to live in a tent with you for 5 months in bahrain and not hate you, and be able to go drink beer with ya after work, literally......its like a fraternity for grown ups but without the getting drunk and breaking holes in the walls......so ask when the UTAs are or whenever is convienant for them to drop by....the guys ive talked to so far have always been eager to have a new prospect drop by and meet folks....everyone is out to help each other.........dont hesitate to drop by.......
Next, after youve done the testing, hopefully taken the physical, and called units, time to mail the package out......for mine, i went to walmart and got some plastic folders, hole punched all the pages nice and neat, and had it sort of binded....then send it out.....i started calling units i sent them to like a week or so after i mailed it just to make sure they recieved it.....got to show them your interested and determined.....i kept calling a lot too....id say to call as much as you can, just up to the point where theyd consider you motivated and determined, but not annoying just yet......
Then hopefully someone will call and ask if youd like to come in and interview for a slot.......now were up to where i am currently.....just had the 1st one.......id definatley say to prepare for it somewhat....not to the point of making up canned answers to questions....theyll see right through that....but to just go find an interview prep book or go online and search for common interview questions.....i just made sure i had a good idea about stories to tell, my experiences, any problems ive had, good decisons, bad ones, best/worst personal qualities, basically the standard questions any job would probably ask you.......
For mine, started at 0830 or so.....went into the pilot lounge area and shot the bull with the other 3 guys that were trying to get a slot.....talked to pilots that were coming in and out, etc......then they came in and got us one by one to go into a board room and have the interview.......the panel was made up of about 10 pilots all sitting at a table looking at you, so it was a tad imtimidating, especially for a first timer.......but they try to break the ice, making jokes now and again......but basically started off, " tell us about yourself, etc"....then they dove into the standard interview questions......but my advice is to just be honest, dont try to show them a poker face on anything......like they asked me why i had a D in both my physics classes....just told em flat out i didnt put enough effort into them, used it as a learning experience, etc...( but they were kinda hard, but anyway)...dont try to blame anything on anyone else, unless it really was someone elses fault i guess.....those damn physics classes were definatley my fault.........then after we were done interviewing, we went out to eat with some of the squad at a local joint...still trying to get to know us as individuals, wondering if we would fit in, etc.....so now im sweating it out, waiting........
But the steps i listed above are LITERALLY each thing you have to do to get up to an interview, plain and simple...i wish the recruiter would have showed me a post like the one im writing, it would have taken some of the mystery and guess work out of what i was trying to do and how i should do it.....matter of fact, if your thinking about getting into this, print off my post and follow each step and the advice if you choose, and you basically will have done everything you could to get a chance at a pilot slot, just short of maybe enlisting in that unit and then trying for a slot, which is what some people do......
If anyone else has more helpful info or tips with their own experiences please add it....hope this helps.....
