Here’s a write up I posted on one of our pilot Facebook groups
My timeline:
Submitted: Oct 7
Invite to interview: Oct 20
Interview date: Dec 10-11
Expected class date according to Holmes: late February/early March
Studied:
RST for JKT and cog, downloaded the luminosity app for extra cog practice (I recommend practicing memory games). I hit it hard for 2 months putting in around 5 hours per day. The last weekend I barely studied. I just went over some flash cards but nothing too crazy. You have to try to relax and don’t over stress yourself. Kudos to the guys that did 8 hours of studying a day. That was just too much for me and my brain was fried at 5 hours. I alternated days studying for JKT/cog and HR. I also gave myself 1 or 2 days a week as off days. I needed to relax and clear my mind. I knew I’d be useless if I studied 7 days/8 hours each day. This worked for me. It may not work for you.
Emerald Coast for HR and Aero Crew Solutions for app review. I also was able to attend one DGI workshop through the company. Do the webinars and rapid fire Q&A, they will help you prepare. I did 7 webinars and 1 rapid fire along with the one on one top off which is a 1.5 hour phone mock interview with an HR counselor. Think of TMAAT, WWYD, and desirable Delta traits. Read Delta Rules for the Road as it incorporates their core values. You HAVE to practice talking out loud and have your 3-5 intro down pretty solid. It should not sound robotic but it needs to have a nice flow to it. I practiced by talking in the mirror, recording myself, and just turning off the radio and talking while driving.
I had 3 internal recommendations
The interview:
When you get to the airport, be nice and smile at everyone. Don’t give anyone attitude or get upset for any reason. I flew in on the 9th and stayed at the Hilton right across from HQ. Most of the people interviewing were staying at the Hilton as well.
Compile everything they ask for exactly how they ask for it. Make color copies of documents. I had only paper logbooks with tabbed checkrides (3 big Jeppesen logbooks). Some people gave in a flight summary sheet but I opted not to. It wasn’t required and the checklist said to bring if available. I figured it would be one more thing to potentially mess up so I didn’t print a flight summary sheet. You will also need sealed official college transcripts. I ordered 2 sets, one for me to review and one for the HR panel. I double checked the GPA, looked over any bad grades, and thought of things that might needed to be explained. For example, I went to one school for a year, started with one major, then changed majors, and transferred to another school. I failed Calculus one semester and they asked me about it. They also asked why I changed majors/schools. Be prepared to talk and explain why you did things a certain way and just own up to it if it was a mistake. My TT and ME time was 4 hours off from airline apps but they did not say a word about it. I would try to get it exactly as possible though.
HR was very conversational. They asked me about my app. I had no failed check rides or stage checks and asked how I was able to go through training without any failures, why did I switch colleges/majors, why did I get an F in calculus, how do you balance flying 121 and part time CFI, I see you have over 1000 TPIC, have you considered LCP or Chief Pilot, tell me about yourself in 3-5 minutes, besides stick and rudder skills, what makes a good captain, TMAAT you broke a FAR and/or SOP, you’re pretty young, did CAs or FOs ever make jokes about your age or treat you differently since you’re younger. WWYD drunk pax being belligerent, followed up with drunk pax not being belligerent but clearly drunk, would you handle it differently. WWYD you get new FAs and they are very flustered from previous flight, gate agent wants to board in 10 minutes. You manage to get 3/4 FAs good to go but 4th one is still not ok and is still complaining and is clearly flustered. WWYD you are the CA and Mx is deferring some cockpit lighting. It’s night, IMC and you will be going into a non towered airport, MEL says it’s good to defer and Mx says it will take 40 minutes to fix, do you go or wait for them to fix it. Followed up with whisky compass back light is inop and deferred, would you change anything you just did. What did you do to prepare for this interview. Then they asked if I had any questions for them. I just said no I don’t have any questions at this time but thank you again for the opportunity to be here. The panel really calmed me down and it was very relaxing. They truly seemed to care and kept checking in making sure I was as comfortable as possible. I expected more TMAAT questions but the majority was just asking about my app and WWYD. If you can find something to connect with them on a human level, I think that really helps. One guy in his tell me about yourself in 3-5 minutes spiel talked about how he played the trumpet. 2/3 of the panel also played the trumpet. Little things that you can find common ground on can really make a difference and will let the panel know you’re human and a regular guy. The HR lasted 45 minutes but felt a lot shorter than that due to the relaxed atmosphere.
Not much to say about the JKT, cog or personality but study as much as you can. I felt like I could have studied more. There were a solid 5-7 questions I guessed on. I felt pretty good about the cog but didn’t feel too hot on the JKT. They don’t tell you your scoring but I believe my strong HR may have made up for a potentially less than stellar JKT.
Day 2 was mostly paperwork and psych portion. It was an early start. We had to be at HQ at 630am. We did the MMPI test (~560 questions). I actually had to take it twice because my first time through I was too neutral or contradicted myself. After you get drug tested, fingerprinted/picture for badge, and talk with the psychologist. Nothing you need to prep for. Just answer the questions honestly. The psychologist cleared me after about 10 minutes after she worked with me and I officially got the CJO. I was probably only talking with the psychologist for 20-30 minutes. I was the last one to go for the evaluation so maybe she just wanted to go home. Some guys were in longer and some shorter but I don’t think the time you spent with the shrink means anything. I was on the shuttle by noon on the way to the airport. For whatever reason if the psychologist red flags you, you’ll get sent to the PARB where you’ll be reviewed by a board of pilots. Captain Holmes told us not be alarmed if this happens. A majority of the people that get reviewed by the PARB make it through so it’s not a big deal
The 5 that didn’t get it were 3 military, 1 Republic captain, 1 corporate. I don’t know what happened with most of them but 1 guy got the 6 month re-interview due to failed HR. One military guy said he got really stumped on the HR and he was getting a lot of WWYD scenarios with customer service and I guess he wasn’t prepared to answer these types of questions.
My stats: I’ve had pretty basic progression. Civilian, Bachelors in Economics. Not involved in anything with the company but I do have a lot of outside volunteering that I regularly do.
DOH at 9E: 4/25/16
CFI-FO-CA. 4200TT 1200 TPIC
I’m nothing special and was probably one of the least qualified guys interviewing but I got the job. Be yourself, keep a positive attitude, and smile. You’re not competing against the other candidates. You just have to show the best version of you the day of the interview. BE A HUMAN. The biggest regret I have was not doing an app review earlier. I submitted my airline apps a little over year and a half ago after I first upgraded but didn’t bother to check that it was 100%. I also had internal recommendations so it was going to get scored and I definitely got a weak score. Pony up for the app review. When I did mine with aero crew, Scott said it wasn’t bad but there were definitely things that I messed up. Also study, study, study for that JKT. I wish I could have stayed focused better. But like I said in the beginning, I tapped out after about 5 hours of studying. I’m sure there’s stuff that I’m missing but this is as much as I could remember. Good luck to everyone and I hope to see you guys at Delta!
