Interview Questions That Drive Me Crazy

F

FL900

Well-Known Member
I was reading through an interview gouge for a major airline, and I realized about halfway through that I could feel my blood pressure rising at the thought of having to answer these BS questions again one day.

First there are the vague ones, especially the ones that ask about you personally:

- Sell yourself to us in two minutes or less
- Describe yourself in three words
- Without talking about experience tell me why we should hire you

Then there are the ones about past experiences. You're sure you could come up with something if you had some time to think about it, but you can't think of anything when being put on the spot in an interview:

- TMMAT you had to use patience at work
- TMAAT your most challenging flight in the past 6 months/year/ever
- TMAAT you got out of your normal routine to accomplish a task
- TMAAT you had to make a quick decision

And finally, my absolute favorite, the ones that seem like a trap. Are you really supposed to answer these?:

- TMAAT you had to bend the rules to get the job done
- TMAAT you were forced to plan/fly through bad weather
- Tell me about a low fuel situation you have had
- TMAAT where you thought it was best to disregard the rules

Is the best way to find good people really to sit them down interrogation-style and expect good answers to these questions? I have been on the hiring side of the interview process once, and I didn't feel like this kind of questioning was productive at all.

Anyone have any tips for making a good impression in an interview? I guess these gouges are helpful for getting an idea of what to expect, but otherwise, how does one prepare to come up with good answers to the unpredictable questions?
 
What if you don't have a time that they ask about? Like te low fuel situation.. Would you just say "I properly prepare for all my flights and have never had a low fuel "situation"" ??
 
Ask loaded ?'s get loaded answers. Just research 'em. There is a good thread on APC about this and the stock "HR" answers.

They don't really want you to be honest. I don't care what you say if I smell alcohol on my captains breath, I'm going to my CP. Not Pro-Standards, Not Having Call in Sick, no my CP. I'm not going to tell them that on an interview though.
 
jhugz said:
They don't really want you to be honest. I don't care what you say if I smell alcohol on my captains breath, I'm going to my CP. Not Pro-Standards, Not Having Call in Sick, no my CP. I'm not going to tell them that on an interview though.
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Ouch. I really hope we're not flying together one day and a server/passenger spills a beer on me while I'm having lunch in the terminal!

Seriously, getting the union involved through Pro Stan is a great way to protect someone's career while still getting them the help they need. HIMS is a great program and an excellent resource (not that I know from personal experience).
 
jhugz said:
They don't really want you to be honest. I don't care what you say if I smell alcohol on my captains breath, I'm going to my CP. Not Pro-Standards, Not Having Call in Sick, no my CP. I'm not going to tell them that on an interview though.
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Interviewed with many major carriers lately? They are looking for honest answers. And they can see through the BS. Plus, go to the CP first, and one of the first questions they will ask you is, "Have you contacted Pro Stans yet?" Not to mention that you would solidify your position on the DB list. Guy has a drinking problem, you don't throw him under the bus, you get him the help he needs. Otherwise, don't expect anyone to help you when you might need it.
 
I don't know. I think this is just one way to weed out the many applicants some companies get. Some people just don't interview well and that could be the difference. It's sucky for those of us who have stuff to talk about and just want to get through that part, but it's part of the game.


contactground.9 said:
What if you don't have a time that they ask about? Like te low fuel situation.. Would you just say "I properly prepare for all my flights and have never had a low fuel "situation"" ??
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That's not the answer they're looking for. They're looking for the time your alternate didn't work out because of fog that wasn't forcasted and how you dealt with it. This one time at band camp my destination, alternate and next choice didn't work out so I get out the low chart and said "vectors to aiport abc, pretty please" and landed well within the 45 min reserve. True story.
 
This is one of my pet peeves. Interviews have become watered-down jokes that deal in personality and customer service rather than dealing in technical knowledge. Being a pilot is a technical job. Technical questions should be the heart of the interview. I don't care about the time you pushed some old lady to her next gate, I want to know if you can tell me the emergency action items for an engine failure on your current aircraft. I don't care about "a time that you had to use patience at work," I want to know if you can properly brief an approach plate. Time to get back to the basics. Too many pilots are getting hired nowadays because they're affable and can spin a good yarn, but they're woefully deficient in the knowledge required to be a good pilot. I think it's especially disturbing at the regional level, where your applicants lack experience and you can't just assume that they've got the basic technical knowledge.

But I don't want to get off on a rant here....

jhugz said:
I don't care what you say if I smell alcohol on my captains breath, I'm going to my CP. Not Pro-Standards, Not Having Call in Sick, no my CP.
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Just when I was starting to like you, you had to go and say something horrible like this. Dude, not cool.
 
I hate the trick "Preferred Salary" question or box.

So.... if I ask too much there's a possibility you won't hire me and if I ask too little you'll hire me because you were actually going to pay me more than that. Great. :rolleyes:
 
ATN_Pilot said:
Just when I was starting to like you, you had to go and say something horrible like this. Dude, not cool.
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I just caught crap from Martin on this.

I'm really having trouble grasping this concept. Why O' Why would we want someone as the PIC of a transport category aircraft if he/she can't have his stuff together enough to not show up drunk to work? I just don't buy into the whole alcoholism is a disease and we should baby them because of it. I've had alcoholism in the family so let me just say that alcoholism is a disease but so is depression, ADD, ADHD, Heart Failure. I wouldn't want any of the above in the cockpit however the first one still is a choice unlike the last couple.

I'm not saying that the union substance abuse program is a bad thing. It probably is a fantastic program and you have to give all the props to someone having the courage to step into on his own. However when someone is forced into it because it's either that or his job what do you think he is going to do? He has no remorse for his actions he is just trying to save face and a job for that matter. It's like the guy we destroyed today on flying w/ pax as a student pilot. He isn't sorry for his actions, he is just willing to do the right thing now, to prevent his future career from spiraling down the drain. I know that this isn't the best example because stupidity isn't a disease (or is it?) but I hope you get my point.

Also Dasleben made a good point. The smell of alcohol isn't enough for me to call the CP. Obviously a Q and A session would result between the captain and I. However if I notice a slur in speech, etc..etc..then yes off to the CP.

I have been wrong before and admit it to this very day. I maybe wrong on this topic and it will come w/ more experience in the industry...who knows? As of today though this is my stance on the topic. :)

Please edumacate me!

P.S.: I like your new avatar...however it just doesn't seem fitting for you. :)
 
Okie_Pilot said:
I hate the trick "Preferred Salary" question or box.

So.... if I ask too much there's a possibility you won't hire me and if I ask too little you'll hire me because you were actually going to pay me more than that. Great. :rolleyes:
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Agreed. I always ask "what is the salary range for the job?" I never quote a number first.
 
Jhugz, many pilots have entered the HIMS program as a result of someone catching them after showing up to work and reporting them to Pro Standards or someone else in the union rather than calling the CP. If you call the CP, then the most likely result is the pilot being terminated, and he'll probably descend into a horrible spiral of worsening alcoholism. He'll never get the help that he truly needs. Alcoholism is a disease, and people that receive treatment can go on to lead normal lives, not jeopardizing any passengers. They just need someone to do the right thing and try to get them help.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
This is one of my pet peeves. Interviews have become watered-down jokes that deal in personality and customer service rather than dealing in technical knowledge. Being a pilot is a technical job. Technical questions should be the heart of the interview. I don't care about the time you pushed some old lady to her next gate, I want to know if you can tell me the emergency action items for an engine failure on your current aircraft. I don't care about "a time that you had to use patience at work," I want to know if you can properly brief an approach plate. Time to get back to the basics. Too many pilots are getting hired nowadays because they're affable and can spin a good yarn, but they're woefully deficient in the knowledge required to be a good pilot. I think it's especially disturbing at the regional level, where your applicants lack experience and you can't just assume that they've got the basic technical knowledge.

\.
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Actually I don't agree with any of the above. My position is the exact opposite, if you can't brief an approach by the time you get to an interview then you aint getting through training. Most of the "technical" side of an airline interview is complete BS and useless. Please tell me what this red thing is on this low altitude chart that you will never use again. Too many people at least at the entry level jobs get in because they have the total time and can answer standard IFR questions. Personality is not considred much.
 
FL900 said:
Anyone have any tips for making a good impression in an interview? I guess these gouges are helpful for getting an idea of what to expect, but otherwise, how does one prepare to come up with good answers to the unpredictable questions?
Click to expand...

Most important is to know who you are interviewing with. You can't take the same interview approach for different places. Lower tier operations, tend to put you down in an interview, put you in your place to see how you respond. They need warm bodies. Higher tier operations expect a little more refinement out of the applicant because they value the pilot, so questions have to be answered differently. It's just a game, don't be offended or annoyed at what they say or do, just go with it and be honest.
 
I think these types of questions are the result of HR's rising from whatever level of hell they previously occupied to the forefront of most large corporations. They control everything and swing the axe from the latest PC topic to the next.
 
Socal321 said:
Most important is to know who you are interviewing with. You can't take the same interview approach for different places. Lower tier operations, tend to put you down in an interview, put you in your place to see how you respond. They need warm bodies. Higher tier operations expect a little more refinement out of the applicant because they value the pilot, so questions have to be answered differently. It's just a game, don't be offended or annoyed at what they say or do, just go with it and be honest.
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at my previous employer, who i hold in high regard in nearly all aspects, told us flat out at the interview "okay, this job isnt very hard. you have a commercial certificate so we presume you can fly the plane. our interview is to see if we can tolerate being around you for 8 months at a time. and if you bend the plane, youre paying for it."
 
ATN_Pilot said:
Being a pilot is a technical job. Technical questions should be the heart of the interview. I don't care about the time you pushed some old lady to her next gate, I want to know if you can tell me the emergency action items for an engine failure on your current aircraft.
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Sounds like a valid rant, but isn't the argument that by the time a guy is sitting at an interview at a Major, his technical skills shouldn't be in question? That such criteria should all ready be the minimum just to get through the door at the interview?

The Delta style interview makes sense to me -- part sim, part interview, part medical/psych eval -- as covering all the bases.
 
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