saxman
Well-Known Member
I just wrote up a gouge for my Compass interview I had the other week. I posted the exact same thing on WFFF and aviationinterviews.com. So here goes for anyone that hopes to get on there! Unfortunately, I was turned down.
Compass bought me a ticket to MSP which was pretty nice. They also put me in the Holiday Inn right by the airport and next to their HQ building. There were 3 of us interviewing that day and we met each other in the lobby for the van ride to the Compass building. We were greeted by HR staff and they walked us to a small room where we would "hang out" for the day. Jami, the HR?lady sat down with us and gave us a brief overview of the company. She was very nice and friendly and told us she hoped we all got hired.
After the intro she took us over to the testing room to begin the tests. All three of us took the tests at the same time which are on computers. First we took the cognitive test. You can't really study for this, but it pretty much tests your multi-tasking and ability to react. If you just stay focused, just think of it as a game. It's actually pretty fun. If you've gone throught the Delta or Comair interviews, then this is exactly the same test.
Next is the personality test. You can't really study for this either. It's 240 questions, you just put STRONGLY AGREE, AGREE, NEUTRAL, DISAGREE, or STRONGLY DISAGREE. It's questions like, you're a positive person, or you're a talkitive person, etc.
Then was the job knowledge test. This was 50-60 (I can't remember) questions and you have 60 minutes to complete. This is one you can study for. There was some mental math questions such as you're going X speed, how far are you from the VOR? There were quite a few questions about turbine engines. Also calculate when you desend to cross a certain fix at X altitude and also calculate a VDP. If you know basic pilot skills you should be fine. There were also a few aerodynamic questions having to do with swept wing aircraft. I was hung up on a few questions but I feel I did pretty alright. Mental Math for Pilot's is a good book to prepare for this. Also a book about passing the airline technical interview will help as well. No need to read the whole thing in detail, but at least thumb through the basic subject areas. I should mention that Compass did send me a study guide when they offered me an interview.
After we all finished the test, Jami came back and said we all passed. They said if you pass the tests, the hard part is over, and all you have to do is pass the easy interview.
We had lunch after that, and then got ready for the interviews. Whomever finished their test first, went to interview first. I went second, so I waited over an hour. Before they call you in, they pour over your logbooks and paperwork, which takes some time. When it was finally my turn, I went in to meet a current Compass checkairman, a retired NWA captain and an HR rep. I probably should have prepared a little more for the HR part. I was so busy studying for the tests, that I got some hard questions asks. There were NO technical questions. They were all very nice though. I started off by telling them my history, how I got started in aviation, why, where I did my flight training and where else I have worked. They also asked about my extracurricular activities which they seemed pretty interested in. They also asked me about busted checkrides, which I explained. All other questions were situational questions, such as tell me time when...have you ever...etc. I'll try to remember a few:
Tell me a time when you had to make an unpopular disicion and how you convinced others to go along with you. You're a captain and after takeoff on a 35 minute flight and there is a loud bang from the back. FA calls up and describes the bang but sees nothing wrong nor anything else out of the ordinary. All cockpit indications are normal. Pax have a very worried look on their faces. What would you tell them? Would you continue? You see an FO with their hat hanging on their bag. What would you tell him/her? What is something you did, and would never do again while flying? What did you learn from it? Tell me a time when you had a Captain not following SOP's or about to make a mistake. How did you handle it? What did you say to him/her? Did you have to say anything again while back on the ground? Why or why not? Have you ever gone beyond the call of duty to get something done, even though you didn't really have to do it? How do you feel about customer service? How do you feel about calling in sick or being late? Have you ever or how many times have you done so? Have you ever made a decision that was unpopular with the passengers? (I said I called in fatigued for the last flight of the night) Have you ever called in fatigued?
Thats most of them. They ask different questions to different people so be ready for anything. HR interview lasted about 45 minutes and then they sent me out to wait. The great thing is that Compass will let you know right away. They sit and deliberate for about 20 minutes after you've gone to make a final dicesion. Then they come out and tell you yes or no. I walked out feeling pretty good, but unfortunately, another HR rep came and told me I had not been selected.
Bummer. Not sure what they didn't like, but I'm guessing some of my answers weren't that great when I think about it. They stumped me on a few. They called me a cab and I headed back to the terminal.
If they do select you, you'll stay and fill out more paperwork, such as more job history forms, PRIIA paperwork, drug test forms. I also believe they send you across the street for fingerprinting and drug test. After that, they call you a cab and give you a voucher to get you back to the terminal.
It's a pretty long day. You should bring your lunch as there is no cafeteria or anything. Good luck to everyone. We need as many pilots off the street as possible!
Compass bought me a ticket to MSP which was pretty nice. They also put me in the Holiday Inn right by the airport and next to their HQ building. There were 3 of us interviewing that day and we met each other in the lobby for the van ride to the Compass building. We were greeted by HR staff and they walked us to a small room where we would "hang out" for the day. Jami, the HR?lady sat down with us and gave us a brief overview of the company. She was very nice and friendly and told us she hoped we all got hired.
After the intro she took us over to the testing room to begin the tests. All three of us took the tests at the same time which are on computers. First we took the cognitive test. You can't really study for this, but it pretty much tests your multi-tasking and ability to react. If you just stay focused, just think of it as a game. It's actually pretty fun. If you've gone throught the Delta or Comair interviews, then this is exactly the same test.
Next is the personality test. You can't really study for this either. It's 240 questions, you just put STRONGLY AGREE, AGREE, NEUTRAL, DISAGREE, or STRONGLY DISAGREE. It's questions like, you're a positive person, or you're a talkitive person, etc.
Then was the job knowledge test. This was 50-60 (I can't remember) questions and you have 60 minutes to complete. This is one you can study for. There was some mental math questions such as you're going X speed, how far are you from the VOR? There were quite a few questions about turbine engines. Also calculate when you desend to cross a certain fix at X altitude and also calculate a VDP. If you know basic pilot skills you should be fine. There were also a few aerodynamic questions having to do with swept wing aircraft. I was hung up on a few questions but I feel I did pretty alright. Mental Math for Pilot's is a good book to prepare for this. Also a book about passing the airline technical interview will help as well. No need to read the whole thing in detail, but at least thumb through the basic subject areas. I should mention that Compass did send me a study guide when they offered me an interview.
After we all finished the test, Jami came back and said we all passed. They said if you pass the tests, the hard part is over, and all you have to do is pass the easy interview.
We had lunch after that, and then got ready for the interviews. Whomever finished their test first, went to interview first. I went second, so I waited over an hour. Before they call you in, they pour over your logbooks and paperwork, which takes some time. When it was finally my turn, I went in to meet a current Compass checkairman, a retired NWA captain and an HR rep. I probably should have prepared a little more for the HR part. I was so busy studying for the tests, that I got some hard questions asks. There were NO technical questions. They were all very nice though. I started off by telling them my history, how I got started in aviation, why, where I did my flight training and where else I have worked. They also asked about my extracurricular activities which they seemed pretty interested in. They also asked me about busted checkrides, which I explained. All other questions were situational questions, such as tell me time when...have you ever...etc. I'll try to remember a few:
Tell me a time when you had to make an unpopular disicion and how you convinced others to go along with you. You're a captain and after takeoff on a 35 minute flight and there is a loud bang from the back. FA calls up and describes the bang but sees nothing wrong nor anything else out of the ordinary. All cockpit indications are normal. Pax have a very worried look on their faces. What would you tell them? Would you continue? You see an FO with their hat hanging on their bag. What would you tell him/her? What is something you did, and would never do again while flying? What did you learn from it? Tell me a time when you had a Captain not following SOP's or about to make a mistake. How did you handle it? What did you say to him/her? Did you have to say anything again while back on the ground? Why or why not? Have you ever gone beyond the call of duty to get something done, even though you didn't really have to do it? How do you feel about customer service? How do you feel about calling in sick or being late? Have you ever or how many times have you done so? Have you ever made a decision that was unpopular with the passengers? (I said I called in fatigued for the last flight of the night) Have you ever called in fatigued?
Thats most of them. They ask different questions to different people so be ready for anything. HR interview lasted about 45 minutes and then they sent me out to wait. The great thing is that Compass will let you know right away. They sit and deliberate for about 20 minutes after you've gone to make a final dicesion. Then they come out and tell you yes or no. I walked out feeling pretty good, but unfortunately, another HR rep came and told me I had not been selected.
Bummer. Not sure what they didn't like, but I'm guessing some of my answers weren't that great when I think about it. They stumped me on a few. They called me a cab and I headed back to the terminal.If they do select you, you'll stay and fill out more paperwork, such as more job history forms, PRIIA paperwork, drug test forms. I also believe they send you across the street for fingerprinting and drug test. After that, they call you a cab and give you a voucher to get you back to the terminal.
It's a pretty long day. You should bring your lunch as there is no cafeteria or anything. Good luck to everyone. We need as many pilots off the street as possible!
