Skywest Interview Tips

S

Skier767

Member
I know they just finished their interviews but this is more of a general post. I wanna know what they are looking for in an interview. I feel like I did fairly well on the technical and HR questions but got turned down both times I've applied so I'm wondering if there is something else they're looking at that I'm not picking up on? Help is much appreciated!
 
Skier767 said:
I know they just finished their interviews but this is more of a general post. I wanna know what they are looking for in an interview. I feel like I did fairly well on the technical and HR questions but got turned down both times I've applied so I'm wondering if there is something else they're looking at that I'm not picking up on? Help is much appreciated!
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Did you mess up charts?
Legal to go?
Metars/TAFs?

You have to have a inkling on what you really messed up, or is it your intrapersonal skills?
 
NewToTheIndustry said:
Did you mess up charts?
Legal to go?
Metars/TAFs?

You have to have a inkling on what you really messed up, or is it your intrapersonal skills?
Click to expand...
I did not mess up on the technical questions. However, after speaking to a couple of people, it may be my interpersonal skills. I'm definitely learning and reflecting on it in order to do better next time. 👍
 
It's possible that they can afford to be pickier with who they hire now that there is less hiring in the industry. I have no inside knowledge at this point but it is quite possible they had many more equally qualified applicants than they could hire. Which is to say, don't be too discouraged that they didn't take you this time. Keep improving yourself and applying.
 
kalan31 said:
It's possible that they can afford to be pickier with who they hire now that there is less hiring in the industry. I have no inside knowledge at this point but it is quite possible they had many more equally qualified applicants than they could hire. Which is to say, don't be too discouraged that they didn't take you this time. Keep improving yourself and applying.
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This for sure. I was pretty much told as much during my 2nd interview which I was hired for after rejection during the 1st interview a few months back at my current airline (not Skywest)
 
bbmikej said:
Just remember, there are hundreds if not thousands of people out there who can answer the technical questions. The real differentiator is whether you are someone they want to work with for 10 hours a day. We tend to worry about the first part so much that we forget the second.
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This is true but at the same time, do NOT put too much thought into this part. It will kill your mental wellbeing if you start to think you aren’t getting a position because the people who interviewed you don’t like you. It’s not (necessarily) the case at all. If you ace the technical stuff and still don’t get the job it could be any combination of: nepotism/friend of a friend hired, internal hires, externals with more dispatch experience, etc.

The guiding philosophy should be to bring your best and show them a bit of who you are, don’t be a jerk, don’t be cocky, and don’t make inappropriate jokes in the interview. Follow this and really 95% of the “do I want to work with this guy” will be taken care of.
 
I shouldn't have phrased it the way I did. What I meant from this is everyone is always says something like "I got a perfect on the knowledge questions, why didn't I get the job?" What I really meant was that major airlines used to get 1000+ applications in a few days for each class. Of those a few hundred may test with a hundred or so getting an actual interview. What makes an applicant stand out in these situations? They want to see personality and responsiveness to feedback.

We hear about all these regional postings that only hire 3 or 4 people when 100 apply. It's not that the interviewers didn't like you, it's that those 3 or 4 people were a better fit based off the answers. The job market is tough, dispatch can be even tougher. Keep you head up, listen to feedback, and try to just be an overall good person.
 
kalan31 said:
It's possible that they can afford to be pickier with who they hire now that there is less hiring in the industry. I have no inside knowledge at this point but it is quite possible they had many more equally qualified applicants than they could hire. Which is to say, don't be too discouraged that they didn't take you this time. Keep improving yourself and applying.
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Thats a good point. I have to remind myself that this is a very competitive industry and they can only take so many people per class.
 
winterrsolsticee said:
This is true but at the same time, do NOT put too much thought into this part. It will kill your mental wellbeing if you start to think you aren’t getting a position because the people who interviewed you don’t like you. It’s not (necessarily) the case at all. If you ace the technical stuff and still don’t get the job it could be any combination of: nepotism/friend of a friend hired, internal hires, externals with more dispatch experience, etc.

The guiding philosophy should be to bring your best and show them a bit of who you are, don’t be a jerk, don’t be cocky, and don’t make inappropriate jokes in the interview. Follow this and really 95% of the “do I want to work with this guy” will be taken care of.
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I do tend to overthink it and assume that they didn't like me however that is something I'm continuously working and improving on. I definitely learn more with each interview I've done so far so that next time, I'm more prepared for questions like why should we hire you and what do you bring to this company? Gotta keep reminding myself that the technical part isn't the sole reason they'd hire you, its the personality questions that matter just as much as the technical portion.
 
bbmikej said:
I shouldn't have phrased it the way I did. What I meant from this is everyone is always says something like "I got a perfect on the knowledge questions, why didn't I get the job?" What I really meant was that major airlines used to get 1000+ applications in a few days for each class. Of those a few hundred may test with a hundred or so getting an actual interview. What makes an applicant stand out in these situations? They want to see personality and responsiveness to feedback.

We hear about all these regional postings that only hire 3 or 4 people when 100 apply. It's not that the interviewers didn't like you, it's that those 3 or 4 people were a better fit based off the answers. The job market is tough, dispatch can be even tougher. Keep you head up, listen to feedback, and try to just be an overall good person.
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That is something I've learned from my interviews is that the personality questions can be the deciding factor, not necessarily the only one, but it does separate you from others. The market sure is tough but I won't let it discourage me and will just keep trying.
 
I have been in the industry a long time, and on this board for quite a while as well…here are the best two posts I’ve seen with advice for acing your interview.

Kev said:
Hiring and DX managers want someone who is demonstrably friendly and eager to work, very thankful for the chance to interview, doesn't arrive with a sense of entitlement, confident that he is right for the position but meek enough to show a certain malleability to conform with how they do things. It's a tricky act to balance; confidence and entitlement, for all jobs.

Dispatch offices all throughout this country are spattered with cocky blowhards who are quick to assume dominance, denigrate others, may know their stuff, but are caustic elements to the workplace who have nothing positive on a personal level to contribute (as are most professions where a college degree is not a requirement). Some dispatchers are HR's worst nightmare. I wouldn't say these people are in the majority, but they're there and managers are acutely aware that they don't want to add another to the mix.

Don't give anyone a reason to think that you aren't humbly grateful and gracious for the mere opportunity for an interview. Show your inherent enthusiasm for the field of aviation and your excitement to get started. If you know you're the right guy for the gig then relax, make eye contact frequently with every single person in that room, smile and joke a little. Have many questions ready to ask them, especially a few very technical ones for the dispatch manager. Be proactive if you think the interview went well and you are still interested in the company. Say just that at the end, or find a better way to express it. Assume you'll never talk to them again (because if you call them or send e-mails you may very well not), so seal the deal there and tell them how well it went for you and how interested you are in the company, and how you look forward to speaking with them again soon. Write a hand-written thank you card that very night and mail it to them.

Once you have a face-to-face interview the onus is all on you to make it happen and show them that you're the right person for the job, and in a lot of ways it comes right down to your personality, how you conduct yourself, and the touch you have to maintain a proactive stance to scream "hire me!" without being too loud. They're trying to get a good read on you; are you a good person? Are you enthusiastic? Are you going to whine at work? Are you professional? How will you work with others? How excited are you to learn? etc.

Good luck! When all else fails, I say channel President Clinton and you'll do nicely.
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Aeroscout840 said:
A job with a major is literally like hitting the lotto. It's a multi-million dollar package when you figure pay, non-rev, etc, etc.. Is your interview "presentation/preparation" of a multi-million dollar quality? Is your network multi-million dollar quality? Best interview advice I ever got was to video myself in a mock interview. Download 20 or so behavioral interview type questions and have a friend ask you questions, and video your answers with your phone. What you see may shock you. It almost always does. This costs nothing. Read every book on networking, listen to every podcast, take a course on how to interview, do a 360 analysis of your self (google it) and you will get that lotto ticket.
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I did get an offer from SkyWest but turned them down for something that better fit what I needed in this time of life… SkyWest would have really been great… I hope they ended up picking somebody that was aching for their first dispatch position because of my turndown.
 
KeepinItLegal said:
I did get an offer from SkyWest but turned them down for something that better fit what I needed in this time of life… SkyWest would have really been great… I hope they ended up picking somebody that was aching for their first dispatch position because of my turndown.
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Personally, wished it were me (aching for a first job)but I do wish that person they picked the best of luck and a congratulations 👍
 
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