Tough Interview Questions (HR)

ZapBrannigan

ZapBrannigan

If it ain’t a Boeing, I’m not going. No choice.
Hello everyone,

We often discuss technical interview questions here, but rarely HR questions.

I was reading a book on behavioral interviewing.. those "tell me about a time" questions. Most of them are relatively easy -- and get easier when you have a variety of experiences to rely upon.

The formula for these is: situation - task - action - result and stories should be no longer than about 2 minutes. These stories should demonstrate the qualities that you possess that are a fit with the corporate culture of the company you're interviewing with.

But some questions are harder than others. I thought I might post a few here for you to think about. I know I struggled to come up with good stories to answer these -- especially ones that would be appropriate during an interview.

1. TMAAT when you had to break the rules in order to get the job done?

2. Tell me about a company policy that you did not agree with?

3. Tell me about a time when you were counseled by a supervisor?

4. Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with another crewmember in flight?

5. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a supervisor.

6. Tell me something that you dislike about flying.

7. Tell me about a time when you had to promote a policy or procedure that you didn't agree with.

8. TMAAT when CRM broke down?
 
I hate "Tell me why you want to work for our (airline/operation). The truthful answer is almost always "Because I need a job and you are hiring" but it seems like the question exists for no other reason than to see how well the applicant lies.
 
My least favorite is, "Tell me about a recent time when you used humor to diffuse a tense situation". We laugh so much at work every day... but thinking of a specific instance is tough.
 
No other thoughts huh? Tough crowd!


Sent from my Jitterbug using telegraph.
 
"Have you ever driven over the speed limit?"
Option 1. "No."
"Liar."
Option 2. "Once or twice."
"How do we know you're not going to go over the speed limit in Class B?"
 
redwings191 said:
"Have you ever driven over the speed limit?"
Option 1. "No."
"Liar."
Option 2. "Once or twice."
"How do we know you're not going to go over the speed limit in Class B?"
Click to expand...

Its easy to answer option 2... you wouldn't speed in the class B airspace because that would directly affect your ability to keep you license which in turn affects your livlihood... going a bit over the speed limit in your car is a personal decision and quite frankly the fine isn't even close to comparing to the loss of license.
 
I haaaate HR questions... because I'd like to answer them truthfully and pragmatically. I was on a regional interview several months ago and was asked these questions by the HR lady:

Q: "How do you feel about our low first officer pay scale" A: "I hope you pay maintenance crews something better".
Q: "Would you leave us for a major in 5 to 10 years?" A: "No, the crappy regional lifestyle and lower pay scale is where I'd like to spend the rest of my career".


They are all stupid questions that deserve stupid answers. What exactly is the point of questions such as "Tell me about a time where you had to tell your best friend they were wrong"?
 
Same boat as most of you, I hate HR questions, but for a slightly different reason: the suit. I have a medical condition where my body actually overproduces heat leaving me HIGHLY uncomfortable in a suit, and you can't get twitchy like that while sitting in front of an interviewer! You can usually cover it up in a written and sim test, no one minds at that point if you remove the jacket and roll up your sleeves.

As for questions I hate: What is your greatest strength? It seems almost like a trick question, like they want you to admit certain qualities, but those which may also seem good to you would be terrible to them. For instance, telling an interviewer that you think your good sense of humor is a strength may make them think "class clown".

I also hate the question of: What would you do if the Captain starts descending below DA and you haven't broken out? There are too many factors to consider such as: what is your current fuel level? If it is at minimums, I'm not going to stop him! Or there might be some form of emergency such as a failed engine and you won't be able to make the climb out, or a passenger in serious need of medical attention.
 
I'm interviewing pilots for a position tomorrow and will be using behavioral interview questions. Not going to do any vague non job related ones though - going to make them relevant to the position I'm hiring for. One question I'm specifically going to ask is when is it okay to do a checklist item out of sequence? Is it okay if you announce it? If so, are there some checklist items you shouldn't/wouldn't perform out fo sequence? Why those and not others? If it is okay to do items out of sequence, how would you train pilots to determine when it is okay for them to do it as well? Then if I walk them this far down the road, I'll follow with: if hired we'll send you to instructor pilot school where they'll specifically instruct you not to perform checklist items out of sequence. After hearing your reasoning for why it is okay to perform certain steps out of sequence, what will you do after IP school?

I also need to come up with some conflict resolution type questions as my staff is sometimes prone to drama. Any suggestions?
 
Ian J said:
Then if I walk them this far down the road, I'll follow with: if hired we'll send you to instructor pilot school where they'll specifically instruct you not to perform checklist items out of sequence. After hearing your reasoning for why it is okay to perform certain steps out of sequence, what will you do after IP school?
Click to expand...
Oh, you're evil.
 
Ian J said:
I'm interviewing pilots for a position tomorrow and will be using behavioral interview questions. Not going to do any vague non job related ones though - going to make them relevant to the position I'm hiring for. One question I'm specifically going to ask is when is it okay to do a checklist item out of sequence? Is it okay if you announce it? If so, are there some checklist items you shouldn't/wouldn't perform out fo sequence? Why those and not others? If it is okay to do items out of sequence, how would you train pilots to determine when it is okay for them to do it as well? Then if I walk them this far down the road, I'll follow with: if hired we'll send you to instructor pilot school where they'll specifically instruct you not to perform checklist items out of sequence. After hearing your reasoning for why it is okay to perform certain steps out of sequence, what will you do after IP school?

I also need to come up with some conflict resolution type questions as my staff is sometimes prone to drama. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

"At the end of the day, flying is a mental task as well as a dynamic task. A checklist cannot anticipate every possible situation that could arise during a flight. As a result, it would be inappropriate to follow a checklist in a way that would result in an unfavorable outcome because it has not anticipated certain eventualities resulting from the rapidly varying conditions. A checklist should not be used without thinking of what is happening when you're carrying out the items on the checklist, and mindlessly following checklist order when it may not be appropriate to maintain safe operations is as bad not using it at all. While IP school insists that I may not perform these items out of order, IP school is set up in a highly cloistered and systematic environment, indeed similar to a checklist, IP school may not be able to anticipate all of the situations that I may experience after that school. It might be up to me to modify procedure to maintain safety of flight. As a result, I still stand by the claim that performing items in an order that would bring about an unfavorable outcome, or otherwise be unwise is not a good idea. I will teach my students the standardized way to do things, of course, but I will also attempt to impart upon them the judgment necessary to understand when a little technique must be thrown into the mix to keep the operation safe and efficient whilst simultaneously insuring that all checklist items are accomplished, and nothing is missed."
 
Just a tip from someone who has been through a lot of interviews the past month or so:

Be yourself. Relax, and BE HONEST. If you try to be someone you are not, you will likely fail miserably. Come on now, do you really think all the pilots at company XYZ don't drive fast sometimes? Do you think they don't have weaknesses? Do you think they don't make mistakes? Nah... They ALL do.

So if we all make mistakes, how can you stand out? By being honest, and showing you learn from your mistakes. Be confident. That will stand out.
 
FlyChicaga said:
Just a tip from someone who has been through a lot of interviews the past month or so:

Be yourself. Relax, and BE HONEST. If you try to be someone you are not, you will likely fail miserably. Come on now, do you really think all the pilots at company XYZ don't drive fast sometimes? Do you think they don't have weaknesses? Do you think they don't make mistakes? Nah... They ALL do.

So if we all make mistakes, how can you stand out? By being honest, and showing you learn from your mistakes. Be confident. That will stand out.
Click to expand...
If you want to get more materials that related to this topic, you can visit: HR interview questions

Best regards.
 
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