Aceing the Pilot Interview

It can be quite a hurdle to get that precious airline interview appointment, however having come this far, make sure you put your best foot forward!

Most airlines use a panel style interview process together with various screening and aptitude tests, and generally a simulator session.

If you want to do well, you need to practice.   You want to appear relaxed and polished and the airlines are well aware that this takes practice.  They want you to practice because they want to hire someone who takes the time to prepare for a task and doesnt just wing it on the day.

It goes without saying that you should dress conservatively.  This is not the time for weird hair, or casual gear.  You can’t go wrong with a suit, or trousers and a sports jacket. Similarly,  ladies, a suit or dress and jacket is the order of the day.  If you have long hair, tie it back or wear it up.  The panel are not looking for cabin crew styling but the boho look is a definite no.

Make sure you arrive early. If you haven’t been to the interview venue before … prepare. One of our team remembers going to an interview for a northern hemisphere carrier and being given several different addresses to travel to for various parts of the assessment.  This wasn’t by accident. The carrier wanted to know that the candidates could solve problems and plan efficiently!

We have been to a few interview between us, and we can know that there are some questions that just keep coming up.  Of course there will be technical questions. We highly recommend the book by Gary Bristow, “Ace the Technical Pilot Interview”. It’s been around for a while but really does a great job of asking and answering all the tech questions you are likely to be asked.  Its a great book for general study too.

A few of the more general questions are;

1. Tell us a little about yourself.  Start off by giving your name, age, family situation (married/single) and where you are from. Then talk a little about your education and any interesting hobbies or sports.  If you excel at tennis and have won some tournaments, then this is the time to quickly state that.  Do you have first aid training or speak a second language?  This is not the time to show them you can click your knuckles or roll your tongue!
2. Why do you want to be a pilot?  This sounds so simple but can be quite a deadly question if you haven’t prepared. Sit down now and write a long list of all the reasons, then choose the best for your interview.  If you can back up your reason with a story, all the better. Examples are a great way of winning over the interview panel. You may be asked why you are applying to this airline so make sure you have studied up.  Is this airline flying a new aircraft type?  Is it your national airline, in which case being proud to work for them will go over well.
3. Tell us about your bad qualities.  Ahh. A tricky one.  Whatever you do, don’t say “I dont have any”.  You need to mention a trait that could be seen as negative but turn it into a positive.  Perhaps saying that your family sometimes say you work too hard, but that you like to be thorough and finish a task you have committed to.
4. What would you do if …?  These questions usually revolve around what you would do if one of the crew turned up from work smelling of alcohol, makes questionable decisions or perhaps a situation where  a Captain was flying an unstable approach.  The answer to these is always to try to talk to the other crew first, but if they don’t listen then take charge and take action.  The universal phrase to use in those circumstances where a Captain is not taking notice of your concerns is “Captain, you must listen”.  Be aware that the panel will expecting you to think in a CRM way.  That’s Cockpit Resource Management.  If you haven’t heard about it, dont go to an airline interview until you have studied up and understand the concept.
5. Tell us about a time when you encountered a difficult situation, and how you resolved it.  This is one that you MUST think about before hand and practice.   Tell the story of the problem and then how you turned it around.  You will be asked this question in lots of different forms so think about it.
6. Do you have any questions for us?  This is the classic question at the end of all  interviews and you should have some question ready to ask. Don’t ask about salary or conditions but perhaps something about the future plans of the airline would be appropriate.

Another really good book to read before your airline interview is “The complete Airline Pilot Interview Workbook” by Sasha Robinson. This together with Gary Bristow’s book are highly recommended.

Finally, take a look at the video below from Captain Peter Godfrey.  Peter spends a few minutes providing his thought on how to prepare for an airline job interview.