Coming from another 121 carrier, how do the HR,TECH questions different from the gouge i've read on aviatiointerviews.com? anyone made the lateral move?
It's not "the gouge". Questions are changed frequently; rehearsed answers sound terrible and "canned" no matter how well delivered, etc.
It's how well you present yourself to your interviewer.
And knowing what interviewers are looking for and how to show it to them is the key.
Classic TMAT (tell me about a time) questions are par for the course: however, if you only prep for these questions as they are framed in "the gouge", you're going to get flustered when they're presented in a slightly different manner.
A better prep technique is to go over your logbook, your past work history, even your school days and come up with a dozen "stories" (beginning/challenge, middle/how you dealt w-it, end/what you learned or how you shined) that you can apply across a broad range of possible questions. Rehearse them, and keep them between 2-3 minutes, if possible.
(HINT: "I pushed Grandma's wheelchair" or "I moved a bag" is not a terribly original answer to the question "Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer.")
Then do a mock interview with a pilot-friend, spouse, girlfriend, etc. Do it for real . . . short answers, no more than 20-30 min. for the whole shebang. Have them time you, take notes, treat it like the real thing and don't re-hash or chit-chat or get out of your mock-interview character.
Honestly evaluate yourself, then do it again a day or two later with different questions and a different interviewer, if possible.
This is a completely inadequate "cliff notes" version of the book cited earlier, but better than nothing if you're really in a hurry.
One answer that is interview DEATH is "Uh . . .I don't have an answer to that" or "Uh, that never happened to me." They're asking reasonable questions and expect answers.
Remember . . Mesa was your easiest interview. Republic MIGHT be just as easy, but then again, it might not. Best to prepare.