a question for resume writer

[TonyC]

Re: iNTERVIEWS

I have been the interview king for about 2 years,


... I'm not going to plan mind games with these people anymore either.

... they start the whole relationship off with head games....It sucks! I love aviation and I am good at what I do, but I'll be darned if I'm going to play teenager head games to get an aviation job.

That's my opinion, and I could be wrong but thats the way I feel about the new world of aviation HR departments.

Has it occurred to you that you might exude an attitude that they don't want? Careful there, I'm not accusing you of anything - - just making an observation. If you're well-qualified and you've gotten several interviews, you must ask yourself "what went wrong?" You sound to me like you're confident in your abilities and that you don't feel a need to fit any mold or conform to any arbitrary standards. I saw that attitude, probably WAS that attitude a lot in the Air Force. Potential employers need to know that they can control you, insure that you conform to their standards, that you won't become a liability to them. They would be taking too many risks by hiring an extremely competent "live wire." You might not be a "live wire," but you kinda come across that way here on the board. I'd say it's possible you come across that way in an interview, too.

There's a difference between confidence and cockiness, and between competence and compatibility. If you want to work for a company, it's your job to be compatible with that company, their values, and their goals. If that doesn't suit you, there's only 2 things you can do: start your own company, or enjoy unemployment.

My 2 cents' worth.

 

[C601]

"Do not ask questions when invited to during interviews. You are being offered a gambit; do not accept it."

Well depends on the job, a friend of mine went to 3 interviews with a large bank for a manager position in S FL, on the 2nd interview i told her, why don't you write some questions to ask. And if things where going well and it felt right ask them.

At the end of that interview they had told her, "they" felt as if she was interviewing him with the questions she asked, on the 3rd interview she was offered the position and accepted it.

 

[Resume Writer]

"Do not ask questions when invited to during interviews. You are being offered a gambit; do not accept it."

Well depends on the job, a friend of mine went to 3 interviews with a large bank for a manager position in S FL, on the 2nd interview i told her, why don't you write some questions to ask. And if things where going well and it felt right ask them.

At the end of that interview they had told her, "they" felt as if she was interviewing him with the questions she asked, on the 3rd interview she was offered the position and accepted it.

C601 -

I agree with you in many aspects. When I interview coach my non-aviation clients, I teach them to ask questions that not only show they have conducted research on the company, but also questions that are designed to see if the company will be a good fit for them. Most people do not have the intel on companies like we do in aviation. We are all pretty aware of the corporate culture at each airline.

But sometimes in aviation, asking "touchy" questions like Bobby was talking about can be the kiss of death. Learning how to ask "safe" questions is the key.

Kathy

 

[FN FAL]

My initial reaction was, "oh great!" However, I turned my attitude around and decided that I was going to make her day.

a frown is a smile turned upside down....

 

[bobbysamd]

Touchy questions

But sometimes in aviation, asking "touchy" questions like Bobby was talking about can be the kiss of death. Learning how to ask "safe" questions is the key.

I thought that asking about new aircraft and industry trends would show an interest in the company and knowledge of the business. How wrong I was.

Though the remaining irony is that Mesa acquired RJs and eventually stuck 300-hour MAPD grads in their right seats.

 

[bafanguy]

What is MAPD ? I've seen it mentioned someplace but never heard of it.

 

[bobbysamd]

MAPD

What is MAPD ? I've seen it mentioned someplace but never heard of it.

MAPD is Mesa Airlines Pilot Development. It is Mesa's flight school. Students earn their Commercial-Multi-Instrument and a two-year degree from San Juan College. Most grads interview with Mesa for FO jobs.

I don't recall any threads dedicated to MAPD, but if you run a search of it and go to the website, you'll learn about it.

Hope that helps.

 

[bafanguy]

thanks...

 

[Resume Writer]

As Promised....

Hi Everyone,

As promised, here is the skinny on the situational interview questions. If I make any grammar errors (Tony! ), I apologize in advance as I have been up since 4:30 am.

I spoke with 14 different HR people today from various places. The consensus was pretty much the same when I asked if they felt that they got better employees by asking these type of questions. They all said, "Yes!" The reasons are as follows:

1. Most told me that they could not believe the answers that came out of some people when they asked the situational questions. They said they really could not gage the type of person someone was with the "standard" interview questions. Since most people do not think well on their feet, these type of questions were very telling.

2. They said that they got an idea if people had common sense or not.

3. They said that some people, if they did not answer the questions in an effective manner, opened them up to asking further questions, if they felt there was a red flag.

4. They told me that they got a good idea how people reacted under the pressure of having to answer these type of questions.

5. Many of them said that they use these situational interview questions for their department management personnel, who are not trained HR people, so that there is a fair assessment of the candidate, not just a "gut feeling." They want their dept. managers to make decisions based on hard evidence.

Further, when I asked them about people making proper introductions when they are attending an interview, they said they formulate an opinion in the first 30 seconds, based upon handshake, confidence, eye contact, etc. They said they knew in about 3 minutes whether the person was going to go on to the next interview.

There was also an interesting conversation we had about people "asking how they did in the interview to the HR person." They said that they will not even attempt to answer that question, because some people take it as gospel. While someone may have done well in the interview, just because you did well is not an indication that you get the job. There could be someone else that is more qualified. They said they would not tell someone how they did, because not only is it a legal issue, but also, what if the person is unstable. People react in strange ways when they have been unemployed for any length of time, and they did not want to be on the receiving end of that stress.

That is all I can remember for now. It has been a really long day, my voice is shot from speaking for 7 hours and I am going to go to bed! If I think of anything else, I will certainly post it on here.

Have a great night everyone!

Kathy

 

[bobbysamd]

Situational (stress) interview questions

Thanks, Kathy!

I would definitely deflect situations where I am being asked to pit one department against the other. One can do a good interview but not be hired; by the same token one can do a bad interview but still be hired. I would just say that I hope I answered the other department's questions to its satisfaction.

I think the question of "are you interviewing us" is another gambit to avoid. I probably would deflect it with a positive response to the effect of thanking them again for giving me the opportunity to present my qualifications in person and the opportunity to meet you, etc.

If I were interviewing for a CEO-type position, or with Donald Trump, or didn't care if I was hired at that company, I might be more aggressive with my answer. But that's just me.