USAirways1149
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2001
- Posts
- 32
I figured there would be some dialogue on this site about those "tough" interview questions that nobody has a real good idea how to answer. I could not find it. I apologize in advance if there is overlap.
I was hoping to hear some ideas regarding the tough HR questions with no right or wrong answer. The ones where there is only one clear solution -- the operation can not safely continue -- but where the tricky part is how you GET to that solution. Human factors.
Here are some examples of the questions, and i'm curious how other people have approached these subjects in the past.
The captain wants to continue below MDA, what do you do?
The captain wants to continue when weather is below minimums and you are outside the outer marker?
The two questions above are quite similar, but not exactly the same. Obviously the outcome of both questions needs to be a missed approach (unless in the first example the Captain does, in fact, have either the approach lights and/or the runway environment in sight). Obviously there is no reason in either case to take the airplane and, in fact, it would be dangerous to do so at low altitudes (unless, of course, the captain is incapacitated). There is no right answer in how you get to the solution...you just have to get there.
If crew scheduling asked you to fly a trip that violated a contract item, what would you do?
Tough one! The management types may be thinking, "fly now, grieve later" where as the pilot interview might want you to remind the scheduler that he/she is violating the contract.
What would you do if the Captain smelled of alchohol?
The captain is seen by the van driver drinking late in the evening prior to the flight. What do you do?
Ah the ol' drinking captain question. Again the solution is clear -- the airplane will not move until there is no question at all that the operation is safe. But how do you get there? Talk to the Captain? See if others notice that he is behaving differently? Did he use any cough medicine? Would he like to call in sick? Should you call in sick to delay/stop the operation?
Describe the worst individual you have ever flown with and why? How did you handle it?
Describe a conflict you had in the cockpit and how you went about handling it?
Two more questions in which they are testing your ability to communcate with other people. What attributes of your flying partner made him/her the "worst", and how did you address them? Was he/she inconsistant? If so, what does that mean? How did you get to the resolution? Did you approach professional standards or company management?
Captain wants you to fly an airplane that is slightly over weight limits. What do you do?
Very similar to the captain who descended below minimums. We have an illegal operation, both of your certificates are on the line. Its the last leg home and the peer-pressure is high. How do you stop the operation? (see? these are tough!)
Ok, just one more. I think we've enough to think about.
A senior captain doesn’t want your help with the checklists. What do you do?
I believe the common theme in all of these questions are the same. The answer itself is simple -- the airplane doesnt move. How you GET there (and show your work!) is tough. Why is it tough? Because 9 times out of 10 you're interviewing with both a management representative and a pilot representative -- and the "correct" answer is different for both of them.
Obviously the management rep wants to know that, not only will you not continue, but that you will make an effort to stop the behavior that got you there in the first place -- i/e will you rat out your buddy?
The pilot rep, of course, doesnt want you to continue either, but he wants to know that you're not going to run to management when there are other avenues to pursue...i/e Have the captain's friends talk with him, talk to professional standards if you have a union, etc.
I hope this starts an interesting and helpful discussion for the many pilots who are currently interviewing or who will be interviewing in the near future.
Good luck and Godspeed!
I was hoping to hear some ideas regarding the tough HR questions with no right or wrong answer. The ones where there is only one clear solution -- the operation can not safely continue -- but where the tricky part is how you GET to that solution. Human factors.
Here are some examples of the questions, and i'm curious how other people have approached these subjects in the past.
The captain wants to continue below MDA, what do you do?
The captain wants to continue when weather is below minimums and you are outside the outer marker?
The two questions above are quite similar, but not exactly the same. Obviously the outcome of both questions needs to be a missed approach (unless in the first example the Captain does, in fact, have either the approach lights and/or the runway environment in sight). Obviously there is no reason in either case to take the airplane and, in fact, it would be dangerous to do so at low altitudes (unless, of course, the captain is incapacitated). There is no right answer in how you get to the solution...you just have to get there.
If crew scheduling asked you to fly a trip that violated a contract item, what would you do?
Tough one! The management types may be thinking, "fly now, grieve later" where as the pilot interview might want you to remind the scheduler that he/she is violating the contract.
What would you do if the Captain smelled of alchohol?
The captain is seen by the van driver drinking late in the evening prior to the flight. What do you do?
Ah the ol' drinking captain question. Again the solution is clear -- the airplane will not move until there is no question at all that the operation is safe. But how do you get there? Talk to the Captain? See if others notice that he is behaving differently? Did he use any cough medicine? Would he like to call in sick? Should you call in sick to delay/stop the operation?
Describe the worst individual you have ever flown with and why? How did you handle it?
Describe a conflict you had in the cockpit and how you went about handling it?
Two more questions in which they are testing your ability to communcate with other people. What attributes of your flying partner made him/her the "worst", and how did you address them? Was he/she inconsistant? If so, what does that mean? How did you get to the resolution? Did you approach professional standards or company management?
Captain wants you to fly an airplane that is slightly over weight limits. What do you do?
Very similar to the captain who descended below minimums. We have an illegal operation, both of your certificates are on the line. Its the last leg home and the peer-pressure is high. How do you stop the operation? (see? these are tough!)
Ok, just one more. I think we've enough to think about.
A senior captain doesn’t want your help with the checklists. What do you do?
I believe the common theme in all of these questions are the same. The answer itself is simple -- the airplane doesnt move. How you GET there (and show your work!) is tough. Why is it tough? Because 9 times out of 10 you're interviewing with both a management representative and a pilot representative -- and the "correct" answer is different for both of them.
Obviously the management rep wants to know that, not only will you not continue, but that you will make an effort to stop the behavior that got you there in the first place -- i/e will you rat out your buddy?
The pilot rep, of course, doesnt want you to continue either, but he wants to know that you're not going to run to management when there are other avenues to pursue...i/e Have the captain's friends talk with him, talk to professional standards if you have a union, etc.
I hope this starts an interesting and helpful discussion for the many pilots who are currently interviewing or who will be interviewing in the near future.
Good luck and Godspeed!