Any advice on corporate interviews?

[superfreight208]

Any recommendations for a interview prep for a corporate company? Been flying regionals for a couple years and want to do corporate flying.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Any recommendations for a interview prep for a corporate company? Been flying regionals for a couple years and want to do corporate flying.

Erase that entire "prep" concept from your mind. You do not want to interview like a robot.

- Have a personality. I have done a lot of interviews and nothing worse than someone leaving after 2hrs and we had no idea what they were like. I cringe when your hobbies are reading and flying. Seriously? Internet porn and recreational drugs might not be the best answer...but again, dont be a sterile stranger. Were going to spend a week or 2 on the road sometimes, I gotta know if you are a pud or not.

- Loosen up a bit. Pilots often have sticks up their a$$es. I don't mean be a clown, but don't be afraid (again) to have a personality. This cant be stressed enough. If we laugh here or there, don't worry...its not a setup. Go with it, lol. There's no "trick" questions...and if I was ever asked any I'd really NOT want to work there anyhow. Pay attention and get a feel of how YOU would fit in under the managers in a larger department. There's some real winners running aviation departments, sometimes they are the ones who have sat around the office for years (oddballs), got there by default and can be a little, well, sheltered.....thats not everywhere, but choose wisely as to where you would fit in and think about who your boss will be and what tone he sets in the department.

- Be able to back up your stated experience. "Co-Captain" means gear yanker to me. Call it what you want just don't leave your PIC time in a grey area. Its important to me to know you have been in charge of something and made decisions. Im not going to ask you to draw an electrical system, but I will possibly ask you about some tougher trips, destinations you have done in your plane as a Captain. I will also like to hear how you interact with high level execs (duh...)

- Know the operation you are interviewing at. I have honestly sat there overlooking 4-5 of the longest range airplanes in corporate flying in our hangar and had people tell me "I dont really like longer trips"....(how about 12-13hr legs?) WTF people? Do your research on the basics of the company, its culture, its future, etc.

- DO NOT hesitate to ask about the job!...get a good feel for days worked, length of trips, office expectations, etc etc. There are perfectly fine ways to ask these. Any decent place will lay these expectations out early as to not waste time. I ALWAYS talked money range, vacation, benefits, and showed candidates our entire schedule for the year on the first interview. Nothing shows the truth better than a 6month view of FOS for the entire fleet/department. Take a good look, here's what we do. I'm not into wasting your time, or more importantly, mine!

- Be neat and polite (you would be surprised) Everyone is watching you. You will meet all levels of the department from maint to dispatch to managers. Again, be human...once settled in don't hesitate to lose the jacket, loosen the tie, and relax a bit...calm the nerves. LET ME TALK. Nervous people chat, and its expected that you will be slightly nervous...but please just shut the F up and listen when we talk, LOL.

- Your goal is to come across as a confident, yet not cocky, Captain. That's what everyone would like to hire.

You can prep a resume and a new suit, but you cant prep a personality.

Good Luck!





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[BoilerUP]

G200's experience is far greater to mine, but I think he's spot on. And having done the regional-to-corporate transition myself...

Have a personality, be able to laugh at yourself, be confident in your experience & abilities, and tell me why you want to work for MY COMPANY. It can be financial, it can be lifestyle, it can be stability (ha), it can be location...just give me a reason that doesn't involve "I got fired and need something to pay the bills" or "I'm looking for a change".

Turnover & career progression exists in every industry, and I'd never fault somebody for leaving for a "better" job...but if during an interview I get the impression you are going to bolt for the next set of keys jingled in your face, I'm probably going to be hesitant to hire you.

Humility and a desire to serve our passengers is vital. You don't have to be a kiss-ass, but you need to understand the basic expectations of the job and perform those without whining or attitude. Some airline guys try to "say the right things", but you can't bullsh!t a bullsh!tter and most corporate pilots can easily read between the lines.

Once you reach a certain amount of flight experience its assumed you know how to fly any type of airplane - its always about personality.

 

[CorpCaptain]

Well stated above. Only thing I would add is to ask for a business card from EVERY person you come in contact with before/during/after the interview. Not only does it show your sincere interest, but will allow you to continue networking if you arent chosen for the position. By the end of the evening I had sat in my hotel room and handwritten a thank you note to each person who took the time out to speak with me, from the Director of Aviation to the front desk secretary. To this day, the secretary always puts me through to whoever is available in the office! Good luck!

 

[hawkerflyer]

What they said. Be yourself and find out what you can about your potential employer. These gigs are 100% personality and work ethic.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Well stated above. Only thing I would add is to ask for a business card from EVERY person you come in contact with before/during/after the interview. Not only does it show your sincere interest, but will allow you to continue networking if you arent chosen for the position. By the end of the evening I had sat in my hotel room and handwritten a thank you note to each person who took the time out to speak with me, from the Director of Aviation to the front desk secretary. To this day, the secretary always puts me through to whoever is available in the office! Good luck!

Yes, good idea.

Never paid much attention to them, but it does make people stand out. Even if they fell into the "not this time but we will save your resume" I always threw the cards/notes in their folders.

Follow up is critical. I cant stress how many times someone didn't get hired due to stronger candidates but they kept in touch consistently (updated a resume every 6 months or so or called etc) and then landed the next opening.

If its really a place you want to work, keep at em..I would never tell someone "hey, continue to update your resume if you remain interested" if they were not in the running.

 

[bizjet800]

Great thread! We had a guy come in and did well on the interview. We sent him to meet the pilots and the girl at the FBO said, "Who is that guy?" We dug deeper and she said he was kind of arrogant and cocky. The pilots even said the same thing before they found out about his FBO conduct. EVERYONE is watching, you may ask why but we have such a small amount of time to get to know you so we look for everything.

I would even take it a step further and make sure you are driving courteously at all times, make sure your car is clean and neat. They might ask you to drive to lunch or to a hangar to see the plane, what if your car is a complete mess? I'd say that's how you are going to treat the airplane. If you drive a POS car then borrow a nicer one.

It today's corporate world, its all about extra duties. If you are just a pilot, you may not set yourself apart from the competition. I'm not sure what extra duties are in the airline world, but if you have done extra things like helping with manual revisions, doing safety meetings, helping with internal/external/ISO/Wyvern/ISBAO audits, then you'd have a clear advantage.

We have guys come in for interviews that don't bring their resume. They'll say, I sent it last week, don't you have it? Then me or someone has to make copies. Remember, you're one of hundreds of resumes, bring copies!

Remember, it's about what you offer them, not the other way around. Make sure you have stories about how you went above and beyond the call of duty. Be honest, they may ask why you want to leave a regional, they KNOW its lousy pay and schedules.

 

[superfreight208]

Thanks everybody!!

 

[HalinTexas]

The next trick is finding out who's hiring/interviewing. The DFW/N. Texas corp. aviation community is exceptionally tight. Tough (networking) nut to crack.

Then there's the getting the invite to an interview.

 

[CorpCaptain]

Biz reminded me of something else.....I made sure that I had a 3 ring binder to have copies of everything relevent. I had all my training records, copies of drivers license/medical/pilot license, recommendation letters, resume updated to that day, everything. Hell, I even had my most recent drug test screening in there. That way when I met the Director of Aviation he simply handed the entire binder to whichever Director was interviewing me next. It will save them alot of time and show them you're not some dips*it that isn't completely prepared.