Got a call last night from fedex pilot recruitment to schedule an interview!! Quite a surprise!! Looking for some relatively current gouge -- info and advice. I checked will fly for food and most current info is 12-00. Thanks to anyone who can help!!
Would you mind passing on your qualifications that got you the interview? When you completed your online profile, letters of recommendation, flying hours and experice. Thanks.
Interviewed w/Fedex in October 2001. I had applied in Feb 2001. Didn't know anybody in the Co, so no LOR.
Sim check in an Airbus, starting at 2300. The evaluator briefed 6 of us and led us to believe we had better be perfect or it would be a bust. I was awful (I thought) but they still called me back for the next stage. No take-offs or landings. Turns, climb/descend at specific rates and then an entry and 1 hold.
Next day was free. 3rd day, interview vs 2 pilots. Very relaxed. All the questions were exactly like the SWA questions, ie tell us about a time.....
Next event was a situational based interview where they give you a scenario and you are the captain. Something like, your primary is weathered out, your divert has a 737 crashed on the main, the alternate runway is being de-iced, you can't make anywhere else (fuel), and oh, by the way, a jumpseater is having a heart attack and needs treatment NOW. Actually that was fun.
Final part is a computer battery of tests. I walked out feeling really really dumb. Later found out so did everyone else.
The events can be in a different order. Overall it was not an unpleasant experience and the Fedex people went out of their way to be friendly.
I kept e-mail contact with the guys in my group. 1 was told 1 week later he had not got in. They then waited 8 weeks to reject me. Oh well. Thankfully have a job offer from my primary anyway.
Hope this helps.
Pegasus --
Thanks for your recap -- it's very helpful and very much appreciated. I believe they have the most difficult interview process out of all the majors -- those writtens sound excruciating!! Any advice on what to use to prepare for the tests?? I have a copy of the Officer Candidate Test Prep book -- and of course all of the other airline interview prep books. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Did you do a sim prep? Again any recommendation would be great.
Sorry to hear you didn't get the offer -- hope all is going well for you. Sounds like things worked out well for you. You definitely have the right attitude!! Thanks again.
A.F. -- concerning your questions -- I submitted my online app in August 01. I had communicated with pilot recruitment also months before then -- I have a good connection I think within the company. I meet all of their qualifications -- most of my exprerience is part 121 commuter airline. 3 LOR's from fedex pilots. Hope that answers your questions.
I interviewed last August and have been a member of the pool ever since. Hopefully I can answer some of your questions...
As for preparing for the computer based test, I would say don't waste your time. I know this sounds crazy, but it was the same advice passed on to me and I understood after I took it. EVERYONE feels like a total moron when they are finished. There is NO way you could prepare enough to significanlty change your score. Everything you could imagine is in the tests. For instance; on the vocab section, I'm sure I only answered maybe 5% correct, but yet I survived the process. I feel that I could have prepared for months and months, and even then, only MAYBE do I think I would have done any better.
As for the sim prep, that is a crap shoot. A good friend of mine did the sim prep in Miami and he felt more confident going into the sim. I, however, didn't get a chance to do any prep due to my schedule and had no problem in the sim. Also, my friend paid for Airbus sim prep and ended up in the DC-10 cuz the Airbus was down for maintenance, but he said they were very similar anyway.
To best sum up the sim prep... It is up to you. Consider it an insurance policy. If you think you don't need it - don't spend the time or money, but remember it is a one shot deal and if you fail, you won't get a chance to interview. If you think the sim prep will boost your confidence, go for it. It is everyone's individual decision. What works for one won't work for all.
As for your chances of getting an interview, if you have competitive hours, PIC, and 3 Fed Ex LORs, I think you are sitting pretty. This year they are going to hire a bunch of pilots.
I hope this info answers some of your questions. If not, drop another line.
I agree with Goose. After the sim I lay in my hotel room thinking what a fool I'd been not to do a sim prep. I was convinced I'd messed up. I even packed my bag ready to leave! They still called me to the next stage. Mind you, who's to say that had I not done better in the sim I would have got the offer?
The exams were amazing. The General Knowledge required a masters in astro-physics for some questions. Like Goose said, you all feel pretty stupid but I assume I didn't fail otherwise I would have heard within a week or two. I used the AirInc prep book. It had some good stuff, but it didn't prepare me for the logic reasoning. I think I got every one wrong. Ex:
All cats are green, some dogs are blue, therefore
a) rabbits are purple
b) hamsters eat rabbits and cats
c) dogs like to urinate on lampposts
So, in summary, I think that if you've got good LOR from inside Fedex and they like you in the interview (and you can read) you will do fine. Best of luck, let us know how you get on.
I started in Aug '01, interviewed in May '01.
I do not think the interview process has changed much in the last two years. SWA type questions are good gouge. Have good stories to cover most Tell us about a time secenarios.
I did some sim prep due to the fact I had never flown a plane with room for more than one pilot (read I'm a fighter guy and wanted some heavy practice), gave me some confidence at least.
The tests you cannot really study for, you will do miserable either way, don't waste you time, practice the HR ?'s instead. I think one big thing is follow directions on the tests, ie do not guess if you are told not to. Part of the written test is syllogisms, you can learn how to do these, look for some gouge on the internet, sorry I do not have the website I used.
The situational interview has no right answer, I think a lot of it is how you debrief it when it is over, basically a CRM drill.
I felt everyone was very friendly, but very little feedback of how I did. Waited 4 weeks to hear back with a job offer.
Good luck. Still rumors of around of 200-300 to be hired this year.
Thanks everybody! All info is great and very appreciated. I'll definitely get some sim time -- it can't hurt and I'd never forgive myself if I busted the sim session without prepping for it.
Goose -- hope you get that class date soon! I'm sure you will -- if they are interviewing again that is certainly a positive sign! Beverly said I will get my drug test done locally before I go to MEM for interview -- not sure if that was the case with you guys -- but sounds great to me!
Pegasus - thanks again for your advice -- all good stuff. Just curious -- who are you with now if you don't mind? In any case -- they're lucky to have you.
Hugh -- re: availability -- I put immediately -- prefer two weeks notice for courtesy of current employer. I fly for a commuter airline now.
USMFDX -- congrats on your career with FedEx! I have a couple of buds there that call it the best part time job they could wish for!! I sure hope to join you soon.
Did they ask you guys any technical or mental math questoins??
Congrats on your upcoming interview. I tend to agree with the above posts with a couple of exceptions. If you have been flying turboprops without an auto pilot I think you will do fine. If you have been watching your auto pilot fly your EFIS eguiped RJ then you might consider some sim time to get your scan back. As far as the testing, I think a little studying would help. I hate to plug AIR INC. here because generally I think they are slimeball bloodsuckeers, but they do have some insight into the interview process. They have the sim profile and it is exactly the same as the profile you will see. Also I thought the general knowledge and science info they had was somewhat helpful. Keep in mind these are timed tests, so practicing the graph problems and the math questions might be helpful. They also have Syllogism's or Logic problems. There is a few simple rules to follow and these are very simple. If I didn't learn how to do these, I would not have answered even one. After learning how to do these, I thought it was the easies part of the test. I think I may have answered 6 out of 40 on the vocabulary test.
I don't know how much weight they put into the testing, my feeling is not as much as the actual HR portion and the CRM exercise, but the more you prepare, the more confidence you will have.
The HR portion will be with two people. Could be two line pilots or one pilot and one management type. They will ask you to tell them about yourself. Don't regurgitate your resume. They want to know about EEYORE the person, not EEYORE the pilot.
Drop me a private message and I'll pass my number and i'll pass on whatever info might help.
My stats
Submitted online app. May 01
Called late Sept. for late Oct interview
5 LOR's from FEDEX pilots
No accidents, DUI's or any other skeletons
6 of us interviewed, 1 mil, 5 civilian; 2 commuters,1 corprate,2 jet. One commuter washed the sim. The military guy and the other commuter got the reject letter within a week. I got good news , in 3 weeks, Corprate in 4 weeks and the other jet guy waited 8 weeks for good news.
Hope this helps.
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