Not to get too far off topic, but...
westward said:
It seems to me that if one airline had found the magic formula to get 100% best pilots/employees, the secret would get out and all the others would hire using the same method.
See, here's the problem: The airlines (gross over-generalization, I admit) aren't looking for the "best" pilots. It ain't Top Gun. It's just an airline that operates highly automated equipment. What most hiring boards are looking for is someone that they feel they can spend a week with and not want to rip their lungs out after the very first leg. Not only that, but they'd like to have a warm fuzzy feeling that someone won't take their very expensive training and immediately bolt to the next airline...
...but there's not a lot of hiring right now so it's super-competitve and recommendations from the check-airmen alone are probably enough to fill classes for the next year...
...thus, they need to utilize those "goofy" (and I agree for the most part) interview games to help thin the herd.
And then there are the psychologists who have gotten themselves a fine salary studying monkies--er--I mean, pilots, and developing really dumb tests to predict how one will succeed in their very 'unique' training environment.
Well. What are we left with? Absurd hypotheticals, unrealistic sim profiles, crazy little written tests and blue suits with red ties.
Whatever. The bottom line is that past performance predicts future behavior. That, and a variation on the sentiment that if you want to show me who you are, then show me your friends.
Press on.
