Mesaba Interview

[52Vincent]

So what is it like at Mesaba? Have interview next week. This will be my second formal interview and third overall, hope the third time is a charm. First interview was one of those cattle call meetings. Any advise offered is appreciated and what to expect. I have already been to aviationinterviews.com. If there are any other good gouge sites let me know. Anyone else have an interview coming up with Mesaba?
I can make it through the tech interview portion; it's the EVIL HR people that flusters me, the how, why and when questions. Having a horrible memory makes it difficult to come up with "give me a time questions". I have a difficult time coming up with those scenarios.
Thank you in advance.

52

 

[OrphicSeth]

Having a horrible memory makes it difficult to come up with "give me a time questions". I have a difficult time coming up with those scenarios.
Thank you in advance.

Go back to aviationinterviews, and read the gouges for a bunch of other companies for the tmaat questions etc. and then brainstorm, and practice, practice, practice. Grab a buddy from work, or anyone, and talk it out.

When did you apply, when did you get called? Thanks.

Edit: There's a good thread a few down somewhere on this board with info at Mesaba. Read it. Edit again: http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=45611

 

[Lou3]

Here is another site for you also, www.willflyforfood.cc It is not as good as aviationinterviews however, the more information you have the better. Good luck!

 

[52Vincent]

When did you apply, when did you get called? Thanks.

Edit: There's a good thread a few down somewhere on this board with info at Mesaba. Read it. Edit again: http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=45611

I applied in early Dec. I think and was called Dec 27, I was quite surprised by the call during that week. I was caught off guard,we were sitting around drinking. Anyone out there with any more sage advise. Any Mesaba pilots reading this?

52

 

[OrphicSeth]

Interesting. Thanks.

 

[Crizz]

Good luck in the interview! It is very strait forward. Just dont BS them and be yourself (so long as you're not a quack ).

I got the invite Dec 17th. I interviewed on the 4th and just got the offer today. The two people I interviewed with were very warm and went out of their way to try and calm my nerves. It was my first regional interview, so needless to say I was sweating bullets. Groundschool starts on the 24th for a mix of Avros and Saabs. Hope to see you there!

 

[wmudriver]

Mesaba training contract.

I heard a rumor that they are requiring new hires to sign a one year "training contract" worth $21,000. Anyone that interviewed recently at Mesaba can confirm or deny this. Are training contracts standard at the regional level? Thanks.

 

[Workin'Stiff]

Mesaba is a great company to work for. The interview is very straight forward. They more or less just want to see what you are like and whether or not they can sit next to you for days on end. The same as every other airline. They do require you to sign a training contract. However, I overheard a training manager state that the contract really cannot be enforced until you're nearly done with sims. But by that point, the last thing you want to do is quit then and go somewhere else to start all over again. I can't recall the dollar value on the contract, but that amount does sound close.

Be yourself, and enjoy it as much as possible. Good luck!

 

[Paul R. Smith]

I heard a rumor that they are requiring new hires to sign a one year "training contract" worth $21,000. Anyone that interviewed recently at Mesaba can confirm or deny this. Are training contracts standard at the regional level? Thanks.

Are you gonna be there for less than a year. Probably take you that long to get off reserve but I'm really not much of an expert on Mesaba. I just get the impression its a senior ship. I would not worry about it.

XJT does not have a training contract fwiw. So no they are not "standard" but do they exist? Probably.

 

[Mel Sharples]

I heard a rumor that they are requiring new hires to sign a one year "training contract" worth $21,000.

This is true.

Anyone that interviewed recently at Mesaba can confirm or deny this.

This is true. (I have a friend in the training department.)

Are training contracts standard at the regional level? Thanks.

I don't know if I would say standard, but not uncommon at all. They are more of a "promise" to keep you on and prevent you from getting trained and then jumping ship to another airline.

I have also heard legally they are tough to enforce but I am certainly not a lawyer. It is a way for the company to discourage people from leaving. They just had one who quit during week one because of this. He wasn't going to sign because he wasn't sure he wanted to stay if another airline called, so they mutually decided to part ways.

 

[cathal]

I checked out the aforementioned sites when I applied- they had good info at the time. Also check out Cheryl Cage's "Checklist for Success." Read that about 20 times and you'll know how to act when you're sitting there sweating. If you're really nervous/serious about geeting the job, an interivew prep session might be worth your while. This goes for anyone applying to any airline.

 

[88_MALIBU]

I'm a MN boy at heart and always thought MESABA would be who I would go with, all my instructors went with them. Is it necessary to get a walk in? I sent my cover letter and Resume the old fashioned way and havent heard anything. I took my CFI ride through wings in St. Paul. I wish I would have stayed in touch with my CFI over these years.

 

[Mel Sharples]

I'm a MN boy at heart and always thought MESABA would be who I would go with, all my instructors went with them. Is it necessary to get a walk in? I sent my cover letter and Resume the old fashioned way and havent heard anything. I took my CFI ride through wings in St. Paul. I wish I would have stayed in touch with my CFI over these years.

They have stated in a company memo that they are looking for current pilots to recommend pilots for interviews.

PM me if you want and maybe I can help you locate your old instructor.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

(Originally question by wmudriver)
Are training contracts standard at the regional level? Thanks.


This is true. (I have a friend in the training department.)
I don't know if I would say standard, but not uncommon at all. They are more of a "promise" to keep you on and prevent you from getting trained and then jumping ship to another airline.
I have also heard legally they are tough to enforce but I am certainly not a lawyer. It is a way for the company to discourage people from leaving. They just had one who quit during week one because of this. He wasn't going to sign because he wasn't sure he wanted to stay if another airline called, so they mutually decided to part ways.

This is completely correct. Also, don't confuse a training contract with PFT either. You're not paying any money for anything. Besides, a one year contract is nothing. That year will be up before you know it. Regarding the validity of the contract, I'm not a lawyer either, but I've heard that even though it's impossible to enforce, they can mess up your credit.

 

[CubanSmoker]

When the heck did we start requiring the new guys to sign a contract? That's news to me!

 

[Mel Sharples]

When the heck did we start requiring the new guys to sign a contract? That's news to me!

Everyone did from at least '97 up to 9/11. They didn't start again until recently.

Half the time no one even knew what they were signing. They threw it in with the zillion other forms on day 1 in Indoc.


.

 

[fly4ever]

I was hired well before 9/11 and never signed a training contract. Maybe that was the piece of paper that got (mis)placed into the shiny cylindrical storage unit near the door. I don't know for sure about that, I just know I didn't sign one.

 

[flap operator]

I signed a training contract in early 2001, I think it was only for like 6K since it dated to the beech 99 days. Like everyone else said, it isn't a big deal to sign especially if you plan on sticking around.

It's been a long time since I interviewed, but it seems the company still marches to the same beat. Be yourself, be honest and relax. Really, they want to get to know you and see if they could possibly sit next to you for 14 hours a day on a 4 day trip. Don't be intimidated by the avro or saab sim... they just want to see your BAI and not if you can fly a 4 engined jet or turboprop.

So again, relax, smile and answer honestly. Don't answer how you'd think they'd expect and answer to sound. And despite the woes over here at XJ - I remind myself everyday I'm at work that it could be ALOT worse. We have top notch facilities, equipment and PEOPLE.

Good luck.

FO