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Need some help/advice please...........

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wannabe22

Livin' The Dream
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Posts
99
I've been on three interviews and just received the 'thanks but no thanks letter.' I think I interviewed well, have 1800tt and 330me. I have a clean driving record and background. Any advice would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks in advance.
 
It's hard to offer specific advice without knowledge of many different specifics. Thinking that it went well, for example, is no measure of how well it actually went. I thought my interview went terribly wrong but I got hired. Some of the people that interviewed with me thought it went really well and did not get hired. I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice (and probably some goofy advice too) on this thread, but what I would do is contact an aviation interview professional. I went through Air Inc. (www.jet-jobs.com) but there are many others out there. There are also many great books that give aviation interview advice.

Good luck with the next one!
 
wannabe22 said:
I've been on three interviews and just received the 'thanks but no thanks letter.' I think I interviewed well, have 1800tt and 330me. I have a clean driving record and background. Any advice would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks in advance.
Don't feel too bad. I've had 4 interviews before it actually worked out. There a lot of factors that could affect the decision to turn you down.

At least on one occasion I thought I aced it, yet I got a rejection letter. I couldn't figure out why. I was told later that the company that I interviewed with was very picky and hired only 15-20% of candidates.
 
Deoderant, and look them in the face. Smile. Have a clean logbook. Know the specifics about the airline---their aircraft types, their bases, any new news about them. Don't be picky about bases, or aircraft types. Thank them and shake their hands again.


Or, if all else fails---tell them a funny joke---like "How do you find a pilot in a dark room? Answer: It's not hard." (stress the "It's") (an old stew told me that)


Bye Bye--General Lee
 
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I worked in HR for a long time and the people that always got hired were the ones that made us (HR) feel comfortable. The interviewer knows you're nervous. If you can come across as a friend to the interviewer--somewhat laid back but on your toes with their questions, you have a good chance getting hired no matter what your background is.(unless you're a felon)
 
And where exactly should I run to? Thanks for all your help, I truly appreciate it. Hopefully one of these days I will land that job. I'm getting burned out instructing.
 
Interview Prep?

Interview prep is the best way to go, they get you ready and thinking about the types of questions that are asked. Interviews are evil in the first place.
 
I just sung the Johnny Cash song "Ring of Fire" at my interview and was hired on the spot for pity.
 
Airline rejections

wannabe22 said:
I've been on three interviews and just received the 'thanks but no thanks letter.' I think I interviewed well, have 1800tt and 330me. I have a clean driving record and background. Any advice would be greatly appreciated..
I feel your pain. In the early '90s, I went to four interviews and a cattle call and was turned down. I continued to apply but never heard from any more regionals.

Depending on the airline, there are any number of reasons or any combinations thereof which could have lead to your rejection. One reason might be is there really isn't all that much hiring, so maybe you weren't needed as badly as they thought. You might have interviewed well, but that still doesn't guarantee that you will be hired; by the same taken, people interview poorly and still get hired. Or, you might think you interviewed well but your interviewer disagreed. Or, you did fine but the interviewer was a jerk - and you are at his/her mercy. Finally, although you were brought in to interview, your times and quals are still a bit light when compared to your competition.

The long and short of it is that interviewing for airlines sucks. Having said that, I would second very strongly that you recieve interview prep, and here's why.

I was not hired from my five regional interviews/cattle calls. My next real opportunity was for a foreign airline instructing job that I wanted badly. I had read Irv Jasinski's book Airline Pilot Interviews: How You Can Succeed In Getting Hired and loved it. For this interview, I wanted to be as well-prepared as possible, so, because Irv provides airline interview prep, I engaged him to prep me. He did it over the phone on the Saturday night before my interview. I attended the interview and was hired.

Five months later, I had an interview scheduled to be an instructor for MAPD. A lot was at stake for that interview because Mesa Airlines eventually hired MAPD instructors to fly the line. I was in Northern California at the time, so I went to Captain Bob Norris in San Carlos, California for prep. I hadn't flown in a couple of months, so I went in for some sim work before meeting with him. I was impressed with Capt. Norris' overall knowledge, especially his knowledge of the regionals and particularly of Mesa. It did wonders for my confidence - and I was hired.

Airline interview prep is well worth considering. Along with the two counselors I mentioned above, our members, Resume Writer, and Lori Clark, who was the former Mesa pilot recruiter, know pilot interviews and can help.

Good luck with your job search.
 
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Contact Lori Clark cuz she is reasonable and has lots of knowledge on the process. She is thorough and will be forward with your questions and concerns. She is who i would recommend.
 
Try reading Cheryl Cage's "Checklist for Success" and video tape yourself interviewing with a friend, using the interview questions you remember, to pick out any bad habits you might be exhibiting without realizing it. Paying for a professional interview prep might not kill you either.
Time is money, seniority is life. Do what it takes, and good luck to you.

Deodorant is better than deoderant. Sorry General, I couldn't resist.
 
Yeah, it didn't look right. Then with the new rules on this board, I couldn't change it after 10 minutes. I spelled it wrong, and I am sorry.


Bye Bye--General Lee
 
Interview counselor contacts

wannabe22 said:
How do I contact her? There is anyone in the Minneapolis area as well? Thanks
The underlining on my post above are hyperlinks to Irv Jasinski, Captain Bob Norris, Resume Writer and Lori. Click on the hyperlinks and you will be led to them.

Good luck.
 

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