New America West Interview Format

[Question4U]

Interviews in 2005 are going to be conducted under a new format. Now basically it's a 1 hour written exam and then the panel interview. NO SIM!!!!! I assume the panel interview will continue to be the same as most airlines with the typical H/R & situational questions. Any suggestions on what to study for the written? All I can really think to use is possibly the ATP written Exam prep. Just passing along the info and looking for helpful tips. Thanks ahead of time!

 

[chperplt]

Anyone know when they might start accepting resumes again?

 

[TWA Dude]

4U: This is completely new so I'm afraid we're gonna have to wait for some trailblazers to report back on the written test. Overall I think it's a good thing that the sim ride is being eliminated. It cost a bunch to do the prep and you gotta study regs and stuff for any interview anyway.

chperlt: though the apps are only sent out every couple of months I don't think there's any window for sending in resumes. Without a walk-in and LOR just don't expect any response.

Good luck y'all.

BTW just last week I met Van Reavie of the Weave fame. Cool dude.

 

[reepicheep]

I sort of got the feeling the Sim was mainly to weed out those who were not motivated enough to do the prep. It was really not a test of instrument knowledge or procedures or big iron flying skills, more of a "learn the profile and then fly it" kind of thing.

 

[Question4U]

TWA/AWA Dude.....thanks.. hey somebody has to lead the way, right? Just like you said, being lucky enough to get called in for an interview with America West is an opportunity I don't plan on taking lightly. Defintely boning up on my systems, 121 regs, and ATP Written questions.....I assume I'm on the right path. I doubt it would be a test on anything else, but who knows! I assume personality type issues will being evaulated in the panel interview.

Chperplt...yeah you can send resumes in all day long, but just as all the other posts say don't plan on any magic happening until you first have someone walk your stuff in, and second get that application back in ( they send it to you after they have a resume they are interested in) ASAP.

 

[Cactus73]

Just got back from a trip and spoke to a CK Airman about this.

The sim is going away because after January 21st the last -200 leaves the property and we will no longer use the -200 sim.
We don't have enough sim time available in the -300 or 757 sims and the Airbus sim would be too complicated for an interview.

The test is a good idea. The sim was kind of a "right of passage" for new hires but didn't do much because most were going to the Airbus which doesn't require much of a scan (from what I hear).

The CPO just put out a letter in the read file that lets us sponsor one applicant a year. This person would get expedited treatment in the process even though we aren't accepting new resumes.

Looks like anyone in the stack of resumes is going to need a sponsor to have much luck in getting out of the stack.

Hope this helps.

 

[reepicheep]

Cactus 73, any idea how much tenure with the company you need in order to sponsor someone? I've got lot's of guys here at usair who would like me to help them once I get on board.

 

[PositiveRate]

I've heard from multiple sources that you need to be off probation to be a good inside connection...and then from there, the more senior the better.


No more weeve...sad. At least that prep was tax deductable.

 

[xanderman]

Yep!

I've heard from multiple sources that you need to be off probation to be a good inside connection...and then from there, the more senior the better.


No more weeve...sad. At least that prep was tax deductable.

Yes, thats the ticket. You must be off probation and it's a once a year thing. No mention of seniority in the read file, but I would imagine positive rate is right...

Andy

 

[Saabslime]

Doesn't have to be a rec. from a pilot. Mine was from someone in maintenance and worked just fine.

 

[JetMonkey]

Mine came from someone on probation however, it did take a bit longer than most to get an interview and a few inquiries to Tammy from my rec.

 

[wjpilot]

Does anyone know for sure when they will stop with the sim and change the forma?


I just got a call for a interview the 2nd week of January.

I want to make sure I prepare the right way.

Thanks for any info.

WJ

 

[TWA Dude]

Does anyone know for sure when they will stop with the sim and change the format?

I know of a guy interviewing on Jan 7 who will not be taking the sim ride. For your own peace of mind you can call and verify; it's not a secret.

 

[xanderman]

Mine came from someone on probation however, it did take a bit longer than most to get an interview and a few inquiries to Tammy from my rec.

I believe we are speaking stricktly on the "Golden Referral" program that starts this new year. And it does state that you must be off probation to utilize this program.

Andy

 

[AZaviator]

Doesn't have to be a rec. from a pilot. Mine was from someone in maintenance and worked just fine.

Can anyone else verify this? Does the rec. have to be from a pilot or can it be from someone from flight ops or maintenance, etc. as Saabslime stated?

 

[Resume Writer]

I just wrote an email to a friend of mine who is a Senior Check Airman at AWA. I asked several questions; about when the no SIM interviews are starting, about the Golden Referral Program (whether you can still write a letter for someone, in addition to using the form for someone else) and about whether a letter from someone in another department will carry weight in the pilot group. I will let you know if he has any answers.

Several years ago we had a similar program to the Golden Referral. (might have had the same name) While I have no first-hand knowledge of why they decided to implement this, I can take a stab at it.

Anyone that you refer to ANY company should be taken very seriously. They are probably trying to stop people from referring someone that they really do not know. With this new program, I think they want you to really consider the person you refer. I only referred people that I know would not cause problems, that had a great work ethic and would fit in with the company. I always believed that the person would be a direct reflection on me. (I am NOT saying this is the case; just my personal belief.) So, now, they are forcing you to choose carefully the person you want sitting next to you or your fellow crew members.

On the flip side, be careful of the person you ask to sponsor you. Check out their reputation by asking other AWA pilots if they know the person. Judge the reputation of the person by how they respond. (Do not just ask one person; as that person may have had a run-in with your sponsor.) There are problem people at any company and I know I would not want that person to sponsor me. I am talking about the people that are always very vocal, complain about everything, are being written up by fellow crew members to Professional Standards, etc. Having them on your referral form might not help you, but hurt you.

BTW, if multiple people have not heard of the person, that is a GOOD sign! The more someone runs under the radar, the better in my opinion. Likewise, if someone is very helpful, has crew members that say they are nice to fly with, etc., that is good also. Just be wary of a bunch of negative comments. I flew 1st FA position almost exclusively, so I know many pilots. There were the people that I just loved to fly with and there were a handful that I did not.

I am sure this is all common sense to everyone, but I thought I would try to shed some light on this. I will let you know what the response is from my friend.

Kathy

 

[Wiskey Driver]

Can anyone else verify this? Does the rec. have to be from a pilot or can it be from someone from flight ops or maintenance, etc. as Saabslime stated?

Anyone WHO works here in any dept can refer you. If it's a pilot or an F/A they need to be off probation for the LOR to really have an effect. This is not to say that you can't recommend someone while on probation nor did I read in the file anything that says you can only recommend one person a yr. It only states that you can SPONSOR ONE person a yr!!

WD.

 

[Resume Writer]

Here is what was written to me by the Sr. Check Airman:


>>Evidently, recommendations were becoming so numerous that their effectiveness was diluted. Some of our pilots were recommending anyone who asked, whether they knew them personally or not. I don't know if a letter of recommendation other than a "golden" would carry any weight. My feeling is that it would not.

A letter of recommendation could come from anyone at the Company and would certainly help a pilot's chances of getting an interview. Naturally a pilot recommendation, particularly if only one per year can be written, will be more effective for a pilot position.<<

I would suggest that if people are in doubt about the program, they contact someone in HR for clarification.

Kathy

 

[AZaviator]

Thanks Kathy. Appreciate the informative response.