Red Flags

[countbat]

Has anybody have a bad experience with an interviewer? Was an interviewer less than a gentleman/lady to you? Did you feel misstreated?...ignored? Did you have an interviewer unpolite to you because there are many pilots with no jobs out there?
What about to have their name listed?! Do you think that could be a good idea?

 

[72Longhorn]

Interview

Just outa curiosity, was this interview at Shuttle America??

72Longhorn

 

[bobbysamd]

Interviewers

The example that sticks out in my mind is my Mesa interview of twelve years ago. Mr. Beech 1900, Grady Reed, was one of my interviewers. RJs were evolving from paper to metal at that time and I had read about them in the magazines. Mister Reed asked me if I had any questions. I asked him if Mesa might ever acquire RJs. He answered "no," and his annoyance at my question was palpable. Oh, and by the way, I did not get hired. I wonder why??

I remember my last airline interview quasi-experience, at Express I in 1991. This was nothing but a big cattle call. We spent about four or five minutes total with an H.R. type and a Captain. The H.R. type asked me if I ever had been arrested, although I already answered "no" on my app that was in front of him. I answered "no," and was shuffled off to this Captain. He asked me if I had ever been arrested, although I had just answered the question. Again, I said "no." I thought the guy was rather snippy. I don't recall affected a tone when I answered the question the second time. I wasn't brought back for a real interview. It was a complete waste of time.

FAPA used to maintain some gouge on interviewers. As with everything else at FAPA, the gouge was out of date. I do think it's a good idea to share information about interviewers to know what to expect ahead of time.

 

[FlyinBrian]

My Mesa interview was really strange as well. There was a panel of four pilots. Three were in uniform, and the fourth was rather slovenly in appearance. It took place in a ballroom at the Holiday Inn where several interviews were going on in the same room.

The entire panel had an attitude. They were very condescending, and obviously trying to play "stump the dummy." They seemed frustrated when you would answer several questions right. They gave me a problem about timing a descent. I solved it with dimesional analasis. The interviewer didn't understand how I got my correct answer and asked how I arrived at it. I tried to tell him, but he interrupted me mid-sentence, and asked something else. It was clear he didn't like HOW I got my answer.

One of the four guys answered his cell phone during the interview and then left the room and didn't return until the end of the interview.

I didn't get the job. I got hired at Eagle (a much more professional interview) The only reason I regret not getting the Mesa job is because I'd still have it. If the panel that interviewed me is the caliber of human being that the company selected to be their representative, I don't want to work there. For all the bad things about Eagle, they ran a very professional organization. They treated me like a human being from day 1, and from first contact, through the interview, until the end of training, I was treated with courtesy and respect. Every part of my training was pre-scheduled. I never had to wait for the next part to begin. I've heard horror stories at other airlines (including Mesa) Of pilots not seeing the simulator until weeks after they finish ground school.

 

[AZaviator]

Coex interview

I'm sure many of us could start up our own thread on COEX interview stories. Definetly the most odd/akward/weird interview I've ever been to. I'll spare the details, but anyways, I had two interviews with them the day I was there. The first one was about 15 minutes long. The guy who interviewed me kept yawning, and looking at my info while I was giving him answers.

I was invited back for the 2nd interview. First question was why I dropped an Algebra class in college during summer school. I told them it was because I was working full time and it just didn't work out with my schedule, which is the truth. I got several mad looks for that one. Then, I was asked why I got my Dispatcher license my senior year of college and got a dispatcher job right out of college, instead of finishing up all my ratings, getting my CFI, and instructing right out of college. My answer to this was the fact I needed to save up some money for flight school and I figured getting my dispatcher license and dispatch experience at an airline would be a great way to earn/save up some money and learn a lot about flight ops. at a 121 air carrier.

Their response? "Well, it just seems like it would make more sense to me for you to get your ratings and start building flight time right out of college, rather than dispatching. Why did you chose this unfavorable route?"

At this point, I wanted to scream......."DID EITHER OF YOU NOT JUST HEAR A WORD I SAID??? IIIIIIII NNNNNNNNNNEEEEEDDDDD
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ FOR FLIGHT SCHOOL!!!!!

My real response was: "Well, pretty much like I just explained to you, I needed to save up money."

I didn't get the job. I've had 3 other airline interviews since, and have come out with 3 offers. I'll agree with FlyinBrian about Eagle. My interview experience there was by far the best. No negative attitudes, no snide remarks, they treated everyone as a person and really wanted to get to know you. It was a very pleasant experience.