Regional Interviews

[STLCFII]

Hey all!

As some of you may know, it seems that the regionals are starting to hire again some. I've had a few friends around me get picked up and had a question about the interview process. i was just wondering what kind of things they ask you and what they are looking for when they go through your logbook? I ask about the logbook because I havn't flown really in like 6 months and dont' remember 3/4th of the stuff I have in there. Is it mainly just making sure all the pages are filled in and you have the min times required, or do they really investigate how you got all your time? I've heard some horror stories in the past! Anyways, if anybody could tell me what they're looking for so maybe I can refresh my memory some it'd be appreciated! What kind of things might jump out at them? Thanks for whatever you can give me!

-Mr. Unemployed Pilot

 

[NDPILOT]

Neatness says a lot about the applicant, i've heard that's a lot of what they are looking at. If you have any unusual remarks in the comments section of your logbook you may be asked about that.

I met a guy interviewing who had logged PIC and SIC for the same flight.?. He had to explain how that worked, for which i don't know the answer to.

Generally the interviewer will do nothing more than simply thumb through to see if anything catches his/her attention.

 

[350DRIVER]

When the interviewer reviews your logs they are looking for a few different things. Probably the most important thing that they are looking for would be any red flags that would stand out or are there any other questions in their mind that need answered?. This is a painless process most of the time but you need to be able to answer anything that can be seen as "questionable" by the person reviewing the logs. I think the horror stories that you have heard are isolated events (in most cases)and are usually not the norm across the board with regards to the issue at hand. Most of people that I have come in contact with over the years review the logs basically to see that what you have put down on the application, resume, etc, is what is matching up with the hard numbers that are in your logbook. I would suggest that you try and keep your logbook(s) as neat as possible so the important areas are able to be easily seen by the persons looking through them. It is a wise idea to also put tabs on the pages that indicate the successful checkrides, PC's, etc,.. (atleast that is what I did) I also took it one step further and put the tabs on the pages where my initial 135 training was done, recurrent training & check, upgrade training & check, fed rides, 6 month captain checks, etc, etc,.. I would also make notes in the back of the logbook to indicate the date(s) and times that were spent in the training program that are company had in place. The board seemed to like the way that I had organized the logs since the more "important" pages were easily accessible to them and they had no trouble finding what they were looking for. I would say most questions will be raised when they can not make a clear determination on something due to multiple reasons ex> messy and sloppy entries, white out, scratched out numbers, etc, etc,.


They are also going to probably ask you systems questions from looking at your books to determine what equipment you spent most of your time in. In my case I was drilled quite hard on the turbo-prop fleet since that is what most of my time (experience)was spent in. If another aircraft catches there eye while reviewing the logs then you may also get asked questions pertaining to that aircraft as well. Remember just because you have the "flight time" in your logbook that really means very little if you are unable to answer questions that may be asked during the interview. I would suggest having an adequate amount of knowledge about any aircraft in your logbook prior to going into an interview since anything in your book(s) are fair game. It seems like many think just because they have entered the time into the logbook then that should be good enough to satisfy the interviewer, not true in many cases. I would spend some time getting your log(s) in order prior to attending the interview..


good luck,

3 5 0

 

[Big Duke Six]

A big help to many is also a copy of "Checklist for Success" by Cheryl Cage. It spells out for you the myriad things you need to do to get ready to put yourself on the market. I had no 121 experience at all, so this was all new stuff to me. Her book really enlightened me. Also, since I was not "shotgunning" resumes out, and knew that the odds were long on getting ANY interview at all, I paid the money and did an interview prep with her. It was invaluable to me, but I understand some people don't think they need it. The bottom line is YOU need to feel totally confident walking into that interview with ABC Airlines, and I would therefore leave no stone unturned in your quest to land a job. I was hired on the spot, in my first airline interview ever. I say that not to brag, but rather because I honestly do not think I would have been hired had it not been for the knowledge and practice I got from working with her.

There are other interview prep sources (I believe AlbieF15 in this forum is highly recommended, and there may be others) so if you think you could benefit from it, do some research. The $200 -$300 bucks is chump change when you weigh it against what you're losing by NOT getting a job.

If you look on Amazon or at a GOOD pilot shop, you'll find a host of other books out there to help you with the technical things you may be asked about. Some are good and some are not so good, but the good ones will be great reference books even after you land your job.

Check out www.cageconsulting.com

Good luck!

 

[bobbysamd]

Logbooks and interview prep

Take it from someone who knows, there is no such thing as overpreparing for any kind of airline interview. Just because a regional is conducting it does not make it any less stressful than a majors interview. You have to attack it from that mindset or you will be shown the door.

That your logbooks should be neat and up to date should not even have to be stated. If there was any time in your life to be anal, now is the time. I like 350's idea of tabbing important milestones in your logbook.

Having said that, I had four interviews and a cattle call. I can only recall my logbooks being examined at two interviews. I never understood why they weren't requested at the others.

Once more, I recommend Irv Jasinski as an invaluable airline interview resource. At the bare minimum, get his book, Airline Pilot Interviews: How You Can Succeed in Getting Hired, ISBN: 0942195019. The book is available almost anywhere, e.g., amazon.com. I used Irv to prepare for an interview and I got the job.

Another good interview resource is Captain Bob Norris of San Carlos, California. Capt. Norris is/was a United captain, but he knows much more than only the majors. He, too, has written a good interview book, The Airline Career & Interview Manual. I used Bob Norris to prep for instruments and an interview, and got that job.

Finally, it has been said that an airline interview is not altogether different from interviewing for a senior executive position at a large corporation. Based on my experiences, I think there's a great deal of truth to that statement. This is the interview of your life. Do not assume you will receive multiple interviews and you can blow off one. You may not get another. You have to be prepared and organized.

Hope this helps further. Good luck with your job search.

 

[STLCFII]

Hey Guys, thanks for all the info! I'll look into those books you recommended! Another few questions for you.... Who gives the interviews? Is it the chief pilot, regular pilot, company instructor, or just someone at the corprate office who has that in their job discription? Also, what kind of things do the airlines (Regionals/Majors) like to see on your resume besides the basic hour reqs? How big of a chunk do they place on your education (BS/Masters) and gpa? Do they like to hire local people over out of staters? How much does recommendations and contacts in the company play? I ask becase my #1 Regional Pick is Comair because my father is a 35 yr Delta ground person and since they're owned by them I was wondering if that would give me a shoe in? Anyways, thanks again for all the info. Any tips/stories would be appreciated!

Thanks

 

[bobbysamd]

Interviews

Who gives the interviews? Is it the chief pilot, regular pilot, company instructor, or just someone at the corprate office who has that in their job discription?

The answer is all of the above. You might meet first with a Human Relations person. A company instructor will give the sim ride. You could then appear before the Chief Pilot, or a board of pilots, or a board comprised of any number of company individuals.

[W]hat kind of things do the airlines (Regionals/Majors) like to see on your resume besides the basic hour reqs? How big of a chunk do they place on your education (BS/Masters) and gpa?

I'd suggest you run a board search for answers to your resume questions. You certainly want to break down your hours on your resume into the various categories, e.g. PIC, multi, X-C, instrument, night, turbine, instructing, etc.

The education issue has been debated ad infinitum. Plenty of people without college have been hired at the regionals, while plenty of people who have college and more have been ignored. You must list your education to the highest year completed on your resume. High GPA, graduation honors, significant activities, Phi Beta Kappa, etc., most certainly should be listed.

Do they like to hire local people over out of staters? How much does recommendations and contacts in the company play?

Regional airlines are usually spread over several states, so being local is of no advantage. Comair in Florida, AE in Texas, Mesa in New Mexico and WestAir in California all interviewed me when I lived in Arizona. On the other hand, if it is a very small, local regional, being local with the ability to interview at a moment's notice might give you an advantage.

In-house recommendations mean a lot. Having one or more in-house recommendations, with these individuals writing letters of reference for you to include with your application, may very well make the difference in your being noticed. But in-house recommendations are no guarantee that you will be called.

Finally, you facing stiff competition for Comair. Even though your father works for Delta, Comair has tons of well-qualified street applicants and graduates of its school, who have similar quals as you. Don't put all your eggs in the Comair basket.

Hope these help further. Good luck with your efforts.