Tell me about a time when...

[DoubtingThomas]

Hey experienced interview guys-

Ready to throw my hat into the major airline interview ring and I have a problem. Well in real life it's all good, but not very exciting in terms of interview stories. I've been fortunate enough to not have anything real scary happen during my career... no triple chimes, no emergencies declared, no engine failures... never even had to declare MIN FUEL. Just lucky, I guess.

I was hoping you guys could give me some examples of common 'Tell me about a time...' questions so I don't have to fidget and fumble during the real deal.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[five-alive]

I thought I had the same problem. But I found the stories do not have to be dramatic, and thus I was overlooking many potential stories that I thought the interviewers would be bored with. But they are the types of stories most people would have, whereas the minority of interviewees would have the engine falling off type stories. So don't get in the mindset that your stories have to be riveting, just that they have a situation-action-result type structure.

BTW, the interviewer at the major I recently interviewed at said that "That situation doesn't apply to me" was a perfectly acceptable answer if I didn't have a story, just no to lie and make up a story.

Checklistcomplete.com and aviationinterviews.com have all the typical questions

 

[Chubaka]

Interviewers are just trying to get to know you. Even if they ask for something exciting, I wouldn't explain anything to dramatic. Just a time that you had a problem, learned from it, and are a better pilot for it. Don't tell them about the time you almost ran out of fuel(not that you did).

 

[Mookie]

tell them about a time you had the breakfast burrito with the hot sauce and had to maintain sterile cockpit for 10 minutes too long....

discuss....

 

[Chubaka]

My advice is to eat mounds of garlic every chance you get.

 

[DrewBlows]

I'll license you my stories. The price is $100 per emergency and $200 for the one about the flight attendants who got in a fight. I've never shut down an engine but have a friend who has. I could probably obtain the licensing rights if you really want an engine shutdown story.

 

[vortilon-x]

Never invent a story is my advice. If you never had a real emergency, so be it! I am sure there is something you can tell them about. A story that you had to make a difficult decision for example.

The problem with made-up stories is, that if they start asking a bit further, you might not be able to come up with a good answer. They'll realize it, and thats then probably the end of your interview...

 

[viper548]

Have you ever had to... divert? cancel a flight? Break up a fight between crew members? correct a captain? Have a FO correct you? Is there a company policy you don't agree with? Have you violated a FAR?

All those things make great stories. Go through your logbook and take note of anything out of the ordinary and turn them into a story. Does your company have you write reports when there are irregular operations? Gather about 15-20 stories and think about what questions they would make good answers to. Practice telling the stories to a friend. Make them detailed as to not create more questions. Try to make each story last about 2 minutes or so.
Each story could be the answer to several different questions, but you should not re-use a story.
Here's an example:

Q. Have you ever had to cancel a flight due to maintenance? or Have you ever had to make an unpopular decision?

A. Yes. I had just recently upgraded to Captain at ABC Airlines and we were on day three of a four day trip. We were scheduled to fly the last flight of the evening from Kansas City to Dallas. My crew and I took the airplane from another crew. The Captain on the previous flight mentioned that the parking brake light would not come on with the parking brake engaged and maintenance was on their way out to fix it. After conferring with maintenance, I decided to board the flight since they said they only needed to adjust a cable. After all of the passengers were boarded I made an announcement that we would be delayed about 20 minutes while maintenance adjusted a cable and apologized for the delay. After about 20 minutes maintenance informed me that the cable had already been adjusted and it needs to be replaced. He said he would check and see if they had the part there. I made another PA announcement explaining the situation and again apologizing for the delay. After about 10 minutes maintenance returned and said the part is not in stock and it will not be there until the next morning. Since this item was not listed in the MEL, I had no choice but to cancel the flight. I told my crew then I made a PA announcement to the passengers explaining to them that we could not depart with a malfunctioning parking brake light. Although the passengers were upset that they had to spend the night in Kansas City, several commended me for keeping them informed during the delay.

 

[DoubtingThomas]

I appreciate the input, guys!

Flightinfo IS useful sometimes, whodathunkit?

 

[climbhappy]

what's a good story for when they ask" TMAAT when you were asked to violate a company policy?

 

[viper548]

Has it ever happened? Don't feel like you have to make a story up if something never happened to you. Has crew support ever tried to get you to fly when you were fatigued? Has dispatch ever tried to get you to takeoff using dry runway data when it was wet? fudge the fuel so you could take all the passengers and cargo? If you're a captain and your company has limitations on FO's (RVR, crosswinds, special airports, etc.) has the FO ever tried to get you to let them fly in conditions your company doesn't allow? If none of this has happened at your current job, what about flight instructing? Were you ever pressured to sign a student off on a checkride that wasn't ready? Over or undercharge a student for instruction time?

 

[DrewBlows]

what's a good story for when they ask" TMAAT when you were asked to violate a company policy?

Don't ever tell an interviewer that you knowingly violated a company policy. The correct answer to this question is some variation of "someone wanted me to violate some company policy...I said no but they insisted...I then followed the proper course of action, as dictated by my company, for dispute resolution (i.e. talk to scheduling supervisor, CP, DO, etc.). You should have a scenario that fits this mold. This is a good answer because it not only shows that you are "by the book", but it shows that you stick to your guns and know the dispute resolution process at your company. If pressed you should also point out your willingness to accept responsibility for any repercussions made by your decision to stick to the book.

 

[rustypigeon]

"Tell me about a time when your integrity was compromised." That is one I hope I never have to answer. Actually, I am not even sure what it means!

 

[captain007]

Hey experienced interview guys-

Ready to throw my hat into the major airline interview ring and I have a problem. Well in real life it's all good, but not very exciting in terms of interview stories. I've been fortunate enough to not have anything real scary happen during my career... no triple chimes, no emergencies declared, no engine failures... never even had to declare MIN FUEL. Just lucky, I guess.

I was hoping you guys could give me some examples of common 'Tell me about a time...' questions so I don't have to fidget and fumble during the real deal.

Thanks in advance for your help!

go work for mesa for about a week, you will have enough stories!

 

[cq43vt17t]

go work for mesa for about a week, you will have enough stories!

I actually laughed a little when I saw that. I've worked for Freedom, Mesa, and Trans States...... the funny part is all of my TMAT stories didn't involve Trans States.

I have never declared an emergency either. I have had abnormal situations. My advice would be to not try to find stories for each TMAT and have them ready. What I did prior to my interview was think about 5 or 6 abnormal situations that I had and wrote them down. I just wrote down a background, the issue, how it was resolved, and what I learned from the situation. You'd be surprised how one event can cover about 5 different TMAT questions. Having a pool of stories that can be tailored to several questions might be an easier option.

Interviewers are not going to fault you for not having an emergency. The purpose of the questions is to see how you work through problems and what type of person you are.