F16fixer,
I definitely feel fortunate to have the opportunity that I've been given. I hope things continue to go well. You never know when something might happen and it all goes away.
I don't recall sending anything special with my packet. I believe I had all of my test scores, BAT, college transcripts, LOR's, cover letter, resume & copy of PPL. I put it all together, along with a nice cover I made that had the unit's shield on it and had it bound at Office Max for a few bucks. I wouldn't spend much money on putting it together. In fact, many people just send their packets in an envelope. I'm not sure how much it matters either way. I just tried to put my best into it and be as professional as I could be.
The interviews were actually quite enjoyable. I did my best to prepare before hand so I could ask some intelligent questions and so I would feel more confident and less nervous. I dug up all the info I could on the unit and memorized names, dates, history, etc. I also studied up on the airframe quite extensively, which really came in handy when I had a chance to talk with the pilots. Both of my interviews were panel interviews. The first one had three pilots and the second one had six I believe. Both interviews were pretty standard behavioral interviews where they asked a myriad of questions from one extreme to another. I had questions about work ethics, morals, education, background, study habits, character, patriotism, family, sports, job experience, leadership ability, etc, etc. They tried some off the wall questions to see if I was a whacko, funny questions to test my sense of humor, difficult questions to see if I could think on my feet, situational questions to see how I would act, and just plain get to know you type stuff.
The best thing for me was to spend a LOT of time preparing beforehand, which really helped me to relax and be myself. Being able to regurgitate statistics about the airframe or call the pilots by name wasn't all that great in and of itself, but it did show them that I was serious about my desire to be a member of the unit and that I was willing to put in the time and effort to get what I wanted. Does that make sense?
The last thing that helped me (I think) was taking every opportunity to show them that I wanted this job more then anyone else. I firmly believed that I did and took every chance I got to let them know that through my actions, words and demeanor. Be careful though, there's a fine line between showing them your desire and annoying them because you won't quit bothering them.
I don't have any magical formula for success, other then work hard, prepare well, give it everything you've got and be persistent. The unit that hired me was my third unit I interviewed at. I sent countless applications and about two years just to get those three interviews and so don't be discouraged if it takes a while. Be patient, do all you can do and hope for the best. If things don't work out at first, be grateful for the opportunity, learn from your mistakes and keep after it. Good luck!
SMan
Bias not withstanding, I really enjoyed my time at LAFB. I was married with a 1 year old. Studied hard and partied hard on the weekends. San Antonio was about a 2 hour drive away (I think 
) and that was a great place to hang out. We would get a room at Randolph or Lackland for really cheap and go party on the riverwalk. There is absolutely nothing in Del Rio. You do have Lake Amistad for water-skiing and stuff like that. The people of Del Rio were fantastic.
Also, it seems everyone wants to go there since they hand out fighters, but since that's not an issue for me, I'd like to hear other reasons why someone would want to go there. Comments?
