Well, I work abroad, and I can tell you the type of questions at an upgrade interview at a large international bizjet operator... I think they'll surprise you:
1) You're flying a NAT track and you're approaching 30W. Suddenly you see low oil pressure on your #2 engine. Take me through the scenario, your actions, walk me through the checklists, and tell me how would you handle this. (We take MNPS recurrent every year... should be a no-brainer).
2) You're flying over Russia, and you have a problem requiring a divert. What are some of your considerations? (We fly there often as well... think along the lines of non-WGS-84 compliance and meters QFE, etc... stuff that's covered in recurrent).
3) You have a FO who insists he fly the first sector to a special airport. How do you handle that?
4) A junior FA has a disagreement with the purser that she feels she cannot resolve and asks you to intervene. How do you handle this situation?
5) You have a 40 minute flight and you're tankering fuel for a round trip (you're given a figure and flight plans). You have a VIP onboard enroute to a major world event. On departure, your landing gear won't retract. Take me through this scenario. Explain your decisions.
Basically, you're graded on your decision-making, application of CRM, and knowledge of the manuals you operate under.
Some people just can't make a tough decision if it's not laid out in black and white. Nobody is forcing you to brown nose, or play golf with CP, or anything of the sort.
Our last FO that upgraded was about as far from brown-noser as you can get. He just knew his stuff, showed up prepared, had a pleasant demeanor. Now he's a captain.
Good ol boy clubs, particularly at larger airlines, are actually highly impractical due to sheer size.
But what do I know... after all aren't we all ENTITLED to that left seat?
