JB, my mugger example was meant to show the merit of drawing limits to how honest you are in a not so complex situation. I did not mean aviation employers are all muggers. I think that pilot employers are some of the most invasive employers anywhere in terms of the amount of questions, tests, reports, histories, evals, checks and batteries they put their applicants through. It's something else, it really is. Many of them go well beyond the necessary level of scrutiny in determining who is safe and legally employable for the low paying job they offer. They do this, because pilots allow them to do it. If pilots would not allow it pilot applications would look about like the job applications found everywhere else. A brief face to face meeting, the PRIA bit and an FAA background report, a basic DOT drug test, maybe a quick call to your last employer and that's about it. But they have a thousand applicants so why not sort them into piles and make them jump through hoops.

I was an once an engineer. A short face to face paid for by the firm, an optional factory tour, maybe a basic drug test and proof of college degree were typical. Most managers would quietly call on your previous boss to see what they say, but that was always off the record. That's it. No tests, invasive questioning, PRIA reports, FOI requests, NDR reports, psych evals, sim ride, panel interview, interview bill or whatever else aviation employers put pilots through these days.