Originally Posted by
Egg320
I agree with you that honesty is the best policy however do you feel pilots should disclose something they were never asked about?
If you were fired for banging the Chief pilots daughter or because you had an argument with management and told them where to go, is that really something you should disclose?
I’m sure a termination will show up on your PRIA but it also has nothing to do with performance as a pilot which is what they are supposed to report, nothing relating to performance or safety as a pilot is supposed to be reported.
Even a checkride failure which for sure will show up on your PRIA but if they don’t ask should you disclose it?
Of course I’m not advocating lying and cover ups etc but at the same time pilots don’t want to jeopardize their chances of a new position. If called in you could always say well you never asked.
If never asked, you may be able to get away with non-disclosure.
But if it's something relatively minor, better to disclose and deal with it up front... your odds of getting/staying hired are usually better with honesty.
Exception to honesty might be for something serious which was not covered in their asks, but would most likely prevent you from being hired if they find out. In that case you might roll the dice, try to get the job, and hope they never find out. Examples... member of an extremist group in your youth, expelled from college for running a cheating ring, member of a public S&M/swinger group. These are all situations that I've seen or heard about on employee background checks... not illegal, but a turn off for most employers.
It also matters what you have to lose if you get the job but get fired later. CFI, not so much... 20 year regional CA with wife, mortgage, and three kids, different story. In the later case you should really be upfront about anything that might be controversial, before you take the job.