Interview info?
 

Anyone have interview tips or info about a prep company you used? Thanks!

I used Emerald Coast. A good friend used Rainier. We both got the job.

I recommend that you work hard on your "why Alaska" answer. What makes Alaska unique from the other carriers that appeals to you, that would keep you from going to another carrier? Same question is asked in disguise as " do you have apps at other carriers" (yes, but Alaska is my first choice because ____) & "what if Delta calls you"

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I used emerald coast. They where great and the interview went very well. Alaska does not want canned answers! EC is good at helping you organize your thoughts.

Thank you. How many letters of recommendation did you bring? Did you only bring internal recs or also ones from other pilots?

Yes, EC does that well, for any airline... helps you collect and articulate YOUR thoughts (and avoid landmines).

I did both EC and Fly The Line. I would recommend Fly The Line over EC, though I think doing both is an even better option. I found the Fly The Line approach better for AS than EC.

'Twas a beautiful morning on April 4, 2016 when I was ensconced in a full-grain leather sofa, sipping on my first cup of Earl Grey. Flipping through the TV channels I stopped on CNN's Breaking News: "Alaska Airlines acquires Virgin America in 2.6 billion dollar deal." The tea cup slipped from my fingers and shattered on my fine mahogany floor....

Geography continues to play a major role in their decision. If you live in Alaska, if you live in or have ties to the Puget Sound Region or live in or have ties to South West Washington/North West Oregon then it is essentialy your job for the taking. For everyone else the “why Alaska” is almost insurmountable as everyone else makes more sense. Their attitude is if you got an interview at Alaska and dont live in the “desired zones” you are likely going to leave for one of the others. We have a steady trickle of 1-6yr pilots that have been doing that for the last 3-4 years and it infuriates them. The locals who do interview prep are likely the best because they all work here and understand the mentality of the hiring department. Good luck

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I cannot quite remember how many I brought... I want to say three? I did not know anyone working at Alaska so mine were all external.

I did the rainier prep and it helped a lot.

I wouldn’t waste money for Alaska interview prep. Save that for Delta or UAL.

If you are a young man with a whole career ahead of you, I agree. Spend 30 years at a real airline. Enjoy the life it has to offer.

If you need a job to finish out a few years or you want a second career late in life, then spend a few buck on prep. That way you might answer the 28 year old latte drinkin finger nail polished twitter posting bleach blonde HR lady according to her liking - and therefore be blessed with the 5th best 737 job in the USA.

Even then, it may not help you.

After spending the money to prep for an interview with one of the big names (which ended up going badly - I blame pre-interview insomnia), I went into the interview with Virgin America (one month pre-SOC), ready to knock 'em dead. I thought it couldn't have gone much better. Their response was, "meh", or words to that effect. I thought I connected with the Alaska check airman in the interview. Couldn't really tell about the Virgin base CP. The HR girl was cold from the word go. My feeling is that she was the "no" vote.

Fortunately, ECC has a money-back guarantee. A year later and nothing on the horizon, I'm about ready to make them make good on it.

If her name rhymes with Sabrina; yeah, shes as cold as ice. Nothing pleasant about her in anyway. Shes stuck in her HR world.

I don't remember her name - it was one I'd never heard before - but that sounds about right.

Glad to know it wasn't just me.

Shy, you are killing me here. My reaction was pretty much the same, but I was sitting on porcelain looking at my tablet.

I never got the interview prep. It's all about you. It's about can one of our pilots stand to be in a space the size of a closet for 4 days with you. We're all pilots. If we can't fly, we'll be weeded put but usually at this point you know how to fly.



I had 7 or 8 stories I knew from heart that could be told to hundreds of different questions. I did fine. The guys that sounded like it was from memory. They sounded bad

There's more to it than that. If that's all it was, I'd have been hired at Alaska in August of 2002.

Answer this: "What series of personal and professional missteps led you to be with us in this room here today?"

For me winning isn't, you do.

I was homeless and passed out in the gutter outside your building. When I sobered up I wandered in by accident. What series of personal and professional missteps led you to become an HR person at this airline?

At least I am being honest, I am not sure I believe your story.

I apologize because I am too lazy to go back and read any of your previous posts. But humor me and tell me again how it was you ended up at Alaska and years til you retire?

I don't think he volunteered...

Judging by the new hires I fly with, if you are from the Pacific Northwest and socially awkward you have a job here. What a difference from the Virgin days.......

Oh yeah, no doubt the now defunct VX only hired the coolest pilots in the industry. I remember reading an old VX recruitment poster that read, “Are you the coolest one in the room right now? Are you willing to work for 20% less? Come see the Red Wood...p.s. we don’t button the top button”. Man was I jealous

I was acquired unfortunately. And the guy above spelled it out. You don’t need prep, you just need to be socially awkward and live in the pnw.

What do you guys expect? AS did recently lower the hiring requirements to those of former VX. ;)

It’s the only way they’re going to get people in the door especially with zero growth and zero opportunity to advance.

Well, it worked for you guys. Now you can’t complain that AS hasn’t incorporated any of VX’s old ways!

With only 144 newhires needed for 2019 so far, AS won't have any problems recruiting. When you hire in very few numbers compared to other airlines and offer the most west coast (5) bases, AS will continue to draw applicants who would do anything to get a job here.

sorry, not even close. VX did an outstanding job of hiring. in my 20+ years in the industry it was easily the best pilot group I've ever worked with. It was a simple hiring philosophy. Hire people you wouldn't mind spending 4 days with. The new hires since AS took over are some interesting individuals.

Oh, for sure, I can tell from these forums the VX pilots, (pre-acquisition), are by far the most well adjusted, level headed and professional group of pilots in the industry....

ah yes, judging a whole pilot group by anonymous Internet forum posts. That's always the best course of action(insert large eye roll here)

I’m not judging the whole pilot group, I’m just pointing out that your narrow slice of the pie is blatantly bias. To think that there were proportionally less “socially awkward” pilots hired at VX pre-acquisition, is intentional ignorance. Pure tribalism. I know of more than a handful of pilots hired at VX pre-acquisition that I wouldn’t share a taxi with let alone a 4 day. These forums give a platform to those who tend say what’s on their mind because there is anonymity. So based on what’s being said I gather more than a few of you guys are unable to cope with change, cannot adjust to new surroundings and are locked into a mindset of us vs. them. Not great qualities in a professional pilot. I guess I could say something like, “those pre-acquisition VX pilots are an awkward group, it’s not like it used to be at the ‘old Alaska’, But....why would I bother, it only serves the purpose of keeping the divisiveness alive and well. Besides, have you ever considered that maybe it’s you? Maybe you’re not the life of the party you thought you were and these “awkward” new hires just don’t want to socialize with you....think about it.

I never said a word about pre acquisition Alaska pilots, and I have no problem with change or the merger. I pointed out the change in new hires, and trust me I'm not along in noticing it. Every airline has the "5%" and VX for sure had this, but as a whole was an amazing pilot group. The type of pilot hired since AS took over hiring has changed in a big way. Fact.

Since Alaska took over hiring in 2017, they've hardly assigned pilots to the Airbus. The last bus class was Jan 2018 and the majority of newhires have been going to the 737s. We can't control who we hire, that's airline management's job. I will say I know people who want to work here and with very impressive qualifications who still can't get a call. Some with lesser resumes can't get a call either. Not sure what the secret is in getting called but with the little amounts of hiring AS does compared to other airlines, it's still really competitive to work here. Unlike Delta, this place doesn't hire many younger people with smaller resumes. Of the nearly 3000 pilots here only about 40 are below age 30. Anyway as a rsv CA I've flown with rsv FOs from the latest hiring cycle and they've all been here almost a year or more now, and seemed like great individuals with good backgrounds.

We hire 3 types....Horizon, Military and pilots who are not competetive enough to be hired at the major airlines. As a side note, competetive has very little to do with which 4 yr basket weavers diploma you have or how much turbine time you have.

Getting hired at AS has always been a mystery, even among west coast people. Nobody knew how to crack the code, other than friends and family helps. But the guy in my circle who always wanted to work there (SEA born and raised, good track record, internal recs) got an interview but then was not hired.

So which category are you in and why are you still here? Alaska airlines has been Alaska airlines since the day you stepped on property. If you’re more qualified, better adjusted, live outside the PNW, understand this career and the economics that drive it better than everyone else and hate being at this company, I ask again, Why....Are....You....here? Instead of just sitting there taking it Klsy, why haven’t you left yet? Most major airlines picked hiring back up by 2011-12. That gave you almost eight years of solid hiring to pop smoke and bail. I think you said you’ve been here around 17-18 years? We’ve had a few with more than 10 years service leave for other airlines. Why not you? Is it that you’re unqualified, awkward or lazy? This whole conversation is an effing joke. You guys are mad at management and instead of focusing you anger towards them, you’re turning on your fellow pilots, calling them unqualified, socially awkward and questioning their motives behind being here. Typically, only those whose own self esteem is low due to their personal inadequacies call into question the qualifications of others. You guys need to redirect you anger towards the ones in charge who are actually causing your grief.