Bbourne2009

During an interview there are loads of questions they can ask someone. On the there hand though, what are some questions you guys would usually want to ask of them when trying to decide if X company is the right fit for you. It seems like sometimes people get in with a corporation only to find out that it's totally not what they expected it to be like(didn't do their homework). With that being said, what things from experience would you ask of that you don't typically find out from the interview process. I have my first one coming up soon and I want to be able to ask them questions as well. All replies are appreciated. Thanks

Brandon

BoilerUP

For starters, you need to research the company.

Private or public, senior company management & background, how large, how many facilities, how many employees, how long in existence, and if a public company how do their quarterly and annual statements look?

How long have they operated airplanes? What types and how many? How old is the fleet, and are there any near/medium term plans for a change?

You want to ask what a typical month looks like, both in terms of aircraft and pilot utilization. How many overnights, how many weekends, what are typical destinations, what kind of schedule (if any) is there, what are policies on standby/call-out? How many extended (4+ days) trips? This will tell you a lot - if its a 2 pilot/1 jet operation that flies 400hr+ per year your schedule could really suck; the same thing with 3 or 4 pilots may be very good.

What kind of training will you receive, and where? Opportunities for career advancement (upgrade to PIC, etc)?

What is the history of pilot turnover, and what have been the reasons for that turnover (may or may not get a straight answer here).

What kind of hotels do you normally stay at?

What, if any, ancillary duties are there (light airplane cleaning & buying airplane supplies being typical, working 8-5 in the office on days you're not flying being BAD)?

I believe a "good" company will address many of these questions during the interview process, allowing you to ask more specific questions based on what you hear.

Mink

BU has it covered very well.

If they're offering the interview to you, they're obviously interested in you. In addition to all the "be on your best behavior" items we all know about when interviewing, a little bit of you has to be in the "what am I getting myself into?" mode - without appearing that way to the interviewer. Shouldn't be too tall an order, since any serious job interviewer knows the candidate is interviewing them as much as the company is interviewing the candidate.

DirectTo

As said, find out exactly what, if any, ancillary duties are required. How often will you be on the road? How far are trips typically known in advance? Those are the major QOL factors.

Of course things will vary from department to department, and one like mine (single plane, single pilot) is going to be totally different from a large department.

USMCFLYR

I think BoilerUP might have hit a majority of these - but a few questions were offered to me as example to ask during an interview:
----------------
How many pilots do you have?
How about turnover?
Is it a place you want to retire from?
Hows QOL?
What % is Intl?
Desirable?
How much vacation does one get?
Does your family like the job?
Are you on call?
Weekend duty?
--------------------
Some of these will work for interview questions, but these were specifically given to me to ask to a pilot whom I had contact with inside the flight department, so obviously some are not appropriate for in interview environment.

USMCFLYR

KC10 FATboy

My two cents. It all depends on who you are interviewing with and the situation.

If you are interviewing with a Ma and Pa outfit, asking questions about your schedule, day to day tasks, upgrades, or anything else pertinent to the job in my opinion would be acceptable.

However, if you are interviewing with a major airline or established flying outfit, asking those type of questions may make you appear as if you aren't prepared or you haven't done your homework during your job search.

In my experience, from what I've learned at seminars and interview preps, I always used that time allotted for asking questions during an interview to explain to the interviewers how much you want the job and to thank them.

Be mindful, you must analyze your audience. Make sure you ask a question that the interviewer can answer and you don't ask a question outside of his or her expertise (perhaps the person is an HR worker, or perhaps a pilot, or chief pilot). For example, don't ask the HR person what he or she thinks about the GE engines on the 757 ... the person probably isn't going to know (nor care). Worse, the person my flip the tables around and ask your opinion and you best not come across as a tool or an idiot.

Here's what I suggest.

Interviewer: "Do you have any questions for us?"

"No I don't. However, I'd like to take this time to thank you for inviting me to interview at XYZ. I am very excited yet humble to be here today. Over the years I've worked hard and have prepared for an opportunity like this, and as a safe and competent pilot, I think I would make a good fit for your company and I really hope you consider me for a pilot position at XYZ. Thank you."

I think an answer like that is better than:

"what challenges do you see on the horizen"
"how many pilots are you going to hire"
"where do you see the stock price going?"
"besides being a pilot, are there any other duties I must perform?"
"how many airplanes do you intend to buy in the next year?"
"what will my day to day tasks be?"
"how long have you worked here? do you enjoy your job?"
"who is your biggest competitor and what advantage do you see them having over XYZ" "disadvantages?"

BoilerUP

The interview process between any 91 job and any 121 job is likely night and day difference. Personality fit is much more important in a 91 job than a 121 interview (at least based on my own personal interview experiences).

There isn't much about an airline's operation that can't be found out via basic research; various flight departments from small "rich guy owns a plane" operations to Fortune 100 multinationals can vary wildly and the only way to figure stuff out is to ask the question.

galaxy flyer

Almost everyone of KC10 FATboy's lesser questions are exactly what I want to hear in an interview and I have interviewed on both sides of the table here. Part 91 hiring is closer to getting married than a job. You will live with these "guys" on every trip, your career will be shaped there, they will be recommending you or not, if you move on. You AND them need to be happy with the selection. The interviewers want to hear your interest in their operation, that you will fit in, that you aren't there just to get a job.

I'm about to head off on an African tour. In my interview 8 years ago, the possibility of such flying was asked, in return I asked about hotels, security arrangements, class of travel, if airlined, handling in country. By asking those questions, they knew I knew something, that I was evaluating their operation and, if comfortable with the interviewer's answers, when trips like that came up, I would be ready.

Night and day, indeed!

GF

Std Deviation

I've always wanted to use that question from the The Breakfast Club when John Bender looks at the principal and says, "Excuse me Dick... will Milk be made available to us?"

Or maybe the inquiry from Dupree (You, Me, & Dupree) when he asks the interviewer what the policy is on working Columbus Day.