Your first regional job interview...
 

Did you guys feel prepared for it? Nervous? Nauseous? Feel like puking before entering the interview room? How was your first time experience with your first regional interview?

I got an interview coming up and I don't feel all too well :P I'm 100% healthy, but butterflies in my tummy has gotten the best of me. How did you guys handle the stress/pressure before sitting before the recruiting team?

Yes, yes and yes.

The best way to chill out is study all the gouges you can get your hands on. The more you know what to expect, the better prepared and more relaxed you'll be.

Before my first one yes to all questions. But remember, everyone is hiring and you can take advantage of that.

When I sat in the interview room and looked around and talked with some guys and realized that I was by far the youngest, and by far lowest time (at only 1000TT) I got nervous and kinda confused. I thought everyone was hurting for pilots.... That was over a year ago but I got the job so I guess I was what they were looking for!

Best advice, be yourself. Don't over think it, try to relax. Even if you don't get hired use at a learning experience, go to every interview you can manage. Even if you have no desire to take the job if offered. Some will disagree, skim the gouges to get a general idea of how it will go, however leave it at that. Don't over study them.

Just had my first at the beginning of November with Air Wisconsin. I was very nervous the week leading up to it. I lost my appetite and got butterfiles, the whole nine yards. I did some interview training with a pilotcounseling.com and I feel like that helped a lot. Everything above is spot on, just relax and be yourself. A lot of these places are looking for folks who can they can sit on a three or four day trip on and not be sick of at the end of the trip. Also, expect everything to get worse after the interview lol. I overthought everything way too much and talked myself into believing that I was horrible and didn't get the job, when a few days later I got an offer.

Who is the interview with?

Unless it is a carrier that you really really really really want to work for, be patient. All regionals are hiring so if you don't get hired, you can almost be certain you will get another chance.

The more you prepare, the more confident you will feel in the interview. All of the other feelings are normal.

Best of luck!

I didn't look at anything aviation related the night before. watched a movie, got pizza and put it all out of my head. Go in with zero expectations and don't try to guess whats going to happen or how its going to play out. You're going to be stressed, its the nature of the beast.

yep to the nervous, no to nauseated and puking feeling (only get the latter after a long long night of, well...) as everyone here said, all the regionals are hiring, so, it's kind of a buyers market as far as pilots are concerned. Things to know...

You could be the least qualified guy at the interview, or the most qualified guy at the interview, and it doesn't matter...why?

Simple...they already invited you for the interview, if they thought you were less "hire-able" than the other guys they simply wouldn't have invited you to come. So congratulations, you've already made it over hurdle number 1.

Read over the gouges, however, to memorize them. Often enough an interview will follow along exactly as a gouge is setup, but even more typically you can get a general idea of where the interviewers tend to focus their attention by looking at multiple gouges and paying attention to questions that span the group. Try not to memorize the answers to these gouges either, however, it would be good to have an "idea" as to how you'd like to respond. It'll allow you to come across as sharp and intelligent (long as you're answers are good) but not a "i read the stuff online" type of guy.

Good luck, relax best you can...and don't cram the night before the interview, the most important thing to do on that night, get a good nights rest, try to not think of to much aviation stuff, and have a good breakfast the next morning.

Also, where's this @?

Relax.....Relax......Relax......Its not like you got #1 secured and #2 is making a bunch of noise and the wx is crap.....

Be yourself....be confident...but not arrogant. Humble but not mousy. And if you don't know something, say so... do not under any circumstances try to bull**** them....Good Luck.

Be honest and be yourself. If you do this and they don't hire you, there's a good chance that you don't want to be there anyway.

Yeah when I went in I was nervous. But at the same time I was confident that I could get through the process. No matter what they said to me, I knew I was going to do my best. The other great thing is that HR and whoever talks to you in the introduction to the interview will do their best (at least from what I've heard about most interviews) to calm everyone down and make everyone feel at ease.

Study up and go in with confidence that you're going to do the best you can do, and you can't do any more than that. You'll be fine.


Good Luck!!!!!

PS....do all the stuff everyone else said too. they were all great suggestions

Do what I did, wing it! (kidding) No, really, be yourself and things work out, if you get all uptight and ridge, how can they see who you are? Think of it like this, what guys get the most beautiful, easy girls at the bar? The guy who is himself. Act like a sweaty, nervous wreck, game over, hello hand at the end of the night. Now, am I saying that a regional job is a hot chick? Well that depends on how many beers you've had....

Got a date with AWAC after Thanksgiving.

I did not show this attitude, but what kept me relaxed was the thought that they need me more than I need them, and there are plenty of others hiring. RAH was my first regional interview, and I got the call shortly after the interview

My first "real" airline interview was with American Eagle. I was the lowest time pilot with about 1800 hours TTL and 600 multi. I sucked! I am so glad I didn't get that job. That was circa 1994. Captain was going about 5-6 years. I had other bad experiences with AMR when they flushed all the TWA employees down the drain. I've not had good luck with AMR.

Fortunately I've gotten job offers every other place that I've interviewed.

The best advice is the same as above. Be yourself. These people just want to see if they would like to be in a cockpit with you for 6-10 hours a day for 3-5 days in a row. Bone up on the technical portion and have an idea what profiles they might look at in a sim eval.

Good luck.

PM me if you want some info about AWAC's interview. I just did it on the 6th of November. You really have nothing to worry about.

Aaand I just saw that you already did lol. PM response sent.

KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE! That goes for all of your 121 checkrides to come, too.

Maintain the attitude, "Hey, I'll give it my best shot, try to show them who I am, and if it doesn't work out here, I'll try again somewhere else- no sweat!"

The interviewers have seen tons of people in the past. They don't expect some kind of perfect robot. They expect a few nerves.

Don't sweat it, man, you'll be fine!

My first Airline interview was for my dream airline and it didn't work out. I was extreemly nervous. I was well prepared but my nerves showed through. My second interview (with a different carrier) went much better. I think it was a combination of having gotten the first out of the way and the fact that it was not my number one choice. With that I would highly reccomend interviewing at other places. It will help with your nerves and your confidence. Even if you don't have time now, schedule another one down the road. Then you will go into the interview with the idea that if it doesn't pan out, you've already lined up the next one.

If I had it to do over, I would have interviewed at two or three other places to warm up before interviewing with my number one choice.

Even durring my second interview I had the jitters. I showed up in a room with four others waiting. While we were waiting they had three pitchers of ice water on the table. I had such cotton mouth that I drank the ENTIRE pitcher myself. 45 minutes into the "about us" speech, I was ready to burst. I was buckled over trying hard to concentrate and look professional when all I could think about was sweet relief. I was out the door before he could finish the sentence "does anyone want to take a break?" Thank god no one saw me frantically running down the hallway sweating, holding my yang, looking for something to relieve myself in.:D

Next time, I will stick with a breath mint to stave off cotton mouth.
:rolleyes:

Good luck on the interview....and dont sweat the small stuff.

DD

Congrats on getting an interview...now the hard part begins:) I second what they said above...get on the gouges, but don't rely on them too much...the interviewers know they are out there. My studying outside of the gouges is what helped the most. I purchased a few books, ATP oral exam guide and mental math for pilots, both were very helpful in the interview. Review part 121, and review some of your current airplane systems, and know a little about the plane you may be flying. The interview is not the systems oral; they will not expect you to know everything about the aiplane your going to fly. Also gouged my friends who had just interviewed at the company, that helped alot too, especially just to get details on the progression of the interview, ie written first, HR/tech interview, then sim session.

Nervousness is normal....I slept about 3 hours the night before the interview, but when I got down to the lobby of the hotel and started chatting with the other interviewees, I wasn't so nervous. I'd been prepping for this thing one way or another for years, and whatever happened was going to happen, and I knew being nervous about it would only change it for the worse. Best advice is be yourself...this will help tremendously during the HR interview. Most places dont want to hire some robot that can call up technical terms and theory in a snap, but can't have a decent conversation (in other words do I want to spend a 4-day trip with this person?) Luckily I was the first one called to interview, so I got it knocked out quick. I interviewed with the HR manager and the chief pilot. I missed a few Qs during the technical interview and got nervous about them, but the Capt told me straight that he did not expect me to know everything, just wants to see what I know. Just keep your cool, don't rush anything, R-E-L-A-X, and all will go well. Good luck.

You youngsters may enjoy this blast from the past:

In the Spring of 1982 I flew into the city of my first commuter (regional) interview and met with the friend who had arranged it. As it was well past lunch time, we dispatched ourselves to a bar and grill near the airport and proceded to spend the afternoon and evening getting moderately well lit. This establishment was the "clubhouse" for this airlines hq city, and as the evening progressed more and more crews came off duty and joined us. I was made quite welcome, and have no clear idea what time we broke away from the party.

The next morning I awoke bleary eyed and head throbbing, took a quick shower and headed to the interview. When I was admitted to the chief pilot's office it turned out that he, the asst. chief, and the MEC chair were all present, as they had been the previous evening at the bar!! I was told that I had passed the interview last night, and merely needed to fill out the forms.

I doubt that this is common any longer.

This is helpful. Thanks everyone. I have an interview next Thursday and I am starting to get nervous as well.

Who you interviewing with?

Easy. Do the interview with your last choice airline first. That way you can be the total blathering fool that gets their story told at HR gatherings for years along with an article or two written about how to NOT interview.

Then with all of the flaming idiot out of your system, the remaining interviews will be a lot easier.

Good luck!

Or you can be like me and do your top choice first and be a nervous wreck. Must have done something right though! :)

Stormy ...that sound like many a night spent at the "Bravo BAR"....Mildenhall RAF..... well until we were infiltrated by a member of the British tabloid press.... pictures in London newspapers the next day...not pretty....

Herc-

Never been there, but I hang with some ex-RAF retired Speedbird types down on the beach every now and then. 65-75 years old and still a menace!! Must be a real scene when they're younger.

LOL...then there was the incident with the BA Stews in Yanbul, Gambia.....OMG

I am interviewing with Mesaba

When I woke up the morning of my first interview, I felt "off." Couldn't finish my breakfast (and that is NOT like me), pulled over to throw up on the way there. I made it through the morning, then felt like puking after eating a slice of pizza while still there. I was absolutely certain it was nerves...

...until I still felt sick on the way home. Illness gave way to pain, which eventually subsided... until I ate again. Long story short, I ended up calling 911, going to the hospital... and getting taken into surgery to repair a strangulated hernia!

The interview was on a Friday, I was discharged from the hospital the following Monday... and got the call with the offer Tuesday morning. I'm home for Thanksgiving at the moment, but am in training - just finished indoc, go into systems next week....

How's THAT for an interview story?

I thought everyone got the easy girls :cool:

Great responses guys.......Someone earlier suggested to interview with a company other than your first choice, if it were your first time interviewing (It will be mine also). I have two offers for interviews so, I could do this. However, if I have a #1 choice, shouldn't I just interview with that company first? Or, if I'm ready, should it matter at all?

Jesse