There is no telling what is happening and why; I heard similar and was surprised when I got an interview for April.

Best you can do is make great impressions when they count and to keep the app updated.

 

Hello Everyone,
Long time Lurker, first time poster.

I interviewed with United a few years ago (about 2.5?). I 'made it to the interview' but after that I got the 'thanks but no thanks' perhaps a week later.
I thought the interview itself went well... but I guess I didn't understand the questions I was being asked or how to answer them.

To be honest I thought the 'interview' was the hardest part of the whole process... lurking here it sounds like the 'hardest part' for most folks is typically getting the interview... but for me it was the interview itself! I don't really know how I could have answered the questions better, or what exactly they were looking for. My takeaway was that if they don't want to actually hire you, why invite you to interview to begin with? I felt like I connected great to the 2 interviewers - one a senior Captain and an HR lady - but either I 'did not' or didn't answer the questions well or somehow didn't present my best.

That was ~2 years ago I have been flying a great deal, have 121 PIC now and I want to reapply.
So my questions -

It looks like the application is a new, separate application IIRC it was on Airline Apps before. Should I even reapply? Will I have to take the Hogan again? (I passed that the first time).
Will they be able to cross-reference this 'new' application with the one from before?

And what exactly are they looking for that's different now - other than more experience?

My time now:
~4000 TT
~1000 Part 121 PIC (WB ACMI)
~1000 as a Flight Instructor (from years ago)

I had a flew Checkride busts from 10 years ago - a soft field landing, steep turns and... my chandelle. But none from Part 135 and Part 121 so far Part 121/135 has been much easier than GA training with all the chandelling.

Education:
Graduate Degree (3.1 GPA) in aviation-unrelated field.
Volunteer experience (local library)

My reasons for wanting to leave my current job are... many. Flying ACMI back-of-the-clock the schedules are pretty brutal, mostly nights and LONG trips my longest 'rotation' so far was 6 weeks away from home. Compared to that a 4-day trip doesn't sound so bad and that's what I'm gravitating towards now, it's amazing how perspectives change.

Thanks in advance to all.

 

Maybe I am assuming but no where do I hear you doing aggressive interview preparation, your talking about hours, GPA, volunteer experience check ride stuff etc, but guess what that all doesn't matter if you already got the interview with what you had before. I felt the interview was a piece of cake, but I also over prepared for all the tell me about a time questions as well as the technical review so when I walked in there of course it was easy. If that wasn't true for you then the good news you know what to work on.

 

Sorry I tried to post in response (but my post disappeared?) but was having issues maybe because my account is new.

I did the interview prep before, and extensively, with 1-2 interview companies. 'Practice' panels, 'practice' interviews, TMAAT one-on-one etc and they said I was ready. Obviously I won't use the same company this time around maybe I need different feedback...

I could get 2-3k more hours but I have heard there are diminishing returns hours-wise... or I could transition to pax flying at another carrier to get more and better passenger experience (flew pax before prior to Covid) but I haven't heard that advocated for specifically.

Thank you in advance.

 

agree with the other comment, make sure you spend the time and money on interview prep! I myself did two companies, $1,000. Worth every penny! If they invite you for an interview, it really is yours to lose.

 

There are many reasons they might not hire you, some beyond your control.

Interpersonal vibe with interviewers might be one of them, but in this era they're less likely to be overtly confrontational (the old good cop, bad cop game).

But even if you feel you're getting along, you need to stick to your interview strategy, be careful about opening up too much about certain things. They *want* you to open up, but that doesn't mean they're always going to like what they see. An interview is not confessional, don't spill your guts but rather have a specific tactical purpose for everything you say.

Get another interview prep.

Consider applying to other majors. UA might have flagged you with some show-stopper issue, and simply won't call you again.

The TBNT might also have been due to something not related to the interview itself. Check all of your background info that you can access (PRD, FBI, etc). I'd also pay for a commercial national records check... those aren't guaranteed to spot everything from every jurisdiction, but it's a start. Check your current employer training records. Errors happen, I've experienced that but caught it in time.

 

I just wanna caveat this. United asks a lot of negative questions - prompting you to reveal a time you failed in some capacity or position. While you should be careful in not telling a story about how you overran the runway because you ignored your FO’s calls for a GA, telling a non-story (ie, a story in which you didn’t really fail at all) shows lack of self-awareness as a best case scenario, outright deceit or hiding something as a worst case. Both will definitely cost you the job.

The UA interview was genuinely a pleasurable experience once I got over the nerves. They clearly want you to be there, so don’t give them a reason to turn you down.

 

This is probably the first real post I’ve seen from this poster… So, I’m shocked to say that I agree with this. It’s a fine line to walk, hence the need for real interview prep with a company familiar with the specific interview process of the airline you are interviewing for.

 

Hey folks,

Is anyone else here currently unable to log in to the United app? Specifically, the Captcha won't complete, and below it there's a message that says "This site is exceeding reCAPTCHA Enterprise free quota"

Thanks!

 

The Captcha quota is daily and will reset tomorrow. Apparently there have been a bunch of applications submitted/updated over the last 24 hours.