Interview Calls & Hiring Predictions
10-14-2014, 05:39 PM
#711
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: The Right One
Posts: 588
Originally Posted by worstpilotever
Just put down your best guess and explain it at the interview. I had a couple of tickets from 20 years ago and could not find the exact date or even the exact city. They did not care.
That is exactly what I did. It was a total non-issue.
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10-17-2014, 04:51 PM
#712
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,315
Got the job offer just the other day- super excited to start a new chapter! Thanks to all who've shared on this thread and helped me understand the process as I went through. Thought I'd share a few post-interview thoughts...
I did sim prep with FTI and HR with Cage. Sim for me was absolutely essential. The invitation packet says you will have time on your ride to get a feel for the airplane. For me it simply wouldn't have been enough. The plane I'm flying right now (CRJ) is different enough that I needed time to get comfortable with the scan and other particulars of the 737. (For example, I blew through the GS on my first ILS because the flaps 30 extension really balloons the airplane up. I needed to develop a habit of coming in with a good amount of forward yoke pressure at the FAF, etc...) I am the cheapest guy in the universe, but it was money very well spent. I would strongly recommend anyone who gets the interview to consider it an investment in your future earnings, seniority, retirement, etc.
HR prep was also very critical to my success as it really helped me with my overall presentation. I did feel that the preparatory process placed so much scrutiny on said presentation that I got in my head a little bit over it. My advice- take the best parts of your HR prep, but remember, you still need to be you. For me, that means being (appropriately) relaxed and not overly guarded. Basically, try not to be so caught up in your preparation that you can't be personable and friendly.
HR Prep will also get you thinking about TMAAT responses to many potential questions. You'll probably find you have a handful of really great stories that could be used to fit the lion's share of these questions. You'll run practice interviews that are much longer than your actual interview will be. This is great for conditioning, but the real thing is a bit different. On a practice interview with 15+ questions, you sort of develop a habit of using only the story you prepared for each specific question, and "saving" your best stories for the perfect moment. Just remember on game day, you're only going to get around 5 or so TMAATs. Before you jump to a canned response, take a quick inventory of your best stories and consider if any of them are appropriate for the question- you are probably not going to get another chance to use it. In short, don't use a "meh" story just because you prepared it for that specific question when a great story would also fit.
That's about it. From beginning to end, I never felt like anyone was trying to trick me or get in my head. It was a very comfortable and straightforward process. Best of luck to you all!
I did sim prep with FTI and HR with Cage. Sim for me was absolutely essential. The invitation packet says you will have time on your ride to get a feel for the airplane. For me it simply wouldn't have been enough. The plane I'm flying right now (CRJ) is different enough that I needed time to get comfortable with the scan and other particulars of the 737. (For example, I blew through the GS on my first ILS because the flaps 30 extension really balloons the airplane up. I needed to develop a habit of coming in with a good amount of forward yoke pressure at the FAF, etc...) I am the cheapest guy in the universe, but it was money very well spent. I would strongly recommend anyone who gets the interview to consider it an investment in your future earnings, seniority, retirement, etc.
HR prep was also very critical to my success as it really helped me with my overall presentation. I did feel that the preparatory process placed so much scrutiny on said presentation that I got in my head a little bit over it. My advice- take the best parts of your HR prep, but remember, you still need to be you. For me, that means being (appropriately) relaxed and not overly guarded. Basically, try not to be so caught up in your preparation that you can't be personable and friendly.
HR Prep will also get you thinking about TMAAT responses to many potential questions. You'll probably find you have a handful of really great stories that could be used to fit the lion's share of these questions. You'll run practice interviews that are much longer than your actual interview will be. This is great for conditioning, but the real thing is a bit different. On a practice interview with 15+ questions, you sort of develop a habit of using only the story you prepared for each specific question, and "saving" your best stories for the perfect moment. Just remember on game day, you're only going to get around 5 or so TMAATs. Before you jump to a canned response, take a quick inventory of your best stories and consider if any of them are appropriate for the question- you are probably not going to get another chance to use it. In short, don't use a "meh" story just because you prepared it for that specific question when a great story would also fit.
That's about it. From beginning to end, I never felt like anyone was trying to trick me or get in my head. It was a very comfortable and straightforward process. Best of luck to you all!
10-18-2014, 09:17 AM
#716
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,909
Originally Posted by hummingbear
Just remember on game day, you're only going to get around 5 or so TMAATs. Before you jump to a canned response, take a quick inventory of your best stories and consider if any of them are appropriate for the question- you are probably not going to get another chance to use it. In short, don't use a "meh" story just because you prepared it for that specific question when a great story would also fit.
10-18-2014, 01:49 PM
#718
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,315
Expected class date is Dec. 9 (last one of the year, so I'm told) with a possibility of being bumped into early January. I got the call on a Tuesday. My understanding, though is that while they may change their schedule on an individual basis, the hiring board most commonly meets on a Wednesday and tries to make calls that day. In fact, I interviewed on a Wednesday afternoon and heard Kristin making congratulatory calls while I was waiting in her office. Form answer from the interviewers is 1-2 weeks to hear back.
Golfn, maybe I'll see you in class- you're not by chance a C-17 driver from Kentucky, are you?
Golfn, maybe I'll see you in class- you're not by chance a C-17 driver from Kentucky, are you?
10-18-2014, 09:45 PM
#720
Line Holder
Joined APC: Sep 2014
Posts: 29
Originally Posted by hummingbear
Expected class date is Dec. 9 (last one of the year, so I'm told) with a possibility of being bumped into early January. I got the call on a Tuesday. My understanding, though is that while they may change their schedule on an individual basis, the hiring board most commonly meets on a Wednesday and tries to make calls that day. In fact, I interviewed on a Wednesday afternoon and heard Kristin making congratulatory calls while I was waiting in her office. Form answer from the interviewers is 1-2 weeks to hear back.
Golfn, maybe I'll see you in class- you're not by chance a C-17 driver from Kentucky, are you?
Golfn, maybe I'll see you in class- you're not by chance a C-17 driver from Kentucky, are you?
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