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The KA pilot interview and selection process is a relatively straightforward affair and should pose no problems for anyone with at least a minimum amount of common sense and reasonable hands and feet skills. Lego expertise, longboat proficiency or bridge building and engineering skills are not required for entry into this airline.
The selection process is generally broken down into two days. If you get through Day 1, you’ll be invited back to Day 2 and that’s about the size of it completely. It’s a no-nonsense personality, skills and background assessment procedure.
Day 1
You’ll be interviewed by at least two (very senior) people from Human Resources and / or Flight Operations. This interview can last anything from 20 minutes to one hour. The vast majority of the questions will involve your history and background. The standard “Tell us about yourself...” types of questions, which can be found in any decent interview book, will come up. It is also possible that a number of aviation related questions could be asked here, so be prepared. Your qualifications will be looked at and your logs books scrutinized with a fine-tooth-comb.
Day 2
Within 14 days of your initial interview, you’ll be notified of the result. Should you be successful you will accordingly be invited back for Day 2. This will involve a technical interview, usually conducted by one of the Senior HR Managers as well as (at least) another two senior flying types. This should last up to an hour culminating in a short pre-simulator briefing regarding your planned assessment
Later in the day you will be stuck in the box for 30 minutes and that is the end of it. There is also usually a social event planned for an evening in a pub somewhere, but this (in my opinion) has nothing to do with the actual recruitment process and your wives will not be interrogated.
Some Advice
1. DO NOT BULLSH!T THESE PEOPLE!!!! They will find out. Just be yourself.
2. When replying to a question, talk to everyone in the room.
3. Give much thought to cultural differences and working together within a totally multi-cultural environment.
4. Remember, this airline belongs to the Chinese people. Essentially you are an invited guest into their house.
5. Know everything about HK Dragon Airlines.
6. Know everything about life in HK.
7. Study “How to Pass your Cathay interview” by Captains X, Y and Z.
8. Study your Performance A. (I used "Understanding Performance" by AJ Walters and found it to be brilliant)
9. If you’re type rated, know your aircraft.
Simulator.
This is exactly what you’d expect it to be and actually quite a lot of fun. The blokes involved in these checks are all really good guys and are not looking for Biggles. The ride goes something like this and it’s no big secret. They will fill you in on Day 2.
Take off – climb to 3000 ft - level off - clean up and cruise at 250 kts.
Left and right medium turns.
Radar vectored ILS to Cat 1 minimums.
Go around.
Engine Fire.
Radar vectored ILS and land.
In Closing
Quite a high number of applicants are not invited back to Day 2.
Only they know what they are looking for in you. If you try and put on a show, you'll probably regret it.
You need to really want this job and also to have something to offer KA. Get that message across.
Somebody told me that the selection process was a ".. pretty good d!ckhead filter..", I believe that it is.
It's the best darn airline job going!
Good luck dude!
PS: Edited to add point 9 reference.