So can anyone clarify what is required for Stage 3 - technical & HR interview + groups exercise right please? Any handy hints for the technical interview? I hear you'd be wise to research outside of the given reading material - even beyond a visit to a NATS site?
See this is where I begin to think threads like this are a hindrance rather than help. Before my stage 3 interview I read this thread and began to freak out when I saw all this "extra reading" people had done and all these facts they thought they should know.
Truth of the matter is, I've passed first time without freaking out, and I can honestly say I have simply read the material given for stage 1 and 2, and had a delve around the NATS website to get latest news, names of important people, etc
Ok, I've had a background with being in the air cadets and numerous RAF tower visits, but that's hardly major "experience". Yes my father's best mate from school joined NATS in 1963, but apart from having a few chats with him and his colleagues, that's about as much contact I've had with NATS people.
Trying to cram your head full of Air traffic jargon and facts and figures before you've actually been to college to learn what the hell you're trying to talk about, seems a bit silly to me - you're only going to confuse yourself in the interview and probably get yourself into a hole you can't get out of. Just my opinion though!
The only advice that I can give (which I was given myself), is re-read the two reading booklets you got, look at the NATS website a bit, look into current affairs - they are always a good talking point, especially air traffic/air travel related stuff. And think long and hard about what you have achieved at school, college, work, with your hobbies, whatever.....situations you have been in working with teams, difficult people, times you have failed, problems overcome....even the smallest of thing you can think of can be an amazing demonstration of problem solving or whatever.
All I can say is, know "the gist and a little bit more" about air traffic. As far as I could tell, they are looking for POTENTIAL to pass well at the college, not a pretend know-it-all bluffer already.
All the best. Hope that helps.