Dear Mr Amex
I’ am replying to you’re latest thread regarding the BRACE application process and selection criteria
Having thoroughly researched this process for many years with many different company’s it is with great pleasure that I will share my experiences with you in first succeeding in the application stage, through to the initial interview followed by the psychometric test, maths tests verbal reasoning and finally the simulator ride.
The most important process in gaining that first interview is the application form, beit either a simple form such as the type you receive from Tesco, to the more in depth application form as seen in the likes of Citiexpress and BA.
The approach to such a long-winded form when it first arrives is don’t open it; this will only **** you off put it in the draw somewhere well away so you don’t see it after about 3 months go back to the draw retrieve the relevant document.
Congratulations you have now passed the initial stage 1.
Stage 1. Delaying the Application form
Stage 2. Filling in the Application form
There are varied approaches to this process, after wiping clean the form from your tears, the name stage is quite simple (I Hope) then we get to the school details which can be tough if you left education 30 years ago and only went to junior school, this can be bypassed with “I went to the university of life” answer, I found this one useful throughout the years but I must stress this approach didn’t actually get me an interview, sorry I tell I lie, I got asked to attend a McDonalds open day.
Flying hours is probably the next stage, now we all been there answers to the question, hours in the last six months, now if you work in a non-aviation environment this answer can be difficult, 50 hours in your mini is I’m afraid is not going to count.
I found that a good substitute is the Sunday afternoon walking the dog in the local park, model flying. This is a very cheap and enjoyable way to attend the afternoon and you can be very creative with the parker pen. I must stress that 3000 hours in the space shuttle may flag up a small discrepancy.
That leads me on to the next part of the form the innate question regarding “why do you want to work for the sun shine’s from my arse airlines. What can you say , yes I want to work for your company because I need a bloody job. The other questions like, please describe a time when you faced a difficult or unexpected challenge in you life, well t’was a bit difficult getting out of bed this morning the postman and the milkman arrived at the same time, bloody difficult.
What has influenced your choice of career, what step have you taken to develop appropriate skills and qualifications and how do you foresee your career developing.
Well what haven’t I done? Worked 3 jobs to get enough money to pay for the flying training and ground school, the exams, spent years working in dead end jobs whilst the likes of Dw’y unsettles the world economy creating yet another cycle of job cuts and forgone expansions. Rant over.
References
Using the mad women down the street who walks here cat Is probably not the best person to use nor is the milkman for that matter. Just a word of advice.
Congratulation you have managed to complete the application form it has only taken you 4 months and 30 photocopies later.
In summary
Take your time, think about what you want to say and write 30 different copies.
The Interview.
There are very different interview techniques that the airlines like to employ, the most common is the 3-stage process which includes an assessment day, to see if you can write and tell the time.
If you are successful they will invite you back for the second stage which can include a group exercise which could run along the lines, “you own a strip club what can you do to encourage more business”?
What have leant from such exercises? make your point don’t shout and have a laugh and just relax, don’t relax to much you might just fall off the chair.
The third stage, the interview, this depends on the company could be with just the Chief pilot and if your unlucky the HR manager a pilot manger and the tea lady.
Some take apart your life asking questions from your application form, some asking probing question regarding technical details from the pilots friend Flying the Big Jets.
I normally went for the more technical detail of the Cessna 150; you could read that in an afternoon great stuff.
Well now we get to the Simulator ride, this is down to you now. Various companies employ different techniques regarding this process, most I’m afraid comes down to cost.
Some will put you in a full motion sim of the same type you are being interviewed for, some will put you in a Microlight sim that’s been tweak to handle like a 747 on steroids. The later can be bit difficult unless you’re got to time in a Blade 912.
Congratulations you’re passed
Now comes the most important detail the contract………………read it before you sign it, in this environment final salary pension are a thing of the passed, health care, loss of driving licence and do I have to pay for my uniform are questions you would want to ask.
Time to command? How old are you now? if the answer is 30, time to command 20 years, 40 time to command 50 years and so on, you get my point.
I hope this information is of help in the up coming interviews.
Rrgds
