I get it, it sucks to miss out on something you've invested in and pinned your hopes on. It's especially crap when you truly believe that it was unjust.
Note I don't say this to disagree with anybody's comments however I will point out that sometimes one has to choose to change the system and other times one must play the system.
I personally have sound theory and my manipulative skills are of a good standard however I am not the Ace of Base.
Flying skills are a must however I understood that the path to the job I wanted involved demonstrating acumen in other areas first and then ensuring that my piloting theory and skills would be up to snuff when the time came.
Were we given much notice about the psychometric? Yes and no. We all knew it was happening this year and we all knew it was coming soon once we'd applied so yes many of us started preparing with silly practice exams that will never make us better pilots. But three days was not long at all, especially for those caught out on holiday, on extended layovers or dealing with min rest.
Unfortunately no matter how good a stick you are you're getting no bite at the cherry without a good score to prove that you can convert fizzy drinks sales in ¥ to € and then multiply that by a factor to then calculate European juice sales to establish what colour the factory roof is. It's silly but the hoop to jump through was known.
I for one was hungover AF and overseas when I learnt that I had only 28 hours (thank you Gmail spam filter) to pour myself into seat 12F, get my head right, get back to Aus and complete the psychometric exam and video interview. (Thankfully I could fall back on the prep I'd done 5 months and 2 months prior.)
Next I knew that in Sydney I wasn't going to be asked about the fuel system on my current aircraft or which side of the Jetstream is most turbulent when Jupiter is in transit; rather I'd be asked to tell them about a time when someone was a prick at work and how we fixed it.
I knew because:
A. I asked around,
B. I read PPRuNe and
C. They basically told us that in the email (or maybe that was Virgin... I get confused).
This has all worked out for me and if all goes to plan I'll be wearing a ridiculously white hat this year. (Not that it'll stay white for long based on my track record with white clothing and tomato-based foods.)
So is an interview sans tech questions the wrong way to hire pilots? I don't know. Although I do care it was irrelevant at the time because I knew that what mattered was simple story telling, smiling when conversing, demonstrating team work skills and just fitting into the mold. So I poured my energy into that and possibly even lost some pilot info along the way.
I do not begrudge anybody their complaints of the system, the only way to change a process for the better is to highlight it's negative aspects; just be mindful of sour grapes, it is rather unbecoming of our profession.
If you were trying for this and you got the thanks-but-no-thanks email please do not lose heart. The profession affords many amazing opportunities and there will be future intakes at QF of you're still keen when the time comes.
I can take the heat if you feel you must flame me (I'm quite used to it) but please know that I'm not telling you of and as a fellow pilot I'm on your side.
Fair winds and following seas, chaps (just trying to perfect my QF-speak. Perhaps I'd best keep working on it.)