axeman1011
17th Jun 2007, 15:44
Had my interview in SFO on June 12th. Here is the rundown of what to expect:
1) They will direct you into a room to take a 30 question multiple choice test. This one is pretty straightforward and should only take you 15-20 minutes at most (they give you 30 minutes to do it in). It consists mostly of basic meteorology and aerodynamics topics.
2) They will then call for you where you will be interviewed by a two person panel. They will give you a lengthy intro into what you can expect during the course of the interview. One person will concentrate on HR questions: mainly your background, what you think of moving to HK, and other personal information. After that, the second round of questions will focus on technical issues. Mine started and ran for the most part with the gentleman pointing to a plastic 747-400 model on the desk and asking me questions like: what kind of engines are these, how many fuel tanks are there, what is the purpose of winglets, how do the flaps work, what are advantages / disadvantages of swept wing, noise suppression on engines, and maybe a few others that I can not recollect at this time. Then onto questions about monsoons and typhoons and what conditions create them. Make sure to know about general circulation patterns, coriolis effect, ITCZ, jetstreams, windshear, CAT, and turbulence in general. They also threw into the bag questions about CX fleet numbers, North American destinations, profits for 2006, and will certainly ask you if you are applying to work anywhere else. I honestly told them no since I was currently employed at a good company and that my application had been sent in quite a while ago when I had just gotten furloughed. However, I made sure to let them know that I was still actively interested in coming to Cathay.....
3) after the grilling session is over, they will tell you what to expect in terms of who to contact about whether you are going to phase II and what hire date you can anticipate.......
I'm still waiting to hear if I made it but I had no knowledge of 747 systems and had to generalize what I knew about aircraft systems to answer some of those questions. However, they are also looking at your thought processes and if you can rationalize an answer, they seem quite content with that. Hope this helps and good luck to all.
PS: for those looking for a cheaper hotel rate, book one by the airport and you can ride the BART to Powell St. From there, the CX buidling is only 2 blocks to walk. The BART ride from SFO only takes about 20-25 min.
1) They will direct you into a room to take a 30 question multiple choice test. This one is pretty straightforward and should only take you 15-20 minutes at most (they give you 30 minutes to do it in). It consists mostly of basic meteorology and aerodynamics topics.
2) They will then call for you where you will be interviewed by a two person panel. They will give you a lengthy intro into what you can expect during the course of the interview. One person will concentrate on HR questions: mainly your background, what you think of moving to HK, and other personal information. After that, the second round of questions will focus on technical issues. Mine started and ran for the most part with the gentleman pointing to a plastic 747-400 model on the desk and asking me questions like: what kind of engines are these, how many fuel tanks are there, what is the purpose of winglets, how do the flaps work, what are advantages / disadvantages of swept wing, noise suppression on engines, and maybe a few others that I can not recollect at this time. Then onto questions about monsoons and typhoons and what conditions create them. Make sure to know about general circulation patterns, coriolis effect, ITCZ, jetstreams, windshear, CAT, and turbulence in general. They also threw into the bag questions about CX fleet numbers, North American destinations, profits for 2006, and will certainly ask you if you are applying to work anywhere else. I honestly told them no since I was currently employed at a good company and that my application had been sent in quite a while ago when I had just gotten furloughed. However, I made sure to let them know that I was still actively interested in coming to Cathay.....
3) after the grilling session is over, they will tell you what to expect in terms of who to contact about whether you are going to phase II and what hire date you can anticipate.......
I'm still waiting to hear if I made it but I had no knowledge of 747 systems and had to generalize what I knew about aircraft systems to answer some of those questions. However, they are also looking at your thought processes and if you can rationalize an answer, they seem quite content with that. Hope this helps and good luck to all.
PS: for those looking for a cheaper hotel rate, book one by the airport and you can ride the BART to Powell St. From there, the CX buidling is only 2 blocks to walk. The BART ride from SFO only takes about 20-25 min.