NATS Interview (Changes) - [Merged]
 

Hi Peeps

I have my interview on 13th Feb and have just been informed that instead of the usual 2 interivews and a computer test as I believe has happened forever they've told me there is 1 interview, computer tests, a group exercise and motivation paper.

Just wondered if anyone had heard similar as to the changing face of interviewing?

Im sure I still need to be learning all the same stuff but would just be slightly worried there'll be something I haven't covered that could prevent me from entering the glorious world that is ATC.

Betty:p

Hi Betty,

Sorry I can't really help, but I'm very interested to hear more about this "motivation paper" Hmmmmm............Gonze, you out there mate?

Whatever happened to the good old 240 question 'personality questionnaire'? It was just fab.
What is a motivation paper anyhoo? Most people who went in on my course were motivated by money ie not having any, owing loads (from student debt to poll tax) and wanting the 12k NATS was offering during training.

'Group exercise'. Mmmm, don't like the sound of that. To much chance of the more shy members of the group being overshadowed by the loudmouths.

A well trained HR team should be able to pick out the best prosepective members of staff from a group exercise and these are very rarely the loudmouths of the group.

Or so I am assured

SH

I went through the new interview process about 3 weeks ago and was quite worried about it beforehand. To my surprise it was fine!

The motivation paper was a multiple choice test on the information NATS should have provided you with. The group exercise was playing a game, quite good fun, then commenting on how well we worked as a group and ways we would improve if we were to do it again. You get no feedback from any of the interviewers about how you've done. There was 5 of us there for the day and we were all fairly similar personality wise, probably stemmed from the original personality questionnaire.

Then came the dreaded computer tests. Not much to say about those, sure you've heard it all before. The interview was mainly HR questions with a few technical questions from an ATCO, who was also present. The interview lasted about 1 1/2 hours.

I don't think you can ever tell how well you do with the HR stuff but if you know the technical part you should be fine. I was, I'm just waiting for my medical now and security clearance before I start college on the ****e new wages!

Hope it goes ok.

Jo

@ Standard Noise:

That questionaire is still there, but it's 248 questions now, did it last friday...

What is the final word on wages? When I get into college (thinking positivly...) what'll I be on?

Cheers, Matt

If the pay deal is agreed, about 10p an hour :p

mattcarus- still the same questions asked again and again but in different formats, just to tease out the 'right' answers?

SH - some of the loudmouths do get through, unfortunately, but thankfully on our course they were then sorted out by the complexities of the dreaded aerodrome course.

SN

Perhaps we should retrain or replace our HR team then????

What is interesting is that the scores from selection [and the "Induction Week"] will actually arrive at the College with the trainee. So everyone will know who was a loudmouth, who is a bit shy, who can't count etc.
This will enable steps to be taken from the outset to fix any "problems" rather than just leaving them to fester until the final case-conference.
Might make a difference?
Of course we are assuming that HR send the results to the correct College....

So have NATS got rid of the testing day before the interviews, do you now go direct from the online reasoning tests to interview or is that just an extra set of tests?

If you leave a message for HR asking them, they may have got back to you in time for April!! ;) :ok:

You have the online maths (mainly statistics based) test, followed by the usual day of aptitude tests that seem to have been running for eternity. Then (if successful, obviously) you proceed to the interview stage, the format of which appears to have changed slightly recently.

Hi

Well seeing as I posted the question in the first place I should probably respond myself. Although I really don't know where I'm getitng the time as I'm flat out studying for my interview.

Yeah, there's the initial Maths test that's done online, then is selection day, with the personality, statistical tests etc and the motivational test about ATC stuff.

The interview stage, I've now been informed, is an interview by both a member of HR and an ATCO where its HR stuff with some technical questions thrown in, a group exercise (teambuilding kind of stuff), the computer tests and another motivational test...which I'm guessing goes none to similar from the one in the initial selection day.

Hope this clears up your curiousity Silent Handover. I feel like an expert already and I haven't even gotten through it all yet. I'll keep you posted as to how it actually goes though!!!

Betty:p

selcetion day 1
 

Hi there, I've got a NATS selection test next Monday 6th Feb and as far as I am aware I've only been given the Word document to prepare from, which is for the motivation paper I presume, however the last post talked about doing an online Maths test which I have not done or heard about. Is this maths test done on the selection day or before hand?

Second question: is 'discussions with an air traffic controller' actually an interview and if so do you have to prepare for it, or is more of a lecture to all the candidates?

Don't worry if you haven't had to do an online maths test before your test day; there were some people at my test day who had done one, others who hadn't. You've been invited to the tests day, so you needn't even worry about the online maths test again.

The discussion with an ATCO is just that. They'll give a talk and show a video, you're not tested by the ATCO at all. Sometimes the ATCO doesn't even turn up so you might get a longer lunch break. Whoopee doo.

On the tests day you obviously write your name and ID number on all test sheets, but apart from that they have no way of knowing who you are, so feel free to ask even the most inane of questions. It's only if you're invited to the interview stage do they know exactly who you are etc.

The best description of the test day is give by a Billy Onions in the pinned thread above this one. Check it out.

I thought we had a world class education system to sort that out!:rolleyes:
Isn't there something slightly wrong with a training system where we consider people who can't count suitable to train as ATCO's? Or am I the only person who sees something wrong here?

SN
Up until now, any information gleaned during selection and induction was not given to the College until the trainee actually failed, which is a bit late. i used "can't count" as a sort of catch-all rather than detailing the full gamut of psycho-social problems that beset yer average teenager. These problems, if they are known about, can be dealt with during training if you know about them, rather than simply treating everyone the same and thus failing some poor schmuck who didn't even know he was loud and opinionated until the training review.
I don't think we take anyone who can't actually count - but the standard of mental arithmetic from today's trainees is a lot worse than it used to be...
That'll be our world-class education system then.

NATS selection day
 

My first post so forgive any errors. just had first selection day at london hilton last tuesday, consisted of two personality questionaires (about 280 multiple choice Q's in total), A 'discussion' with an ATCO that really was just a discussion and not part of the assessment. Four multiple choice aptitude tests (mental arithmetic, spacial awareness, data checking and diagrammatic), And finally a motivation paper about the document they should have sent you previously. I haven't done any online tests at all, all done with good old pen and paper. The aptitude tests all followed a similar theme in that you're under pretty severe time pressure and on each paper the questions start easy and end near impossible.

keeping fingers crossed for a positive response.

had my selection tests today but none of the normal examiners shown up even though NATS HR had pre-booked this date and hotel :uhoh:

therefore we started 3 hrs late!!!!! :zzz: