Interview Questions from Hell
PPRuNe Handmaiden
re: left licence at home (bmi reg interview)
I had that one the other day. I don't think there is a strictly correct answer. I think what the interviewers were looking for was an ability to talk an answer through and to see if you can back up your reasoning.
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Heh... dead easy that one, peops, but you're still going to get it in the neck for messing up.
Tell the captain the truth and then ask him/her for their decision. Slopy shoulders. Frankly, if there was no standby cover, the chances of a ramp check are so small, I think it would not be a problem to despatch. If you do get pulled up, you genuinely own a licence and a passport (not needed if you're not disembarking the aircraft), so it's just a case of paperwork and hassle, depending on your destination. Won't make you popular, but it's a business.
If you're going to Zurich or somewhere similar.. to hell with it.. go. If you're going to Jeddah or Florida.. ermm.. well, delay the flight, go home, get your stuff and take it in the neck.
The truth always wins, and the captain makes the final decisions regarding the crew. Remember that, and you can't go wrong
Tell the captain the truth and then ask him/her for their decision. Slopy shoulders. Frankly, if there was no standby cover, the chances of a ramp check are so small, I think it would not be a problem to despatch. If you do get pulled up, you genuinely own a licence and a passport (not needed if you're not disembarking the aircraft), so it's just a case of paperwork and hassle, depending on your destination. Won't make you popular, but it's a business.
If you're going to Zurich or somewhere similar.. to hell with it.. go. If you're going to Jeddah or Florida.. ermm.. well, delay the flight, go home, get your stuff and take it in the neck.
The truth always wins, and the captain makes the final decisions regarding the crew. Remember that, and you can't go wrong
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I don't think there is a right answer for this one.
I think its designed to make you argue your point in a constructive logical manner.
I f you answer in either way you are setting yourself up for a come back.
If you said yes. They would start hitting you with but it means you are breaking the law etc.
If you said no. they would come back and say but do you never speed etc.
Its a question to basically to wind you up to see if you can argue logically under stress.
They proberly don't care what the answer is and most companys i should suspect have unoffical SOP's for this occurance which are passed on after sacrificing a virgin trolley dolly after completing the LHS course.
As said above if your flying short sectors around europe, so what, your airline ID will do for a passport if required. Ramp check its a technical paper work cop which dosn't effect flight safety, big deal If the CAA did every AOC holder for every technical cockup in paperwork every inspection nobody would be operating. I should imagine its one of the things you do once and the whole hassel means that you never forget it again.
Now if they asked a question about what would you do if you discovered that the charts aboard where one day out of date.
Technically an easy question but i am sure some of the small twin taxi guys out there could tell you the pressure they would be under to fly it.
(BTW i wouldn't but i cheat and make sure i have my own set of current charts so the situation wouldn't occur.)
MJ
I think its designed to make you argue your point in a constructive logical manner.
I f you answer in either way you are setting yourself up for a come back.
If you said yes. They would start hitting you with but it means you are breaking the law etc.
If you said no. they would come back and say but do you never speed etc.
Its a question to basically to wind you up to see if you can argue logically under stress.
They proberly don't care what the answer is and most companys i should suspect have unoffical SOP's for this occurance which are passed on after sacrificing a virgin trolley dolly after completing the LHS course.
As said above if your flying short sectors around europe, so what, your airline ID will do for a passport if required. Ramp check its a technical paper work cop which dosn't effect flight safety, big deal If the CAA did every AOC holder for every technical cockup in paperwork every inspection nobody would be operating. I should imagine its one of the things you do once and the whole hassel means that you never forget it again.
Now if they asked a question about what would you do if you discovered that the charts aboard where one day out of date.
Technically an easy question but i am sure some of the small twin taxi guys out there could tell you the pressure they would be under to fly it.
(BTW i wouldn't but i cheat and make sure i have my own set of current charts so the situation wouldn't occur.)
MJ
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And... it's more straightforward with x years experience in the job, then being asked these things with no commercial flight experience in an interview.
My own personal fave from my interview : "How would you bring your concerns to the captain if you weren't happy about how a particular aspect of the flight was being conducted ?"
As for the charts... jock.. I wouldn't have a clue if they were out of date or not. All ours have is the 'valid from' date
Although, thinking about it, for my type, I could ask 'what would you do if the nav database was out of date in the FMC by one day ?', and yes, it's a simple answer for those of us fortunate enough to have conscientious employers.
Jock's right.... most people won't have the 'job' knowledge to answer the questions with any certainty, but their interviewers will know b/s when they smell it !
My own personal fave from my interview : "How would you bring your concerns to the captain if you weren't happy about how a particular aspect of the flight was being conducted ?"
As for the charts... jock.. I wouldn't have a clue if they were out of date or not. All ours have is the 'valid from' date
Although, thinking about it, for my type, I could ask 'what would you do if the nav database was out of date in the FMC by one day ?', and yes, it's a simple answer for those of us fortunate enough to have conscientious employers.Jock's right.... most people won't have the 'job' knowledge to answer the questions with any certainty, but their interviewers will know b/s when they smell it !
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oops been studying for my FAA biannual (have to remember i ain't allowed SVFR on a VFR PPL). The FAA charts do have a valid from and to.
If i remember rightly chart updates are issued via AIC (green) updates in the UK.
And can be checked at http://www.ais.org.uk/
I am off to find that Issue 12 for Scotland which i found the other week to chuck it in the bucket.
MJ
If i remember rightly chart updates are issued via AIC (green) updates in the UK.
And can be checked at http://www.ais.org.uk/
I am off to find that Issue 12 for Scotland which i found the other week to chuck it in the bucket.
MJ
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Psychometric test question:
"Put these in order of preference: Small boys, Guns or Flowers"
"Put these in order of preference: Small boys, Guns or Flowers"
2. Guns. Axl Rose a bit of a plonker, so second on the list.
3. Flowers. Yuk! Boddingtons much nicer.
Stu
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The correct answer is as follows:
Flowers - cargo makes more money then passengers.
Small Boys - do not weigh as much as an adult, therefore offer a fuel saving.
Guns - require much extra paperwork to be completed, which costs money.
I've never had an airline interview.
Flowers - cargo makes more money then passengers.
Small Boys - do not weigh as much as an adult, therefore offer a fuel saving.
Guns - require much extra paperwork to be completed, which costs money.
I've never had an airline interview.
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Here's one
You are overhead your destination and the weather is below minimum. You have enough fuel on board for your diversion but must make it now. The captain insists on staying in the pattern and not diverting. What do you do.
Any suggestions?
You are overhead your destination and the weather is below minimum. You have enough fuel on board for your diversion but must make it now. The captain insists on staying in the pattern and not diverting. What do you do.
Any suggestions?
Flies for fun
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Explain exactly that to the captain and make sure that you say it loud enough so that it's on the CVR for the crash investigators to hear!
Difficult questions
I was being interviewed for a Flight Test Engineer job with a large manufacturer of small airliners. Several interviews, one was a one-on-one with a retired astronaut who was head of flight safety.
Sat down, expecting an easy question (most people start off with an easy question). "So, you're in the back of a jet managing a flight trial, when the Test Pilot in the front screws up and endangers the aircraft, how do you handle it?"
After that he went onto the technical questions, which were even worse - I eventually backed myself into the position of saying that the company's safety and trials planning system was full of holes and needed a major redesign. He heard me out silently, thought for a minute, then said "Yep, that's pretty much my opinion as well." Phew!!
Incidentally the answer I gave to the TP question - was not "report it", that is the wrong answer. The right answer - at-least for the flight test world - is far more complex. Starting with determing whether the aircraft is likely to be damaged and from that whether to terminate the sortie or not, the subsequent actions were (in my opinion, and this seemed to go down well) to have a doors-closed talk with the TP (captain!) about it, discuss what has happened, and get to the point of a mutual understanding of what went wrong, and how to stop it happening again. Reporting somebody should only happen after discussions, telling them that you're doing so, and if it's proved impossible to reach an understanding of how to avoid a future transgression. Obviously the picture changes slightly if something has been damaged but the bottom line is (a) nobody deliberately screws up, and (b) reporting somebody, particularly behind their back, will probably destroy any trust or teamwork between you. In the airline world I believe that this is called CRM !
Bad answers
Worst answer I've ever seen, I was interviewing somebody for a job in an airworthiness office.
Me: "Could you tell me how you'd work out the safety limitations of an aeroplane"
Candidate: "I'd ask the designer"
Me: "Okay, but assuming they're asking you for advice, what would you give?"
Candidate: "I'm sorry I don't understand the question"
Me: "Okay, let's start at basics, could you just draw the basic V-N diagram for me on the flipchart behind you".
Candidate (shouts): "I don't know what you're expecting for this kind of salary" Whereupon picks up jacket and leaves interview room.
Good answers
Just bear in mind those of you starting out on your careers, that the majority of these questions don't have defined right answers (although there are plenty of wrong ones). What an interviewer is looking for, by and large, is your ability to reason through the question, and justify your answer.
G
I was being interviewed for a Flight Test Engineer job with a large manufacturer of small airliners. Several interviews, one was a one-on-one with a retired astronaut who was head of flight safety.
Sat down, expecting an easy question (most people start off with an easy question). "So, you're in the back of a jet managing a flight trial, when the Test Pilot in the front screws up and endangers the aircraft, how do you handle it?"
After that he went onto the technical questions, which were even worse - I eventually backed myself into the position of saying that the company's safety and trials planning system was full of holes and needed a major redesign. He heard me out silently, thought for a minute, then said "Yep, that's pretty much my opinion as well." Phew!!
Incidentally the answer I gave to the TP question - was not "report it", that is the wrong answer. The right answer - at-least for the flight test world - is far more complex. Starting with determing whether the aircraft is likely to be damaged and from that whether to terminate the sortie or not, the subsequent actions were (in my opinion, and this seemed to go down well) to have a doors-closed talk with the TP (captain!) about it, discuss what has happened, and get to the point of a mutual understanding of what went wrong, and how to stop it happening again. Reporting somebody should only happen after discussions, telling them that you're doing so, and if it's proved impossible to reach an understanding of how to avoid a future transgression. Obviously the picture changes slightly if something has been damaged but the bottom line is (a) nobody deliberately screws up, and (b) reporting somebody, particularly behind their back, will probably destroy any trust or teamwork between you. In the airline world I believe that this is called CRM !
Bad answers
Worst answer I've ever seen, I was interviewing somebody for a job in an airworthiness office.
Me: "Could you tell me how you'd work out the safety limitations of an aeroplane"
Candidate: "I'd ask the designer"
Me: "Okay, but assuming they're asking you for advice, what would you give?"
Candidate: "I'm sorry I don't understand the question"
Me: "Okay, let's start at basics, could you just draw the basic V-N diagram for me on the flipchart behind you".
Candidate (shouts): "I don't know what you're expecting for this kind of salary" Whereupon picks up jacket and leaves interview room.
Good answers
Just bear in mind those of you starting out on your careers, that the majority of these questions don't have defined right answers (although there are plenty of wrong ones). What an interviewer is looking for, by and large, is your ability to reason through the question, and justify your answer.
G
Last edited by Genghis the Engineer; 11th Oct 2004 at 10:33.
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Trick question!
Who do you vote for to run the country
A: A confessed alcoholic who regularly sleeps until noon
B: A cross dreesing man with a criminal back ground
C: A war veteran with 20 years service for his country and a medal of honour
A is Winston Churchill
B - I forget, I think it's Rosevelt possibly J Edgar Hoover?
C - Adolf Hitler
Think this realtes to your child carer question. I bet one of them is that girl who went to the states and was accused of killing the child?
A: A confessed alcoholic who regularly sleeps until noon
B: A cross dreesing man with a criminal back ground
C: A war veteran with 20 years service for his country and a medal of honour
A is Winston Churchill
B - I forget, I think it's Rosevelt possibly J Edgar Hoover?
C - Adolf Hitler
Think this realtes to your child carer question. I bet one of them is that girl who went to the states and was accused of killing the child?
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Question within a question
Perhaps what they are really asking here is - what do you know about our company?
Have you researched enough to give us an answer like:
I am impressed with the way xyz deals with it's passengers or the environmental impacts of it's operation?
I'd say, I like a company that calls me "Captain" As a fresh new FO with no hours - it shows they're serious about my future as a long term asset to their company! (As am I!)
Has anyone on this thread answered the question about the captain who goes through the DA without visual. I know you talk in the bar afterwards but how do you handle the immediate situation? Forcing a GoAround is a sticky wicket to bat on but not doing it puts you in an unsafe situation - What's the best thing to say?
Have you researched enough to give us an answer like:
I am impressed with the way xyz deals with it's passengers or the environmental impacts of it's operation?
I'd say, I like a company that calls me "Captain" As a fresh new FO with no hours - it shows they're serious about my future as a long term asset to their company! (As am I!)
Has anyone on this thread answered the question about the captain who goes through the DA without visual. I know you talk in the bar afterwards but how do you handle the immediate situation? Forcing a GoAround is a sticky wicket to bat on but not doing it puts you in an unsafe situation - What's the best thing to say?