Competency based interview
 

Hi all,

I FINALLY got an interview opportunity coming up next week, after 1.5 years of nadda ..

They were kind enough to let know the interview would be a competency based interview. However, I have never had an interview like this.. I've read all there is to find on google, about how to answer, and still fail to come up with good examples to these questions. It just seems so vague? How do I know what they want to hear?

I'm just a regular salaryman, sitting behind a desk! I don't have to make tough decisions, I don't guide a team, I have never to deal with "failure" How can I answer such questions? How do other fresh fatpl guys straight out of training do this?

If anyone has any advice or can point me in the right direction? I really don't want to blow this! :ok:

Thanks!

Nobody has any advice? :{

I apologise for this as its not going to really help you with your dilemma, however this is the problem with guys who have went straight from school into training. Zero life experience.

The soft skills of a pilot are now becoming as important if not more important than the technical ability and the only way to gain these soft skills is through life experience.

If you can, think back to any voluntary work you've maybe done or any teams you've been part of, any times you've had to make decisions. If you literally have never been in any of these situations then I'm sorry to say but your assessors will see this and it will be unlikely they will deem you as suitable.

If this is the case then I would urge you to think about your next potential assessment and what you can do between now and then to gain life experience. Volunteering is always a good option, anything that allows you to gain some valuable experience but something that you can enjoy. If you don't enjoy it, assessors will see right through your motives and you'll be back to square one again.

At the end of the day, everyone applying for the job has the same licence, it's all about having the extra bits that make you stand out against the crowd.

Thanks for taking the time responding to my questions. I appreciate all the input I can get, even if the turnout is not what I expected!

You're right, I'm young and don't have a lot of life experience. I have got a desk job to pay the bills, but I doubt any of those experience make a difference :-/ It's tough to get a job with any responsibility if you only have pilot credentials ..

If anyone has any specific pointers? Any kind of keywords, or kind of answers that generally score well in pilot interviews?

Hello! I sometimes struggle to come up with good examples on the spot.

Think way back. How about during your training, did you have to help someone who was struggling out? Time management? How about working effectively with other departments in work? Did you go to uni, or 6th form, and pick examples of group work out of those.

Do you play sports or go off adventuring in your spare time? I drew on experiences from the rugby pitch and some of the times I've got lost or stuff has gone wrong out hiking.

But if not you should have experiences from work to talk about. The time you stayed really late to meet a project on time, or when you stepped up to organise a project because no one else was taking the initiative etc.

You've got to go out and take the opportunities to get out of your comfort zone and it'll all just come naturally.

Situational awareness!

Got rejected .. big surprise .. of course they don't give feedback either ..

1.5 years of waiting .. almost 2000€ to prepare, get current and travel for the assessment ..

If only I could go back in time, and punch younger me in the face before he decided he wanted to be a pilot :mad:

I finished my IR ME in 2002, did MCC in 2003, got my first pilot job in 2007, and I am happy that I never gave up. I have been employed 100% of the time since I started, had 3 employers and got 3 type ratings. Last but not least, since 2014 I make more money in a year (net) then the total training cost I sponsored.

Keep smiling, stay busy, and keep searching.