British Airways DEP Selection - THE lowdown Part 1

[73addict]

HR Bashing

Just for a minute let us consider the other side! Here we have an airline who opened up their recruitment and were inundated with applications, so much so that they closed the process early. There has been talk of 1400/1800/2000 applications, whatever the official number there is a significant amount of work involved in processing these applications one by one. In an ideal world we would love feedback all the time as it is what enables us to grow, change and better ourselves.
As some have posted earlier their "No" letters have that sentence about feedback, frustrating yes but you can either do it or not your choice! How long would it take for you to do 1 questionnaire in comparison to them having to do 1400/1800/2000 letters detailing your process.
Whilst I am sure we have all had run ins/frustrations with HR at our various companies past and present they do have an important and unenviable task to do.
Merely my opinion.

[eagerbeaver1]

73addict

I think what some are suggesting is feedback from day one assessment and perhaps the simulator. If you did not make it past the online application I would say that the reason(s) might be a little more obvious.

I believe it to be rather shabby not to give even a little feedback considering the effort I/we have invested in the application and assessment.

I firmly believe that you must "gel" with your interviewers. I thought I answered honestly and reasonably, however when asked how I have dealt with cultural diversity one wonders what on earth they expect people to say. I would imagine they must hear complete bollocks.

On reflection I think the gentlemen pilot did not particularly like me. I even knew one of the persons interviewing (not me) from long ago!

I will be left to daydream why I dont fit in when I feel I would.

[wiggy]

18+ years to LH command? That is truly horrible

The time to a LH widebody command in BA has been well into double figures couple of decades at least, but there used to be a fair chance of picking up a shorthaul command earlier in your career as some the shorthaul Captains moved to longhaul to replace the age 55 retirees. The issue now may be that with minimal retirements from any fleets the time for a shorthaul command will possibly also go out into double figures.

FWIW I was 16+ years in the RHS of a LH type before command, and given BA's route network I certainly didn't find it "horrible", there were worse places to be - but it's whatever floats your boat I guess.....

[Fat Dog]

I think what some are suggesting is feedback from day one assessment and perhaps the simulator. If you did not make it past the online application I would say that the reason(s) might be a little more obvious.

Not to me. Obviously that's why I didn't get past that stage...

[MaxReheat]

I think that the least one should expect is a short email (it doesn't have to be a 1500 word essay), upon request, outlining the basic reasons for your rejection. It is important for your own future progression and development (and sanity). After all, it would appear that you are monitored by clip-board wielding assessors every minute of the day so there should be copious notes. Additionally, at the end of the day the 'brush up' by the HR team would probably provide one or two liners that sum up your performance and could be passed on to you.

Many moons ago I attended the Admiralty Interview Board (and failed miserably). Upon request, I received a 2 page, hand written letter from the Board's President, a full captain, describing constructively and precisely my many failings.

As in many things, there is a way and then there's a right way of doing things.

[eagerbeaver1]

Fatdog - do you want to exchange applications? you can see what I submitted? I will remove my identity etc?

[BlackandBrown]

I thought I answered honestly and reasonably, however when asked how I have dealt with cultural diversity one wonders what on earth they expect people to say. I would imagine they must hear complete bollocks.

You just have to play the game and tell them what they want to hear - I was always told for interviews be honest and be yourself - that seems to have worked for me in interviews when asked questions specifically about me, what I have done to get where I am and what I would/ will do to get where I want to be. But asking me bull$hit questions about when I have lead a group, specifically in the last 6 months, within aviation, when I am in the first 12 months of my airline flying career is just that, bull$hit. To ask me when I have had to deliver bad news to the crew and how I went about it, when I am in the first 12 months of my airline flying career is just that ,bull$hit. There were a number of other inappropriate questions too. They did however brief at the start, from a laminated sheet, that the questions were all for one and one for all to make it 'fair'. How inflexible and unfair. How un-natural. I now probably sound bitter.

I later heard form a captain who passed their process but was in a holdpool and not picked up, who has a family member who heads up an HR division for a large multinational organisation, that in these circumstances what you need to do with these text book questions is give a text book, fixed answer. No flexibility. You need to tell them what they want to here. It has little to do with you as a person in the interview. The problem is BA are petrified of being branded discriminatory. So they make their process inflexible, fixed and a game - at least on the interview front. The rest is what it is - a tad unnecessary and a little bit cliched and unoriginal bar the sim ride. What they should do is see the 'graph' of our progress and extrapolate a line for the future - see our sim reports, see our career history, see what our hopes and ambitions are and see what we do outside flying. Not one of these topics was touched in any part of the selection for me.

For my part I finished on a late before the interview, had a suit that was 4 sizes too small and I probably didn't do too well on the verbal reasoning. My interview was appauling because of the dreadful question types - it was easily my worst interview performance by a long, long way which is disappointing when I was interviewing for the job I want most. There was quite possibly a personality clash too though I didn't dislike the captain interviewing me. We didn't gel though.

Being a BA pilot seems to be one of the nicer jos out there for a pilot. Personally I will give it one more go if they'll let me. The problem is, how do I know where to improve? I have identified areas where I think the process and I were poor but am I just bitter? Well, I have tried to be objective.

I think the BA people who have commented on here have shown that it does employ good people - there have been no cutting remarks, no arrogance and alot of helpfulness. Hopefully I will get in but if I don't, it's because I am not right for them and they are not right for me not because I am ****. This is NOT a test, it IS a selection.

[eagerbeaver1]

Blackandbrown.

I lovely post, echoing my thoughts entirely. I am not naive, I know they are expecting to hear a an answer containing the requisite amount of rubbish. I even enlisted the help of a few friends of mine who are working for BA.

I feel that the interview did not discover anything about me personally. It's a shame because I am the business.

Just all seems a little pointless.

I will apply again.

[sharpclassic]

It's a shame because I am the business.

eager beaver, was that a typo?

[73addict]

Blackandbrown

Rest assured it is not only BA that have this style of "Inflexible" interview questions and technique, as you put it. I remember having a job interview some years ago with Thomson. I had just completed my 73 rating and had just started line flying when their ad came up. They asked me all the same things as, you say, you were by BA and not at all tailored to the fact that I had only just started flying the type. I naturally didn't get through nor do very well in that interview. This is unfortunately just the way things are sometimes. Very frustrating, ABSOLUTELY, but as per other posts just the game you have to play on the day.

[eagerbeaver1]

An attempt at sarcasm.

[ssschmokin1]

if you are asked a question that you cannot answer due to having not met the scenario during your flying career, why not say 'I haven't been in that position in my flying career but I have had a similar thing when I was leading a team in McDonalds/Tesco/the Uni soccer team' etc etc..... and turn the situation to your advantage.

I'm pretty sure the interviewers will have well developed b*llsh*t detectors!

[wingsandturbines]

Hi,

Questions regarding day 1,

I have bought most of the books suggested on this thread but only find very few exercises like the ones used by BA ( the true, false, cannot tell questions). Only found some in "how to pass advanced verbal reasoning" by mike Byron and " practice psycho tests" by Andrea shavick. Any other books you have in mind? Did you guys feel that doing the other exercises present in these books which are not used by BA are still useful to improve your verbal reasoning skills for BA tests?
I have tried to contact PIT training several times but no success! Any other places offering BA assessment training?

Thanks a lot

[no sponsor]

I used Aptitude Test, Psychometric Test, Online Aptitude Tests, Online Psychometric Tests - AssessmentDay.co.uk to practice the verbal reasoning stuff. They also have the maths stuff as well.

There are several verbal test papers, and it only costs about £8 to sign up for the other on-line tests. Their format is identical to the ones in the BA tests. It really helped me get to grips with them.

[Fat Dog]

FWIW I was 16+ years in the RHS of a LH type before command, and given BA's route network I certainly didn't find it "horrible", there were worse places to be - but it's whatever floats your boat I guess.....

I can see why you interpreted my comment that way; it's not really what I meant though. I didn't mean to suggest that 18+ years in the RHS of a BA aircraft would be horrible - nevertheless I think most people would regard 18+ years wait for command at any airline as highly undesirable. The fact it would mean that, for example, a late 30's joiner might never even get a LH command is, arguably, verging on 'horrible', however you choose to interpret that comment...

[wheelsuplanding]

Hey,

Anyone done the sim in the past month or two come out thinking it was their worst attempt at a sim check but still passed.

Just be interested to hear from you because as you can probably gather that has happened to me recentely but still waiting to hear the outcome!!

[Gillespie]

I think I can guess the answer to this question already, but.....

Are the numerical and verbal reasoning tests pass or fail, or merely markers for the assessors?

If they are pass or fail, can anyone allude to a passmark?

Cheers.

[73addict]

That is because you are not supposed to Flare at 30". 100ft look at the far end of the runway, 50ft check back and from 30ft begin reducing the thrust. At least that is what I was always told on the Jumbo. Don't forget the height of the flight deck on the Jumbo already. Well done on getting in.

[DRM1973]

GPI Test

guys, this is a question for those of you that have completed the GPI test online. Once you complete the test, the end screen says 'this session is complete' 'contact system administrator if you have further questions'
Is there anything more I need to do, or will BA now have this information?


Hey, there's no such thing as a stupid question? Right?

[flyhigh2fly]

I was just wondering if you could tell me if at the BA application you still get the following questions:

1 Why would you like to join British Airways as a pilot and how can you contribute?
2- Give an example in your current role of when you have made an important decision. Consider the sources of information, how you prioritised and the final outcome.

Is it still, group exercise, math question, verbal reasoning, joystick games and interview?

Thanks for your feedback guys