The Pilot Interview Process

When you decide that you want to become an airline pilot you must ensure that you fully research and understand the role of the pilot, what is expected of you and the roles of those around you.

Many people prepare for the pilot interview by reviewing the role of just the pilot but to truly demonstrate you have done your research you must show you understand how the first officer, cabin crew and air traffic control all fit.

If you take a minute to consider the roles of the cabin crew and air traffic control, the pilot would not be able to do his job without them. During the pilot selection process there will be interview stage not matter what airline you apply to and this is often the final part of the process.

An ideal candidate will show the recruitment team he has awareness of his own role as a pilot and the significance of the others around him.

There a number of topics and questions that the selection team can ask you during the interview stage. The best way to prepare for this is to develop and practice a number of general responses which you can then adapt on the day when asked about a specific area.

Those candidates that do not undertake any preparation often struggle on the day for the simple reason that they having nothing prepared and have to go with what ever comes into their head at that point in time.

Many struggle when put on the spot and start to panic and end up producing a confused and often mixed answer. By preparing for the pilot interview and creating some generic answers you will be able to recall on these during the interview.

To help you prepare for the pilot interview here are a list of areas which the recruitment team typically base their questions:

- your decision making ability (critical as a pilot)

- your leadership qualities (also another key characteristic)

- Emergencies situations (remaining calm is a key aspect here)

- Questions related specifically to the aircraft

- How to deal with problematic passengers

Now that you have an understanding of the type of questions that could arise you should now be able to prepare your answers to these. Remember, if you are asked a question try to link it back to a specific time and give an example of how you showed this.

For example, if you are asked a question about your leadership, do not just say that you have great leadership qualities, this is not a sufficient answers. Give an example of a specific time that you demonstrated these qualities. This is a key difference that separates the good candidates from those who really stand out and excel.