The good news about interviewing is that the more you practice the better you get. Some people are really good talking about themselves while others throw themselves under the bus because they don’t think before they talk. You can practice in a mirror (ugh) or record yourself with your phone then count how many times you say um, or ah. But my favorite way to practice is to walk and talk. Taking a walk with a trusted person and reviewing questions and answers is a superb way to sort through your thoughts and it engages the brain in active learning. Using an interview consultant is also highly recommended because this person’s job is to help draw out the best parts of yourself and then polish you up!
During an aviation interview the first question usually asked is: tell me about yourself. The intent here is a brief summary of your life and career. Please don’t start out with “I was born on a farm in Indiana. My mom and my dad were farmers…..” Everybody was born at some point. In an aviation interview it is usually okay to start out with that moment that sparked your interest in flying; just keep it brief then work your way to the present day. Talking about how you worked during college shows things like time management skills, work ethic, and character. This is also where you could discuss any scholarships awarded or achievements.
The next couple of questions will most likely be: tell me about a time when... commonly referred to TMAAT. The answer needs to be specific, not “well sometimes when I work with Bob we do this…” Take one very specific flight to talk about. Going back through your logbook and finding events to talk about is useful. Make notes about those times where you had a conflict in the cockpit, where you showed leadership, made a mistake, had an emergency, broke a rule or regulation, etc. These hard questions will help get your brain turning by reviewing past flights and events. As a pilot every flight is a normal day at the office but learning how to talk about yourself in a ray of golden light is critical and takes practice.
The common format to answer TMAAT questions is called the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. However, this is a lot to think about when already thinking on your feet so I recommend just thinking about a particular flight that answers the question asked. Every good story has a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning is setting the stage, the middle is usually the conflict or answer, and the ending is your debrief after the flight.
Think about setting the stage and then telling your story. Is it day/night, IFR/VFR, where are you, what are you flying, left seat/right seat, PM/PF, etc.
“It was a night flight during IMC conditions. I was flying a 172 with my instructor…” and then include the conflict/emergency/situation. Make sure you end the story and DO NOT keep talking. The end of a story usually sounds like, “the captain and I debriefed once we parked at the gate and we agreed that our use of CRM was great but we could have also included the jump seater’s experience into the situation.” THE END. Stop talking now. The ending is also the R (result) in the STAR format. You do not need to tell the interviewer what you learned from every experience. In fact, if you tell the story well, you do NOT need to summarize the learning points. It should be obvious to the interviewer.
There are other interview questions that are more conversational like an FAA oral where one question leads to the next. There are also situational questions where you’ll be asked what you would do in certain situations. What would you do if you received a bomb threat in flight? What would you do with an unruly passenger? The best way to answer these questions is by putting yourself in the situation and think about what you would really do. Common sense here states that you don’t rush to a conclusion and don’t make assumptions. The interviewer is wanting to see how you would react and basically how you make decisions.
It can also be helpful when answering interview questions to think about why they would be asking that question. Are they looking to see how you step into a leadership role? Are they looking to see if you make safe choices? Are they looking to see if you can do basic things like answer a two part question?
Using dialog lets the interviewer know how you talk to people. Be specific. Show that you can make safe decisions. Be prepared but not rehearsed! And don’t forget to smile and lean in!
