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Are you ready when you get that airline interview?

Having your logbook current is not the only thing that has to be up-to-date. You have to be better prepared than the pilot next to you if you want to be the one that gets hired.

If you don’t have a logbook, you can pick up a terrific electronic pilot logbook here or the best professional pilot hardcopy logbook here!

So, in today’s entry, I’ll discuss five of the lesser known ideas that will guarantee success in your next airline interview and never underestimate the importance of preparation. It could be the difference between you getting the job or the pilot next to you getting the job.

Post note: So you don’t have to go searching for it, here is the link to Part 2. Just click here.

Let’s begin —

1. Research, Research, Research

Have you thought about the airline that you want to fly for? What do you know about them? Who are their key leaders? Do you know specifics about how they fit into the industry?

If you don’t, start with the obvious places like their website. Get to know their organization, their management leaders, and the name of the hiring manager. Then drill-down deeper and research these people, their company and the industry, in general, using Google.

Check Google News and see what the world is saying about them and the industry.

Create Google Alerts to let you know when the companies or any of the executives show up in the news.

2. References

Are your references up-to-date? When was the last time you talked to them and checked their information?

If you haven’t talked to them in awhile, give them a courtesy call to catch up. Let them know that you are going to be interviewing again soon and that they may get a call from a recruiter at that airline.

There have been many instances where I’ve gotten a phone call from an airline recruiter about a former student or colleague without even knowing they were going to an interview. It took me a moment to compose my thoughts, but I always gave them a raving review. It would have been nice to know though.

3. Your Airline Resume

You need to make sure that your resume is 100% correct. This is so important, so I’ll say it again…make sure that your resume is 100% correct. If you haven’t had a minimum of five people read your resume, start passing it around. It is a matter of seeing the forest-from-the-trees, or is it the trees-from-the-forest? Either way, you are probably too close to your resume and can’t see the glaring error(s). If you can’t find five people, consider a resume service that will review your resume. It is that important!

Also, though this may sound obvious, it is very rarely done…READ YOUR RESUME OUT LOUD! Remember the details and review it daily for five days before you go to the interview. You need to be able to discuss your resume without looking at it during the interview. Having that “deer-in-the-headlights” stare when they ask you about something on your resume is the last thing you need.

And though flight hours are important, also try to convey the skills and benefits, other than being a pilot, that you will bring to the organization.

Want me to review your resume and cover letter? Sign-up for my resume review service. You can learn more about it in my Articles section. Just click here now.

4. Create a Profile Letter of Yourself

What is a “profile letter” you ask?

A profile letter is a less formal letter than a resume that reflects your personality and your voice. It should be clear, concise, and compelling statement about you. It provides a complete picture of you. Keep it to one page and just freestyle write it, but check your spelling too. Hit the highlights of your career and examine your thoughts about your past. It shouldn’t take you any longer than an hour to write it. Just write about you!

Now it may sound a bit silly to do this step, but believe me, it is vitally important. You have to know you, before you can convince others that you are the one that they want to hire.

To get a good idea of what a profile should look like, visit the article by Guy Kawasaki posted on LinkedIn about the “Profile Extreme Makeover.”

5. Create Sound Bites

I use 3×5 inch index cards for this. Much like when I study airplane systems, I write down typical questions that interviewers ask and then practice the responses. I carry them around with me and practice, practice, practice. Work on a “long” response and a “short” response to these questions. A long response should be no longer than 2 minutes. The short response should be 30 seconds. You want to be clear and concise with your answers.

Did I mention “practice?” What practice does is help you refine your answers. If you rehearse using another person, they can evaluate and critique you and it lets you practice saying your answers to a person. You may want to consider recording your responses on a recorder and then critique yourself. The goal is to make your responses second nature so that you can focus on the interviewers subtle responses to your answers so that you can adjust as you go along. If your answers appear spontaneous and unrehearsed but confident they will know that they are interviewing the next first officer they are going to hire.

Consider this, when you first started doing stalls and steep turns, you had to practice them over and over till you got it right. Practicing for an interview is the same thing. You have to practice till you get it right!

In my next entry, I will cover five more important topics that will help you score well with the interviewers.

For now, re-read the five points above so that you understand them and don’t forget to leave a comment or question below.

To Your Flying Success…

Jeffrey

P.S. If you have any interview experiences, good or bad, please share them with us by leaving a comment below.

Here is some more recommended reading:

• Checklist for Success – Successful Airline Interview – A pilot’s guide to the successful airline interview and how to improve your competitiveness and chances of being hired!
• Checklist for Success CD – Virtual Interview Preparation – Remember the “Law of Intensity?” Well see and hear examples of both good and bad interview scenarios. It will really stick with you!
• Reporting Clear? – A pilot’s interview guide to background checks and presentation of personal history. I wish that I had this when I was getting hired. It would have taken me a lot less time!

Related posts:

• Airline Woes of a Regional Airline Pilot
• Affordable Jet Preparation for the Regional Airline Interview
• Can You Fly and Have a Life, Too?
• Ten Airline Pilot Interview Preparation Tips – Part 2
• Tips on Buying Pilot Supplies for New Pilots