Failed Ab initio selection
Posted by This_Inflation_3854@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 8 comments
About a year ago I participated in the ab-initio pilot selection. Ab initio is a pilot training program from scratch, i.e. for those who have no aviation background. This selection consists of several stages, but the most important is the final part. It is a simulator, a team game and an interview. The final part is assessed by EPST personnel from the Netherlands. I failed the final part, but the airline does not give a reason for the failure. According to my own analysis, I made many mistakes in the team game. It is a survival game in which a plane with passengers crashed, and it only included your team members and various objects such as water, a knife, etc. The problem is that I found the answers to the game on the Internet, and in the selection itself I insisted on my opinion. So I believe that this made other team members feel uncomfortable, and obviously the assessors did not like it. I learned that the answers don't matter, it's all about teamwork and the personality of the candidate.
Of course, it's frustrating that I didn't pass the selection, but a year after the interview, I can write a motivation letter to participate in the program. There is no guarantee that I will be invited to the selection again, since they can refuse without reason. Because after receiving the motivation letter, my candidacy (with previous results) will be considered by the commission.
What should I do? How can I increase my chances of being accepted into the selection? I will be glad for any advice.
I'm especially interested in:
- How to write an effective motivation letter after failing a previous selection.
- How to show personal growth and self-awareness in the letter.
- What kind of soft skills (teamwork, communication, etc.) are most valued in these types of assessments?
- Has anyone here succeeded in reapplying after a rejection? What helped you get through?
- Any books, courses, or training that helped you improve teamwork and communication under pressure?
I will be glad for any advice or shared experiences. Thanks in advance!
ltcterry@reddit
These programs are very, very competitive.
It's very, very difficult to change who you are. Or fake it long enough to pass.
Your approach to a team exercise was to find "the right answers online" and insist you were right. Obviously that was a failure. The good news is perhaps someone will find your post - though not likely since you didn't list the airline - and be able to show up less arrogant.
You likely demonstrated that you are someone other pilots wouldn't want to be around. Clearly they decided they did not want to spend a lot of money on training you.
Some of your fellow applicants were selected. Some will reapply next year. Other people will apply for the first time. Some of them will be better team players than you. And will get selected.
If you want to reapply you need to consider what went wrong and how you can make a meaningful change. The airline will know you have previous failed and this will likely count against you in a re-application. So, in addition to trying to change yourself for the better, do seriously consider other routes to the same goal.
Pay for flight school yourself and you can be a Commercial pilot by the time you'd even be reconsidered next time.
This_Inflation_3854@reddit (OP)
That right here is a hard pill to swallow, but I agree with you. I believe that main point here is to accept mistakes and do it better next time. By the way, airline selectors told us there is no competition and each candidate is evaluated individually.
ltcterry@reddit
But you are competing with all those other people. More applicants than jobs. It is competitive. Perhaps you were evaluated on your merits independently of the others in the team exercise rather than who defeated whom, but there's no doubt the process is competitive. Or you'd be in flight training.
This_Inflation_3854@reddit (OP)
There were 10 of us and funny thing here is nobody passed. What i want to say is in our case, we are not fighting for a job. The company is ready to accept everyone who is suitable, even if there are a lot of people.
ILikeFlyingAlot@reddit
Honestly - ab initio are so competitive, they’re more like winning the lotto, than being selected for the job.
usmcmech@reddit
And all the “tests” have little to nothing to do with what makes a good pilot but are just ways to narrow down the list of potential applications.
Erico360@reddit
These ab-initio programs are really hard to get into. They look for people fitting their "profile" exactly. If you won't make the program doesn't mean you won't be a good pilot.
For a second chance letter like that, you need to convince them what is different compared to when they first tested you. Have you worked on yourself? Make it personal why they should hire you.
If it doesn't work out, know there are more ways becoming a pilot that an ab-initio program. And take the failure as a learning experience.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
About a year ago I participated in the ab-initio pilot selection. Ab initio is a pilot training program from scratch, i.e. for those who have no aviation background. This selection consists of several stages, but the most important is the final part. It is a simulator, a team game and an interview. The final part is assessed by EPST personnel from the Netherlands. I failed the final part, but the airline does not give a reason for the failure. According to my own analysis, I made many mistakes in the team game. It is a survival game in which a plane with passengers crashed, and it only included your team members and various objects such as water, a knife, etc. The problem is that I found the answers to the game on the Internet, and in the selection itself I insisted on my opinion. So I believe that this made other team members feel uncomfortable, and obviously the assessors did not like it. I learned that the answers don't matter, it's all about teamwork and the personality of the candidate.
Of course, it's frustrating that I didn't pass the selection, but a year after the interview, I can write a motivation letter to participate in the program. There is no guarantee that I will be invited to the selection again, since they can refuse without reason. Because after receiving the motivation letter, my candidacy (with previous results) will be considered by the commission.
What should I do? How can I increase my chances of being accepted into the selection? I will be glad for any advice.
I'm especially interested in:
I will be glad for any advice or shared experiences. Thanks in advance!
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