How do I answer (in the way recruiters want) "why xxx airline" and "tell us about yourself"

Posted by DepressedFoool@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 36 comments

I'm going to a meet and greet, no interview. And these two questions is what will be asked according to my research. How do I answer these two questions in the way they want? What are they looking for?

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CheesyWilderness@reddit

I don't only like money, but I need money and I chosen your company to help me achieve this goal.

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prex10@reddit

1: They want you to be honest. 2: They want you to be honest. If you're struggling to come up with an answer, I would think good and hard about what it is incentivizes you to want to be there beyond a paycheck.

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BeeDubba@reddit

I'll expand on this a bit. You can be honest without telling everything you're thinking. Q: Why did you apply to XX regional? A: My family is very important to me and my parents live 1 hour from DCA. I would prefer not to commute so Positive Space Airlines is a great fit for me. If I end up commuting for a period of time, I know they have a great commuter policy that doesn't penalize missed commutes and they pay for 4 commuter hotels a month. Or: FlyWest Airlines is the biggest regional and has a great mix of domiciles. I've always wanted to live on the west coast, so that's a great fit for me. The fact that they fly for all four major US carrier gives them more job security than other regional airlines, which makes me very comfortable applying here. You don't have to tell them that the primary reason is that you need a job and applied everywhere. Just some reason that is true and personal.

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MyPilotInterview@reddit

This is actually a very hot topic in interview prep. Some prep companies say this is the time to be selfish and list attributes of how the airline that directly benefit you. However, when I was a pilot recruiter if the planes we flew or the bases we had were the most exciting thing about our company, I felt you were missing who we were, and the culture we were creating. I think this feeling has grown a lot lately to where you have to be incredibly balanced if you’re bringing this up.

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Bunslow@reddit

> However, when I was a pilot recruiter if the planes we flew or the bases we had were the most exciting thing about our company, I felt you were missing who we were, and the culture we were creating. 1) I'm not sure that most line pilots care about "who we are" or "culture we're creating", other than a culture of sound airmanship which I hope *every* airline would have. 2) even if line pilots *do* care about such things, how is an applicant supposed to "know" those things? those are, basically by definition, things that can only be learned by months and years of exposure.

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MyPilotInterview@reddit

Pilots are a senior front facing role, hopefully they understand the mission vision and values of the organization. They can learn this from the website and likely know it from talking to their peers.

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confusedguy1212@reddit

OP mark tag answer under the category of “bullshit you’ll hear your whole career”.

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prex10@reddit

Go ahead and rattle off stock prices and other canned answers then like the other 12 people wearing blue suits with red ties. You want to stand out? Then give a honest from the heart reason why you want to be there.

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confusedguy1212@reddit

I don’t disagree with you about all the interview prep industry garbage. I disagree with the idea of wanting to be there for the “company, people and culture”. The faster this idea of romanticizing this job ends, the better we’ll all be. Enough pretending it’s not for the paycheck. I promise you the HR person across from you is sitting there just for the paycheck and won’t even last until your upgrade class if that.

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findquasar@reddit

A lot of these answers do give insight into cultural fit, though. You can tell if someone is actually interested in being at your company specifically (or is willing to spend the time to sound that way) vs. wanting to provide skills and labor in exchange for money to the highest bidder.

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confusedguy1212@reddit

Cultural fit in all jobs has always been the domain of those who can speak well. If what you’re screening for is charismatic smooth talkers then sure. Last time I checked this is flying not politics. That said I understand what y’all are saying about needing to say the right things. I ofcourse had to play that game. But I loathe to tell another aspiring aviator that bullshit. At the end of the day the answers other gave are fake enough to land the job and that’s what OP needed. Not this mumbo jumbo about thinking long and hard what you’re looking for and all that. He ain’t shopping for a bride. He’s begging for a job.

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findquasar@reddit

I tell people how it is, not how I wish it were. I don’t want them to be unprepared. Someone who is polished, well-spoken, and well-researched will get the job over someone who isn’t. Some people have to be trained how to do those things, because it isn’t innate to everyone, or they simply haven’t been in an environment where this mattered. That’s what interview prep is for. Like it or not, pilots are visible representatives of their airlines, and the interview is an opportunity to display that you recognize this and will behave accordingly if employed there. And I’d actually argue it is a lot like getting married. I’ve mentored people who are going to have 40-year legacy careers, hopefully with the same employer. That exceeds the duration of a lot of pilot marriages. While you don’t always get to choose this kind of spouse, you’d best understand them well.

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prex10@reddit

I'm here for the paycheck too. I'm here to get ass and drive a Range Rover just like everyone else. But I wouldn't be here if I said that. Find something about the company you like. Don't rattle off stock prices though.

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MyPilotInterview@reddit

You’re very astute. 10 years ago everyone wanted canned answers today TA teams want to get to know you as a person. It is so much so, that the way many of us are preparing people for interviews is to give the client the tools to develop a clean and concise story quickly, know common pitfalls so the answers are genuine and when they ask a random story like tell me a time there was an issue with a service dog on your flight, they could answer the question with the same tone and authority as when they got asked tell me a time you delivered great customer service.

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TSwiftIcedTea@reddit

Part of what makes a great answer is knowing your audience. Interviewing at Delta? Most recruiters expect you to talk up the airline, and speak about why it’s the best in the industry, always has been, and always will be. Interviewing at American with a former TWA pilot who got screwed during the merger and furloughed for a decade? Maybe take a measured approach, as using the same strategy as Delta would be tone deaf. Something like “this airline has faced a lot of challenges over the years but has always overcome them. Here’s why I think American is well positioned going forward.”

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findquasar@reddit

You can tell them what you want to be true and let them learn when they don’t get hired, or you can tell people how it is. Someone who is polished, well-spoken, and well-researched will get the job over someone who isn’t. Some people have to be trained how to do those things, because it isn’t innate to everyone, or they simply haven’t been in an environment where this mattered. That’s what interview prep is for. Like it or not, pilots are visible representatives of their airlines, and the interview is an opportunity to display that you recognize this and will behave accordingly if employed there. And I’d actually say it is a lot like getting married. I’ve mentored people who are going to have 40-year legacy careers, hopefully with the same employer. While you don’t always get to choose this spouse, you’d best understand them well.

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Kahliss814@reddit

I'm not in the airline industry but I studied business in college. I think most people don't realize, at least at my school, the entire senior year was just about how to get a job. If you really want this job go onto their website, read their company core values and the requirements for the job position. When they ask why you want to work for this company, LITERALLY regurgitate their core values back to them. When they ask you to tell them about yourself, LITERALLY regurgitate (and I mean VERBATIM) the job requirements of the position you're going for. I don't comprehend how people can't get jobs. I have never not received an offer after a job interview process.

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Ok-Door-4991@reddit

Just ask chat gpt, say the airline, memorize the answer

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SkySudden7320@reddit

1. This is when you’re supposed to have a bunch of info about the company you’re applying for, the more info you know the better you’ll make yourself seem. 2. Tell them about your hobbies, interests, family, what you do on your free time. They just want to make sure you’re not a weirdo

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BillySpacs@reddit

Yeah to add onto number 1, I’ve been interviewed (different industry) and always thought this question was a stupid/boilerplate question. Now in my career I’ve been the interviewer and this question is more telling because you’d be surprised by the amount of people who know nothing about your company or even the general scope of the job and are just applying for work or because of the posted pay. It helps weed out randoms that really shouldn’t be applying Granted, I think applying to be a pilot is more niche and everyone generally knows United, delta, southwest etc so in that case I’d learn details that are unique to that airline and imply those differences are important to me

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bhalter80@reddit

I've been the interviewer and asked why \_this\_ position at the company when there were similar ones in other groups and no joke the candidate said they just wanted to work at <company> and ya it ended pretty abruptly since they were going to be a flight risk even if they did get hired

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LordCrayCrayCray@reddit

Flight risk has two different meanings in aviation, I guess.

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T-1A_pilot@reddit

>They just want to make sure you're not a wierdo. Not sure telling them about my hobbies and interests would sell that point... 😄

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turpentinedreamer@reddit

It’s planes all the way down.

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findquasar@reddit

When I was being prepped for interviews and doing group sessions I was shocked by how many applicants’ stories got distilled down to become almost exactly the same. *My uncle was a pilot and I went flying with him when I was a kid and I fell in love with aviation. When I was 16 I took a discovery flight, and the rest is history blah blah blah* I was falling asleep listening to that on repeat and I wasn’t even the interviewers. It’s okay to have some personality during this answer. Yes, it’s your entire resume and life condensed into about 3 minutes, and you should spend time making sure you highlight that experience and your qualifications. Practice that until you can rattle it off quickly and intelligently. But there are going to be some unique accomplishments, experiences, hobbies, or things that will offer opportunities to connect with the panel or at least show you can discuss something other than airplanes. Don’t leave those out. It’s a lot more interesting to discover you played your interviewer (or their kid) in collegiate ultimate frisbee than to hear about how “you overcame adversity to attend Riddle.” (Direct quote. When asked to clarify, they said their uncle paid for it because it was expensive.) As for the airline… what is your experience with that airline? If a regional, do they fly you on your vacation to grandma’s house in podunk when you were a kid? If you haven’t flown on them, what interests you in the company, specifically? Do you have friends there? What did they say about the training? Do they cover a variety of markets, which would allow you to amass more experience? If a major/legacy, is this the airline that serves your home city? Have you interacted with their crews? Did you grow up with your face plastered to their cabin windows and wearing their wings pin? What aspects of their corporate strategy appeal to you? Their history, their values? What is something they’re been a part of, or what programs do they have that you admire as a corporation and want to be a part of?

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Bunslow@reddit

ultimate mentioned! (now ive just told you something about me)

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SSMDive@reddit

The honest answer is you want a job... But EVERY SINGLE PERSON they talk to wants a job. So look at the company and think back. I'll riff off some answers I'd might give based on the airline. Delta - Oldest airline in the US, started as a crop dusting company and I think that kind of longevity, durability, and the professionalism I see in the pilots merits serious respect and I'd like to be apart of that long standing history. Plus, I actually like hats. (Know some about the actual history). American - My degree is in marketing and just the name American is a marketing slam dunk. Add in the red white and blue livery and the marketing department is by far the best in any other airline hands down. I myself really loved the polished aircraft for looks, but understand the benefit of paint. But my old office used to have a window that looked out at where they were restoring "Flagship Knoxville" and I'd often just stare at it through the window it was so gorgeous. SouthWest - When I was a kid, maybe 7 or 8 I was flying unaccompanied to go visit my grandparents when they were traveling by RV around the Country and my parents dropped me off at the airport and my grandparents were going to pick me up and keep me for two weeks on their travels. As an unaccompanied kid I was treated so well by the Flight Attendants at South West and they made sure I got to go up and meet the pilots. I was one of those kids that were given a set of those little plastic wings and I'd like to earn the real wings to complete the set. The more I learned about South West, the more I liked it. Kelleher and King were amazing at finding ways to stand out ahead of the competition. Starting only in TX avoiding Federal regulation allowed them to save money, flying one type saving money by only having to keep spare parts for one fleet helping to make sure they had the parts without excessive overhead costs, Garry Kelly's fuel hedging program which saved millions... All unique ways to save money and bring a better product at a lower cost. A truly innovative airline since conception. FedEx - Smith was a decorated Marine that won the Silver Star and a business Maverick that literally gambled to save the company. UPS - Founded in 1907!!! Started with telegraphs. Had a model T Ford. So do a little research into the company and you might find something that clicks. I mentor people leaving the military and this one female was applying to Mokulele... I told her to read up on who founded the airline. It was founded by a female Rebecca “Kawehi” Inaba... So she could lean into wanting to continue another females legacy. This could also work for say American who was the first major airline to hire a female pilot - American hired Bonnie Tiburzi in 1973. Don't lie, but look for something that speaks to you. Delta is seriously impressive to have started as a crop dusting company and I really do like hats, I really do think American is marketing genius, South West did such a great job saving money to stay profitable and I really did get a set of plastic wings... I once heard a story of a candidate that said basically the same thing, and pulled the little plastic wings out of his pocket.

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midgelino@reddit

Invest in some interview prep. You will need it for the rest of your career as you climb the ladder.

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Open_Priority1498@reddit

Are you really asking an anonymous forum to tell you how to tell people about yourself?

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StellarConcept@reddit

💀

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ATrainDerailReturns@reddit

At least he isn’t asking ChatGPT

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JustAnotherDude1990@reddit

"Why us?" "Well, I saw you were hiring and Im very passionate about not starving to death".

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Raccoon_Ratatouille@reddit

This is what interview prep course are for

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MyPilotInterview@reddit

The goal with ‘tell us about yourself’ is to build a picture of you as a person and describe your journey. You need to share enough about yourself so they feel like you are acquainted and connect with them so they see traits of themselves and their colleagues with in you. I would answer it, I grew up in Orange County, CA under the flight path to John Wayne Airport. I always loved airplanes and living under the flight path was magical. My favorite part of a family vacation was visiting the cockpit on the flight and the El Toro airshow ranked up with Christmas as my favorite day of the year. I was fortunate enough to fly as a Young Eagle at age 14 and by 15 I was taking flying lessons working towards my PPL. I worked away at my ratings doing it Part 61, paying for it while working at the pilot supply store. When I got my CFI I was hired at the flight school I did all my training and have been busy teaching there since. I recently got married to a very supportive wife and we welcomed our first child Chandelle. Beyond flying I love golf, I will never become a scratch golfer but my dream is to play a round in all 50 states. For why this airline I recommend two thing: I would start off talking about experiences with that airline. If you been on their jumpseat talk about the professionalism and friendliness in the cockpit. If you have friends who work their talk about how when they share their stories about their training and their work, it sounds like the ideal environment for you to thrive. If it was the airline you grew up flying you can mention that since you were a boy it was your dream to be a pilot at xyz. After that, I recommend going back to their mission vision and values and connecting what you’re looking for in a company, aligns with what they value. Most of the times at meet and greets, they’re very friendly and will provide pointers for your interview. They’re a bit anecdotal but I would always incorporate them when you get the invite.

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Necessary_Topic_1656@reddit

They don’t want you to say what you think the recruiters are looking for.

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rFlyingTower@reddit

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