INTERVIEW
Pilot interview: the questions and what they're really asking
The selection interview judges your behaviour as much as your knowledge: motivation, crew cooperation, handling situations. Here are common questions and what the recruiter wants to hear. Detailed answer leads are in the app.
The method
Before the questions: how to structure a good answer.
How do you answer a "Tell me about a time when…" question?
What the recruiter is looking for: A concrete, structured and honest answer that shows what YOU did and what you learned.
Which competencies is the recruiter assessing?
What the recruiter is looking for: The pilot's non-technical competencies, often those of EBT (evidence-based training).
Motivation and airline
The questions asked in almost every interview.
Why our airline?
What the recruiter is looking for: That you know the airline and your choice is deliberate, not a mass application.
Why do you want to be a pilot?
What the recruiter is looking for: A sincere, lasting motivation that will hold up against the job's constraints.
Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?
What the recruiter is looking for: Realistic ambition and loyalty to the airline.
Background and personality
Talking about yourself without reciting your CV.
Tell us about yourself.
What the recruiter is looking for: A clear thread in 2 minutes that leads logically to this job.
What is your main weakness?
What the recruiter is looking for: Self-awareness and the ability to improve.
Tell us about a failure.
What the recruiter is looking for: Your honesty and what you learned from it.
Crew and CRM
The core of the interview: how you work with others.
Tell us about a conflict with a colleague and how you handled it.
What the recruiter is looking for: Your ability to defuse, listen and stay focused on safety and the shared goal.
The captain makes a decision you think is dangerous. What do you do?
What the recruiter is looking for: That you will speak up, in a graduated and respectful way, without waiting.
Tell us about a mistake you made.
What the recruiter is looking for: That you own your mistakes and learn from them.
Scenarios
Practical cases with no single answer: your reasoning is what counts.
You suspect a colleague has been drinking before a flight. What do you do?
What the recruiter is looking for: That safety comes before loyalty, with tact.
A passenger becomes aggressive on board. How do you react?
What the recruiter is looking for: Your understanding of flight deck / cabin roles and procedures.
You feel too tired to fly. What do you do?
What the recruiter is looking for: Your honesty and understanding of fitness for duty.
Business aviation specifics
What operators like VistaJet, Luxaviation or NetJets expect.
A client asks to leave earlier / change destination at the last minute. What do you do?
What the recruiter is looking for: Service mindset, without ever sacrificing safety or regulations.
Are you ready for long rotations and living away from home?
What the recruiter is looking for: That you understand the lifestyle (multi-week rotations, floating fleet).
The simulator assessment
What to expect in a selection sim session and how to prepare.
What does a typical assessment session contain?
What the recruiter is looking for: Your ability to hand-fly accurately and to work as a crew, more than type knowledge.
Why learn pitch and power settings before the session?
What the recruiter is looking for: Anticipated, stable flying, without chasing the needles.
How should you behave as a crew during the session?
What the recruiter is looking for: Visible teamwork: briefings, callouts, PF/PM split.
Group exercises
Discussion, case study, role play: what assessors watch for.
What is the assessor looking for in a group exercise?
What the recruiter is looking for: Teamwork, influence, communication and problem solving, not the 'right' answer.
Which mistakes should you avoid in a group exercise?
What the recruiter is looking for: Behaviours that are a problem in a crew.
Preparing for a specific airline
Every airline has its own history, fleet and expectations. The airline guides give you the essentials to know before the interview.
Frequently asked questions
How should I structure an answer in a pilot interview?
Use a simple structure: the situation, what you had to do, what you did yourself, then the result and what you learned from it. Keep it concrete and honest.
Is the interview in English?
Often partly, especially with international airlines. Prepare your main answers in English and in the airline's local language if you speak it.