Pilots Airlines

interview Course
Dr /Rehab Sami
Doctorate in Business Administration ,Ain Shams university
 Dr/Rehab Sami Mohamed Abd El- Maksoud
PHD : „Airport business intelligent ,Advance Management

Master :
“The Effect Of Integrated Information Management In Egyptian
Airports,

“Management Of International Trade Logistics”

Diploma In :
„International Market Driving Licenses, American institute of
professional studies”

Diploma In :
“Modern And Effective Methods In The Internal Auditing””

Diploma In :
“TOT “Train of trainer ,Oxford University”

Quality at every level

 First Impressions…….
First tips
You want the recruiter to be thinking that you “look the part”
before the interview even begins, Concentrate to make the
following :-

 Ensure you start on the right foot,

 Greet everyone you meet throughout the day with a polite welcome, such
as “Good morning” and with  a warm smile. Offer a firm (but not
overly strong) handshake if appropriate.

 It doesn’t matter if it’s the receptionist or the CEO, you should greet
everyone in the same curious manner. Anyone and everyone might have
some input into the recruitment process.
When should I arrive ??
To ensure you are not late, arriving at the actual venue around 10
minutes early demonstrates good time management
What should I wear?
The industry standard dress code for an
interview is a suit and tie. We would recommend
the following:
• A smart black suit (or similar shades) with the
trousers matching the jacket
• Ironed white shirt
• Conservative tie with a Windsor knot (potentially
tactfully matching the airlines colour(s)
• Highly polished black shoes
• A black belt to match the color of the suit
• Cleanly shaved or very neatly trimmed facial hair
What should I not wear or have on
display?

• A suit which is not black or a dark shade of

blue/grey
• A brightly colored or outlandish tie
• Messy facial and neck hair / stubble
• Cover any visible tattoos
• Males should remove any piercings
 What should I take to the interview?
In case of a lack of guidance, as a minimum, we recommend
you take the following even if they are not asked for.
• Flying License
• Class One Medical Certificate
• Logbook
• Confirmation of the interview (print the email or take the letter)
• Pens and paper pad
• Academic qualification certificates
• Airside ID (if applicable)
• Flight school final report (if applicable)
• Personal, academic and employment references
• Application summary, including answers to online questions
(usually available if you have made an online application)
If at the end of the interview you still can’t think of an appropriate example, say
what you would do.

For example, if the question is “Given an example of when you’ve resolved conflict
between team members at work…” and you can’t think of an example,

You could say something along the lines of; “I’d listen to how the conflict
came about, taking into consideration the views of the parties
involved. I’d try to provide mediation between the two parties in
order to resolve the conflict using my verbal communication
skills if appropriate.
If I felt someone was being unreasonable, I would point this out to them, whilst
explaining why I believe this to be the case and the standards that are expected of the
team. If the conflict couldn’t be resolved this way, I would follow the
company’s internal procedures.

Top tip: Be confident. The role of a pilot requires a certain level of confidence due to
the nature of the job. Demonstrate your confidence through your first interactions
with people as described above
Practice, Practice for
top tip :-

Be up-to-date with world events.

watch the news or read the newspaper every day before

going to the interview. It will help to ensure you are up to
date with current affairs, some of which may be relevant to
the airline industry.
If they ask a technical question which you don’t know the
answer for, be honest and say “I don’t know”.

It’s better to be honest and say something like “I’m sorry, I

don’t know the answer to that question, but I would know
where to find it”.
If you think you roughly know the answer but are not 100% sure,
you could add a disclaimer at the start of the answer.
For example, saying something like “I’m not 100% sure, but my
best educated guess is…”.
This way you’ve covered yourself if the answer is wrong, but you’ve
shown that you can think logically to derive the correct answer
when given the opportunity.
 General /psychological
questions

Background Problem Decision Leadership Personality Company

solving Making Safety/Security: Specific
type
Questions and answers
Q1 :-Could you please introduce yourself to us?
don’t tell every thing
I use a three part structure as follow :-
“I am……” [describe the role, or the role you would like to
perform as a situation ]
“I work with……” [tell the interviewer whom you support and
why they need your support – use this statement to show you
understand why people might need your help as a task ]
“In fact……” [provide a quantifiable achievement to support
your claim and allow the interviewer to understand what you
can do for them.as an action]
“ As a results
 Apply
The Situation.
I was operating a charter flight from Bankstown to Moree in a Cessna 310 with four
passengers on board. On reaching the circuit area and lowering the landing gear I
received both visual and oral cues that the left gear was not fully extended.

The Action Taken.

I silenced the warning horn by retracting the flaps, which both calmed the passengers
and allowed me to focus on the task at hand. I actioned the appropriate checklist,
which included manually extending the landing gear. This gave me the required three
green lights indicating the gear was down and locked. To further confirm the gear
was down I requested a fly by with a local pilot on the ground. After confirmation by
the pilot I extended the landing flaps to ensure there was no warning horn.

The Outcome.
I completed my landing checklist and made a normal approach and landing. On
disembarking the group leader commented on my calm demeanor and
professionalism during a tense situation
2. Question: What are your
greatest strengths?

BEST ANSWER:
You should have a specific example or two which illustrates
each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and
most impressive achievements (S/W). You should have this list
of your greatest strengths through brainstorming theory .

your strength could be SMART through :-

Experience
Knowledge transfer
Talents WP/OE/PD
Soft Skills /Neg/ TB/PS
Training
Apply

prepare a list of your strong points

• I could manage my time efficiently
• I like things happen without delay

Review the recruitment requirements to know which

requirement are the most important to the employer.

Make a list of your strong points in your resume / cover letter

 N.B :Prepare persuasive answers
Q3 : What is your biggest
weakness ?
Convert your strength to weakness through better
approach by solving it .

E.x:- I tended to be a perfectionist , therefore ,I didn’t

like to delegate to others .but I found out that in order
to develop the organization and add –value . Everyone
in the organization must be experienced with many
task to achieve specific approach to change .
Q4:why should we hire you ?
Best way to answer is to make a short list of all your
advantages and create a paragraph that would point out the
positive aspects .
e.X I use to implement coaching process for creating add-value at
every level in my daily - decision :
1 Identify the need.
2 Gather evidence.
3 Motivate and set targets.
4 Plan how to achieve.
5 Create opportunities to practice.
6 Observe and give feedback.
7 Support through the setbacks.
 Cont.

Draw the interviewer's attention to your •

skills ,strength ,quick learning ,knowledge
transfer ,excellent effective communication
e.X
I can Send messages that are clear and complete.
Encode messages in symbols that the receiver understands.
Avoid filtering and information distortion.
 Ensure that a feedback mechanism is built into messages.
Provide accurate information to ensure that misleading
rumors are not spread.
Q5:what are your career goals
for pilot ?
You should focus on current job oriented through measure
your objectives and the MBR and career goals depend on
objectives .
E,x
Example: “I am definitely interested in making a long-term
commitment to my next position. Judging by what you’ve told me
about this position, it’s exactly what I’m looking for and what I
am very well qualified to do. In terms of my future career path,
I’m confident that if I do my work with excellence, opportunities
will inevitable open up for me. It’s always been that way in my
career, and I’m confident I’ll have similar opportunities here.”
Q6:why do you think you would
do well at this pilot job ?
You should focus on answering these four questions in
your mind first :-
1- how will you help them make money ?
2- save money ?
3-solve problems ?
e.X pilot means leader acquire and develop three types
of skills: conceptual, human, and technical skills to
achieve customer satisfaction through dealing with
efficiency; quality; speed, flexibility, and innovation;
and responsiveness to customers and the feedback is
my performance measurement .
Q7 : what have you learned from
mistakes on the pilot job ?

• Every one makes mistakes but only few people can

realize there mistakes and they don’t want to repeat
those mistake again .. I am the one in those few
people ,I don’t want to repeat my mistakes which had
done by me in my work /job ,cause I believe to
implement McClelland needs for achievement,
affiliation, and power. Which achieve strong desire
to perform challenging tasks well and to meet
personal standards for excellence.
Q8 :What have you done to improve
your pilot knowledge in the last
year
• I look for continuous learning ,not only in
aviation industry but also in management and
marketing field to improve my personal and
managerial skills .
Q9:Are you team player ?

• The best answer :

I have worked in teams and independently as well. While
working independently ,I realized that I was the complete
responsible for my decision ,but I can’t ignore company support
and other key employee .
 I have had good experiences working in a team .which lead me
to implement self-awareness through understanding of one’s
strengths, weaknesses, needs, values and goals. And also through
Motivation which desire to achieve beyond expectations, being
driven by internal rather than external factors, and to be
involved in a continuous striving for improvement.
Q10: what kind of person would
you refuse to work with ?
• Well ,I am a person who can work with all
kinds of people .however feel bit
uncomfortable to work with persons of selfish
and ingratitude in nature .
Q11.Tell me honestly about the strong
points and weak points of your boss
(company, management team
BEST ANSWER: Remember the rule: Never be •
negative. Stress only the good points, no matter how
charmingly you’re invited to be critical. Your
interviewer doesn’t care a whit about your previous
boss.
He wants to find out how loyal and positive you are, •
and whether you’ll criticize him behind his back if
pressed to do so by someone in this own company.
This question is your opportunity to demonstrate
your loyalty to those you work with.
Q12.what is the importance of
proficiency in several languages for a
pilot

English language may be enough with private pilots

who only needs to understand control towers .
But other pilots , who fly publicly , knowing more than
one language is need and useful .
Q 13.When could you start working
for our airline?

• Best answer: “Since yesterday already!” (with a big

smile on my face) and then I precised more seriously
that I was able to start immediately.
Q14: tell us about time ,you will use your
leadership skills to resolve problem

Don’t settle for weak examples (I was the leader for my group
project and every thing went okay for the most part )
Avoid saying (I consider myself a born leader )
Best answer :- I think my leadership style is very flexible
,because I would focus more on facilitation than leading from the
front . I also put the task and the results before doing things in
my own particular way .that helps to overcome the problem
through his personal interactions .
Encourage people to discuss things ,because pilot should lead
from the front ,show understanding of others experience ,remind
people what’s important, be part of solution, express
appreciation
 Cont.

1-Lead from the front : captain can choose to leave cockpit and
engage the pax at gate area
2-Show understanding of other experiences :-
Pilot should think beyond his own views and ask himself “ what
does it mean to them ?
3-Be part of solution :captain should take active part in
handling the problem
4-Remind people what’s important : pilot need to big picture
and help the group focus on it .
5- Express appreciation :captain can thank pax for their
patience and cooperation
Q15 :what do you know about our
company

Focus on the following :-

Biggest achievement of the company
company culture and work environment
Vision of the company ,including long term
goals
teamwork spirit , great team building
activities ,you feel it
Market share
Summary
You know yourself and what you have to offer.
You know you and the position are a match.
You know the organization’s history and the
benefits you would bring to it.
You have prepared a professional resume.
You’ve practiced, practiced, practiced
your delivery.
You’ve selected appropriate attire.
Summary
You know answers to probable questions, including
behavioral-based questions.
You’ve practiced your smile, eye contact,
and firm handshake.
You’ve made it to the interview site on time.
This organization couldn’t live without you.

DR /Rehab Abd El Maksoud

‫رحاب سامي عبد المقصود‬/ ‫دكتورة‬
• Thank you