| Interviewed in Feb 2008. Did not get the job. Would like to post this from the point of view of someone who was turned down by the panel. First, the info on this site was very helpful but use caution with answers that may not always be correct. Be your own judge. I got a pretty easy version of the test with very few mental math problems and was told during the rejection speech that I did have a perfect score on that. Ouch. Also, there is more than one panel. Mine was very friendly and the interview was not overly stressful. The online app. provided an outline for the interview. I understood the rationale for the life story explanation, but I found it strange that so much of the interview focused on ancient history. First, everything in my past followed a solid, responsible pattern with nothing to hide…Near the top of my class in hs and college, flying dating back to my teens, no accidents, no letters of discipline, perfect training records and one traffic ticket. I also wore a dark suit and the famous red tie, stood up straight, made plenty of eye contact and arrived for the interview with 3 rec. letters from Delta pilots, all my paperwork in order, and over 7,000 hours (with 2,500 jet pic) in my logbook. So, back to the interview… HR followed the script that took us through my entire background. I enjoyed telling my story but noticed a few hang-ups during the conversation. First, this panel, with a mostly military background, seemed bothered by a few things. I had purchased 200 hours of multiengine block time more than 12 years ago to gain that good old 1200 and 2 needed to get my first commuter job. This was after 2 years of instructing at a school where the customer base was decreasing and where my chance for coveted multi time flew away when we sold our one twin. In the interest of time and career progression I bought some el cheapo twin time out west. When we got to this subject in the interview, the tone seemed to change. Some of the questions…”How did you pay for this?” “How did you support yourself during that time?” I explained that I lived in a small apt, drove my 20-year-old car around looking for other work and invested some money from departed family in my career. Then, this amazing question from HR...”When you found yourself in the position where you couldn’t get the type of hours you needed, why didn’t you consider joining the military?” (Wow. For 200 hours???) I politely explained the whole 20/20 vision thing going back to high school. I then explained that my decisions turned out well since I had my first interview with a regional before those hours were completed and ended up staying there for the next nine years before moving on to my current LCC. The questions then continued…on the subject of pay-for-training at my old regional…”How much did that cost?” and “What if you hadn’t been hired by that airline?” “What other plans did you have?” Keep in mind I was 23 at the time. The questions finally progressed to why I wanted to work for Delta. I gave a two-part answer. First, years of jumpseating on DAL and interaction with their professional crews that I greatly enjoyed and would like to work with. Second, a CNBC type answer about the wisdom of Delta’s expansion in new international markets. This second part drew some blank stares and questions about why I hadn’t applied at other international carriers. I reinforced that I was here for Delta and their high professional standards, not just to fly big jets. OK. The rest of the interview was fine. My TMAAT stories got great feedback and throughout the interview I really related well to the one retired pilot on the board since he was the most informal and relaxed. I felt pretty good about everything until Capt. Arnie called me in and started making small talk about my current airline. Then I knew I was sunk. He was a great guy with great character and I appreciated his delivery. After the interview I was in touch with some inside sources and some close friends who had interviewed at DAL with varying degrees of success. They pointed out some things that I would like to share with potential interviewees. First, the questions about who funded my flight training… Two other friends got turned down after answering similar questions and one was told by an inside source (a friend who dug for him) that an interviewer thought he came off like a “spoiled brat”. This characterization was extremely inaccurate but apparently there are one or two ex-military board members out there who will label people this way based on a civilian career track that they had no exposure to or understanding of. I fell right into this trap. My “private” hs (Catholic school, really) my 4 year flight college, that crazy time I bought the multi (which represents about 2% of my total flight hours), the pay-for-training which was industry standard at the time. These became the focus of the interview in a negative way and somehow took relevance over everything else. Think back to that question about military service. Think of your own past if any of this applies to you. Also, the interviewers with the military backgrounds don’t always have an appreciation for the crazy or matter of fact ways some of our careers start out. When I explained that one of my jobs began with a phone call from a friend and a shot-in-the-dark job application, the questioning looks and “what if that hadn’t happened?” talk started. Keep this in mind. Remember, your life went exactly as you planned. How could luck possibly have been involved? Some other things to consider about Delta’s expert recruiting dept.…One person on the panel didn’t know what a Piper Seminole was. Another in the recruiting office didn’t know what a Jetstream 41 looked like and questioned whether it required a type rating. He became confused when a different applicant reported more than 2,000 pic turbine when his ATP had only been issued last summer. Actually it had just been REISSUED with a new type rating and this had to be explained more than once before the matter was cleared up. Finally, the personality thing…We are all told to be ourselves, but the one word that shows up continuously in successful applicants is “moldable.” One close friend of mine who was successful went in there with the attitude that he didn’t belong at the interview due to his low flight time. That “I’m not worthy” attitude came out in the interview as a lot of ‘yes’ and ‘no sirs’ and helped him win the job. Another guy in his group showed up straight from his F-18 wearing an Annapolis ring and could have passed for Val Kilmer himself. He was sharp and funny and everyone gravitated toward him. The panel DID NOT approve him. After my interview I was told by my inside source that much of the recruiting dept. adopts an Air Force mentality with the accompanying airs of formality and chain of command. He thought I may have, in his words, come off too much like a Marine, implying that years of work at the regionals may have reinforced my “go out there and get the job done” attitude. This may have seeped out during my interview and threatened their perception of order. I had to laugh at his theory. Out of six interviewees in my group three of us got shot down…two civilian pilots…and one Marine. He was a great guy, by the way. I know there are some things I could have done better that day, but overall I found this to be a very strange experience. Best luck and best wishes. My experience was mine alone and I hope some of you can learn from it. Just remember, if it’s not meant to be…it’s just a job… |
