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Skywest Airlines Pilot Interview Profiles

Date Interviewed: February 2020
Summary of Qualifications: CFI, Comm AMEL, Instrument current, 1055 TT
Were you offered the job? Don't Know
Pilot Interview Profile:
I interviewed at the SkyWest hangar in Salt Lake City. They split us up into cadets and non-cadets. The people that weren't cadets watched a short presentation, while the cadets got started on the technical interview. They want you to get through the interview so they can hire you. The technical portion was basically what everyone else has said:
1-2-3 rule
Rules for alternates
How often TAF's are issued
Exemption 3585
Holding speeds at different altitudes
Advantages of a swept wing
Critical Mach
Mach Tuck
Dutch Roll
Turbine engine theory
Gear box accessory
Electrical system of the most complex airplane
Diode
Solenoid

I'm drawing a blank on everything else that they asked in the technical portion, but it was pretty straight forward.
The HR portion was basically a get to know you a little bit better. He gave me a CRM scenario at the end of the interview.
Overall it was a great experience and I'm looking forward to hearing back from them.
Date Interviewed: February 2020
Summary of Qualifications: ATP Helicopter/Commercial instrument AMEL. 4000 helicopter/250 fixed wing
Were you offered the job? Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
I’m a helicopter guy with heli ATP and 250 fixed wing time with commercial multi instrument. Fully qualified for fixed wing ATP. No written.

Firstly, all the gouges on this site were incredibly helpful. Study everything the gouges recommend and you’ll be fine. The whole experience is very relaxed as previously stated by other applicants. Feels like a conversation with a friend. There were only two of us interviewing and we were interviewed by an ERJ CA and ERJ FO.

We started off with introducing ourselves and then a short presentation on the company (30-45min). After that, we were given a CRM scenario. I was FO with the other interviewee as CA. We were flying from SAN-SFO and 20 minutes from SFO the flight attendant (flight attendant/ATC/Dispatch will be played be one of your interviewers) found a guy in his seat unresponsive. Went through the process of calling passengers to look for doctor, calling dispatch to get a doctor on the line, declaring an emergency. Closer airports were FAT (10 mins) and SJC (15 mins). Weather was bad at FAT and a fire at SJC closed down the airport so we ended up just going to SFO. Most important thing is to keep everyone informed of what you’re doing and delegate the duties in the cockpit well. They asked us how we thought we did afterward but never officially debriefed us.

After that, we were split up and did the HR portion then technical portion. HR was standard questions... Why Skywest, Tell me about your resume, tell me about your best/worst flight, time you disagreed with a manager and how you dealt with it.

Technical portion was pretty much what previous gouges said but cut a little short. The other candidate finished quick so they hurried mine up. Some questions were:
- Electrical systems (talk me through electrical system of most recent twin flown, difference between amps and volts, DC vs AC. I hadn’t flown the twin I did my multi in in years so they let me do the electrical system of a twin engine helicopter).
- Turbine engine theory (explain a turbofan, where is accessory gearbox attached, what runs off accessory gearbox, where is ATS located, where is bleed air drawn from and what is it used for) - aerodynamics (why swept wing, advantages/disadvantages, Dutch roll and what do we have to help mitigate it, Mach tuck)
- Weather (went over METARS, TAFS know all the things given in remarks and was asked why a certain TAF, originally issued for 24 hours, was given with a 30 hour time frame (it was “AMD”), difference between a ceiling and Vertical Visibility given in a METAR, Alternate requirements, when is a takeoff alternate needed, how close does takeoff alt need to be (within one hour flight at cruise speed in SMOOTH AIR with one engine inop).
- speed limits in C,D,B and above 10k
- holding speeds
- talked through a taxi around an airport and asked colors of what different signs would be. I think we were going to brief some arrivals and approaches but he felt we covered enough and we finished.

They emphasized how they want to hire you! It’s your job to lose so study up. Overall a good experience and seems like a company I would be fortunate to work for.
Date Interviewed: January 2020
Summary of Qualifications: TT 1470, ANG C-130, CFI, Type Rating BE-400/MU-300, No ATP
Were you offered the job? Don't Know
Pilot Interview Profile:
*Typo below. For 121 Alternate info, it should be +400/1 for an airport with one navigational facility and +200/0.5 for an airport with 2 navigational facilities, NOT 200/1.5.
Date Interviewed: January 2020
Summary of Qualifications: TT 1470, ANG C-130, CFI, Type Rating BE-400/MU-300, No ATP
Were you offered the job? Don't Know
Pilot Interview Profile:
The gouge on here is amazing. Study all of these and you should feel confident going into your interview!

Flew in the night before and stayed at the hotel where the job fair was going to be. Not sure if this is always true, but the plane tickets they booked for me were real seats, not standby, so that reduced some of my worry.

Showed up at checkout time, so about an hour early. Front desk held my bags so I didn't have to lug around my backpack and duffel bag. Interviewed with 2 other candidates. 3 others showed up for the job fair to get more information. Started right on time at 1300. The 3 recruiter pilots were really laid back, and had a good rapport with each other. They showed a short presentation about Skywest. With questions, it took about 90 minutes.

One of them took our logbook, radio operator cert (receipts good enough), passport, medical, and licenses (make sure to sign the back!). He looked over our stuff while we watched the presentation.

Then they split us up to do interviews. They said there is no CRM portion when the interviews are done at an offsite job fair, but there would be CRM type questions worked in to see how our decision making was. Interview was very conversational and laid back.

HR Questions:
-Who is the CEO of SW?
-Where did SW start as a company? (They tell you during the presentation!)
-You're a new FO, you're getting ready to land and the captain refuses to put on his shoulder straps (per company policy) because they will make his shirt dirty. What do you do?
-TMAAT....Coworker did something unsafe; you went above and beyond; you showed great leadership

Technical Portion:
-Read a METAR and TAF
-If the TAF has a TEMPO line, how long is it good for, and which weather do you use once the TEMPO expires?
-How long is a TAF valid
-Based on the TAF, do you need an alternate?
-Know the 121 rules for an alternate (400/1, 200/1.5)
-When do you need a second alternate?
-What 3 things do you need to descend below the DA/DH?
-List 3 of the 10 things you need to see to descend
-If you see the ALS, can you land?
-What is the airspeed in Class B?
-What is the airspeed in Class B above 10K?
-What is the airspeed in a VFR Corridor
-Do you have to accept LAHSO
-Are you allowed to go around while under LAHSO?
-What is a critical engine?
-What makes it the critical engine?
-Know the V speeds (V1/V2/Vrot/VMC)
-Describe an air molecule through a turbine engine
-What happens to the air that doesn't go through the core/what causes the air to accelerate?
-What happens to air temperature as it goes through the compressor?
-Where does bleed air come from and why does it come from different stages?
-What is a compressor stall?
-What are the advantages of a swept wing?
-What is coffin corner?
-What is mach tuck?
-Describe the electrical system on the C-130
-How many volts is the AC/DC system?
-What types of things does AC power? DC?
-What is a TR? What converts DC to AC?
-Describe the hydraulic system of the C-130 in very simple terms.
-He pulled out a Jepp ILS28 at TVC and asked where the FAF is (Gwenn)
-What is the MSA at TVC and where is it based on?
-What type of lighting can you expect at TVC?
-What is the highest obstacle in the plan view?
-He pulled up a STAR (sorry can't remember where it was to), and asked what you would do if you hit a fix and ATC hadn't assigned a runway yet. (Just read the notes)
-He pulled up a Jepp airport diagram...know what a displaced threshold looks like
-Know airport markings- Rwy remaining; taxiway signs; movement/non movement areas; hold short markings, ILS critical area (What does the weather have to be for it to be in effect)

That's all I can remember but that's most of the questions. The whole process took about 3 hours, and I flew home a few hours after that. Skywest seems like a great company to work for and I'm happy for the experience!
Date Interviewed: January 2020
Summary of Qualifications: CPL ME IA, CFI, CFII, 1970 TT full ATP qualified
Were you offered the job? Yes
Pilot Interview Profile:
The interview was scheduled to take place at 0830, before a job fair. I met with 1 other applicant, 1 FO and 1 lady from HR. Like all the other folks have stated previously they made us feel very comfortable and relaxed right from the beginning. We basically split up and I started the interview with the FO.

He began the interview by telling me a little about Skywest and himself and then asked me to introduce myself. After that he told me that he does not believe in asking rote memory questions, but that he wanted to see whether I could execute a “real” flight (i.e. scenario). He presented me with a flight from Fargo to Minneapolis, which is an actual route Skywest flies (and which he has flown before). He pretty much wanted me to talk him through the flight, what I would do, expect, etc.

- You sit at the gate, what do you do (i.e. make sure you have dispatch briefing, get ATIS, etc.)
- While you’re taxiing out you notice different signs, what do they look like and what do they mean
-You’re accelerating down the runway, what are you paying attention to (i.e. V-speeds). What do they mean, what do we do, etc.)
- what do you have to pay attention to after T/O, while climbing to cruise alt (know the airspeeds within the different airspace Fargo class D, class E below 10k, above 10k, etc.)
What
- what do you do after you get to cruising alt (it’s only like a 30 min flight so you can immediately get the ATIS)
- he gave me a D-ATIS and asked me to read it and tell him what everything means. If you are not familiar with flying up North make sure you familiarize yourself with the things you might expect i.e. snow, runway conditions, braking conditions etc.
- he told me we were cleared for the BAINY3 WINND transition and that we would expect the ILS 12L. Based on the previously read ATIS would we be legal to do the approach? No, the mins on the ATIS were below the mins on the chart
-showed me the ILS 12L CAT II and asked if we were legal for that.
- he asked me to brief the STAR. At LUCCY you have to be at or above 11k with a hard 280kts. After LUCCY you descend to OGLOVE at or above 8k. What could go wrong? ... you blow through the 250kts as you descend below 10k. (He had to probe for me to spit out the right answer, but he didn’t hold it against me. He said if you’re not used to flying anything that can go faster than 250kts or fly above 10k you’re not used to worrying about this kind of stuff, he just wanted to emphasize it and for me to remember it in the future ...)
- he then asked me to brief the ILS 12L

He was happy with my STAR and approach briefing. We discussed some things I missed or took a little longer to answer. He then wanted to see my logbook and all the hours required for the ATP. Very straight forward, no surprise questions, no technical questions. I switched with the other guy and went to interview with the HR lady.

She introduced herself and asked me to do myself. She then asked the “usual” HR questions:
- tell me about your best flight
- tell me about your worst flight
- why Skywest
- what do you bring to the table
- do you feel like you are a lucky person
- Standard stuff like: are you willing to work weekends, holidays, do reserve etc.
- she wanted to see all documents (licenses, medical, fcc license, passport ...)

It really felt more like a great conversation rather than just an interview. She asked me about my A/C and base preference.
After that we rejoined the FO and other applicant and did a quick debrief.

Overall a fantastic experience. The interview took about 2 hours. I might have forgot some of the questions they asked, but there were no trick or hard questions at all. It was really fair. I think we ran a little short on time, that’s why they might have skipped some stuff, like technical / systems stuff. I prepared myself according to the previous gouges and would definitely recommend everyone to do so. Although I wasn’t asked any of the technical stuff I think it’s better to be over prepared than to struggle through the interview. If you’re not familiar with Jepp charts make sure you know how to read and brief them. Just be yourself, be honest and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. They’ll look straight through you. If I didn’t know an answer I just straight up told them. I was not fishing for answers and I think they appreciated that. Also, keep in mind that they’re probably also evaluating whether they want to spend a 4 day with you or not :)

I got the call the next day with the job offer.
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