The aim of this article is to offer insights into the nature of airline pilot assessments and discuss the obstacles you may need to overcome when applying for airline or cadet pilot positions.
Pilot Interview and Assessment Preparation—Do You Need It? It depends on your attitude towards risk and reward. However, perhaps two better questions to ask yourself are:
What are the rewards of being accepted by your target airline or flight school? Does the return of getting the job or flight school you want outweigh the investment of some preparation work?
Applying for a pilot or cadet pilot position is like running a 100m hurdles race, with the difference being that it doesn’t matter who arrives first, what matters is that you don’t trip over any of the hurdles! Obstacles include:
Submitting a resume and/or cover letter
Submitting an application form
Undergoing some pre-assessment aptitude and/or psychological tests
Taking some numerical, verbal, scientific, and ATPL tests
Aviation English language examination
Pre-assessment video interviews
Group interviews
Human Resources or competency interviews
Technical and/or scenario-based interviews
Psychometric test
Simulator assessments
Airline pilot medical examinations
The key to success is preparation! Airline recruitment teams appreciate well-prepared candidates. Whether you are an aspiring cadet pilot, a recent graduate with a frozen ATPL, an experienced pilot, an airline first officer, or a captain looking for new pilot jobs, you must be able to perform excellently in assessments. You can’t take for granted that just because you have a university degree, a frozen ATPL, or 10,000 hours of flying, you will get the job. These qualifications are merely your ticket to the hurdles race.
Also, remember, pilots prepare for everything, and the best-performing pilots are those who think deeply about every flight, simulator, and Line Check. They don’t take it for granted that any flight will be easy. What they actually do is leverage their skills and abilities to handle any potentiality or obstacle they might encounter.
This also applies to airline pilot interviews and assessments—you need to be prepared for what might happen and the obstacles that may occur, and this is exactly where some guidance or preparatory work will help you. Join our interview preparation course to enhance your assessment skills and be your best self during the interview. Let's look at some of these obstacles more closely:
Resumes/Cover Letters and Application Forms—Do they really describe you and highlight your main strengths, making them noticeable? Are they truly tailored to the position you are applying for?
Aptitude tendencies, numerical, verbal, and ATPL reasoning tests—Many experienced pilots don't have to do these after entering the industry, but may be required to complete them when applying for new jobs. In this case, you need practice.
Pre-assessment video interviews—This is a relatively new application tool. Do you know why you are being asked to do this? Would you treat it the same way as a face-to-face interview? Have you filmed yourself before?
Group interviews—Are they just to be friendly with each other? Should you sit on the fence as a mediator? Should you take the lead? Is there a task to be completed? Are decisions to be made? Group exercises are a good tool for assessment teams to take you out of your comfort zone and different environments to see if you can still perform as well in familiar environments.
Final Interviews—require a lot of preparation! Research potential interview questions and prepare answers. Do you really know why you would be asked certain questions? Do you know how to present yourself to others?
Simulator assessments—Have you flown that type of aircraft before? When was the last time you did some raw data hand-flying? Could there be an abnormal situation to handle? Our final observation—many of our students come to us only after failing one or more assessments!
Failing an assessment is not just about whether you get the job or not, it could also mean the difference between getting or not getting a chance to become a captain, being laid off, or having the opportunity to fly a specific aircraft. The sooner you reach your final flying and career destination, the better for your career. If you have just graduated from flight school with a frozen ATPL and have invested a significant amount of money in training, finding a job will depend on your performance during the assessment. You have already made a substantial financial investment in your career, and spending less than 0.5% to 1% on some structured interview and assessment preparation could make the difference in whether or not you start your career soon after graduation.
We can help overcome all the above obstacles! Our training team includes training captains and pilot recruiters from major airlines in Hong Kong. They possess a wealth of knowledge and information about the airline recruitment process.
We look forward to meeting you in the skies!
Power in Numbers
99% | 1200 | 106500 |
Success rate | Successfully assisting pilots securing employment | Average monthly salary (HKD) |