Last week, I had a call with a pilot/recruiter at a small part 135.
We talked about what he looks for in new pilots when hiring for HIS company specifically. But I noticed similarities with the hiring process for the 5 skydive pilot job I interviewed for, a year ago, so I thought I’d share.
You’ll want to keep this in mind when you get an interview.
For context, I was “offered” 3 of the 5 jobs, and I have an idea of what went well and what didn’t. Haven’t gone in details before today because, again, simply not what I usually write about.
The thing is, as long as you’re a good fit, low-time pilot job interviews are super easy. And that bears one question:
What makes someone a good fit for a low-time job?
Being a good fit means displaying the characteristics of someone that’s going to do the job well.
You start creating that perception of yourself with your resume and the email/cover letter — since you’re not getting the interview if they don’t think you fit their ideal profile.
There are many ways to show that you do, all unique to each job and person. This is a topic we’ve covered in the past so I won’t dive deep into it now.
But just to make sure we are on the same page, I’ll use myself as an example.
If I were to narrow it down to a few key things that got ME the interviews, and subsequently the offers:
• genuine interest in the skydiving industry (did a bit of video editing for a local dropzone), and
• history of willingness to suck it up (previously worked at McDonald’s).
So, let’s assume you nailed that part down, and got the interview.
Once you hop on the call, it’s about “reaffirming” the perception. You do that by answering the behavioral and technical stuff well.
This is where what a good fit is, depends on what the person interviewing you values, and how they imagine “someone that’s going to be good at this job.”
That’s also where a gouge is useful, as it tells you what those valuable traits are. But more on that in a minute.
Each of the dropzones I was interviewing for had their own version of what “good candidate” meant, and you can tell by the questions they were asking.
I did all 3 within 24 hours. The first interview was behavioral-heavy, the third one technical-heavy, while the second was a mix of both. Three different operators, same 5 jobs though: flying jumpers in a 182.
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard before:
“the person interviewing you is trying to see if you’d be enjoyable to have around on a 4-day trip.”
Okay, but hear me out.
Not only is that subjective — because the interviewer is going of off vibes, basically — but wouldn’t you agree all you really have to do is not be weird?
Because the interview process for (most) low-time jobs is so simple, there isn’t much you can do to “manufacture” the vibes. As in, the many TMAATs or SBQs you can rehearse for more complex interviews. It’s legit just a conversation.
This is why whenever you ask other pilots what the interview was about, 9/10 don’t even recall. They’ll just tell you it’s basic questions, that it’s super easy. True, but not that helpful.
Notice how I say “not much” you can do though.
Where I’ve seen you can *actively* make a difference during your interview, and “beat” it, is the technical portion.
The Part 135 recruiter I was chatting with last week asked me about 135 regs, TERPS, Part 23 vs Part 25, Emergency ODPs and a bunch a stuff that I wouldn’t have been taught in training. And he knows that, but he still always asks because it’s relevant to what his operation does.
He did say he does not expect a lower time pilot applying for a multi-turbine SIC job to know this stuff, but that he would look favorably on someone who did.
→ that’s how he views someone that’s going to do the job well.
Something similar happened during one of the jump pilot interviews:
“Have you ever heard of shock cooling? can you explain what it is? do you know what the #1 cause of accident in skydiving ops is?”
If you said yes to all of these questions, well, I bet you would’ve gotten the job too.
And if you said no, I think that’s fair. How would a low-time pilot know any of that? We didn’t learn this stuff during training. I myself knew only because I came across those topics at some point, and remembered.
But all the interviewer thought was: “this guy is the only one who knew.”
I do want to make it clear that I’m not saying personality doesn’t play a role in getting hired. It does. If anything, it plays a bigger role than technical knowledge, especially at our level.
And of course, you are expected to have your basic commercial pilot stuff down. Weather, airspace, aerodynamics, emergencies, W&B… I actually was rusty, otherwise I would’ve gotten 5/5 offers, as the Chief Pilot said.
My point here is that given the opportunity, displaying the right technical “abilities” will set you apart. And, unlike the 4-day trip test, that’s not as abstract of a concept: it’s just information.
Knowing things you’re not necessarily supposed to is the most reliable way to pass an interview. And this is why prep companies and gouges exist.
The dilemma about “gouges” is whether they are ethical or not. Let me quickly share where I stand on this.
A little while back, I had an interview with an aerial patrol company. One of their old pilots told me the answer to an unconventional weather question the owner is huge on. No candidate has ever got it right.
Using that info there would’ve been disingenuous in my opinion, so I didn’t.
Now, there’s this other company, where if you send the owner a picture of you and your Mooney, you are probably going to get the job. That’s also insider information right there, but to me that one is 100% ethical, and I would’ve used it to my advantage if I owned a Mooney.
So I’d say it all depends on whether you want to persuade or manipulate the interviewer. It is a fine line.
And this little jump pilot interview gouge I put together will help you achieve the former, not the latter. It’s based on a voice memo of what we talked about during each of my interviews. Forgot I recorded it!
Bottom line is, hitting the books to go above and beyond, even just slightly, is the one thing you have the most control over, to get the job.
That phone call with the Part 135 recruiter wasn’t an interview per se, but if I did know only half of the stuff he quizzed me on, I probably would have a SA227 job lined up for the future… :))
I know most are struggling to get interviews in the first place. But I’ve also gotten enough “need interview tips” that I figured I’d write this today.
Hope it helps!
— Ivan