Standard Interview Questions

[Guest HerkDiva]

I interviewed with the Wyoming ANG for both UNT and UPT. I would have to say that networking was very important in my selection for UNT. Visit the unit if you can and get to know the people. I was also told that my Guard unit was basically looking for three things...

1) Will she stick around? --> How committed will she be to this unit?

3) Can she get through the training?

4) Will she be fun to fly and work with?

There were 5 interviewers, service dress or business dress, no reporting statement. Of course, they told me to tell them about myself. I tried to relate what I said back to the three things above. They asked some questions about my civilian job, some classes I took in college and about roller derby.

Specific questions I was asked included:

1) How do you handle stress?

2) At work when things go wrong, what do you do?

3) Why this unit?

4) What's the biggest mistake you've made?

5) What will you do if you don't get selected?

6) What would you do if ____________ ?

7) What makes you think you will be successful at UPT/UNT?

8) How have you prepared for UPT/UNT?

Hope that helps. Good luck!

[Rivanthe5th]

UNT? What is this abbreviation I have not heard of?

[mp5g]

UNT? What is this abbreviation I have not heard of?

Undergraduate Navigator Training.

Google is my Friend

[Guest IACPitts]

I interviewed with a fighter unit. Here's what they asked:

Tell us about yourself.

Why didn’t join the Air Force earlier? (active duty, ROTC, etc…)

What are 3 characteristics of a good officer?

What is more important: being an officer or a fighter pilot?

Have you ever had to make a difficult decision?

What else are you interested in besides flying?

Loyalty vs Integrity?

Why fighters?

Are you applying to other units?

What would you do if our unit switched to C-130s?

What would you do if more than one unit selected you?

How would you interact with other UPT classmates?

How would you feel about having to drop bombs and kill people?

Why you over the other people asked to interview?

[Ramathorn]

Here's what I can remember being asked:

Why do you want to fly here?

As an officer and a pilot, which is more important?

What's something you've failed at?

What is going to keep you here? (I had no connections in the area)

What would you do if you were hired on at your home base right after we called you?

What do you do if you're cleared hot, and you see civilians where you'll drop?

What if we switched to C-130's during your training?

Short but sweet.

[Guest 12XU2A3X3]

What do you do if you're cleared hot, and you see civilians where you'll drop?

i've seen this question several times. i hate to ask, but "you don't drop" is essentially what they want to hear, no? wouldn't anything else then that get too much into ROEs?

[Ramathorn]

i've seen this question several times. i hate to ask, but "you don't drop" is essentially what they want to hear, no? wouldn't anything else then that get too much into ROEs?

My commander explained that as pilots, you don't really make the calls. He said that the best thing you can do is to advise on the situation, but if you are still told to bomb the bad guys, it's just unfortunate that those civilians are in the area. So essentially you're just executing orders as told... But not completely mindless.

If that makes any sense. Thats what I said anyway, and it seemed to work.

[Guest CAVEMAN]

My commander explained that as pilots, you don't really make the calls. He said that the best thing you can do is to advise on the situation, but if you are still told to bomb the bad guys, it's just unfortunate that those civilians are in the area. So essentially you're just executing orders as told... But not completely mindless.

If that makes any sense. Thats what I said anyway, and it seemed to work.

Guess who is pressing the button? At the end of the day, you better be comfortable with the situation on the ground before you drop anything.

[Mad Dog]

It seems like answers to the "moral dilemma" questions are always the biggest concern. The "would you drop ordinance on a city in which your mother lived, if ordered to do so?" type questions seem like the trickiest ones to answer. To most of these questions, I think it is fair to say that there is no 100% right or wrong answer. The primary thing that the person(s) asking the question is(are) looking for is evidence of good judgment, and an analytical, decision-making thought process. They understand that it is a difficult question with a complex answer, that's why they asked it. As the pilot of a multi-million dollar piece of machinery, they want to make sure that you are going size up the situation and consider all of the circumstances before acting. On the contrary, they want to make sure that you will obediently follow an order, and do what you are paid to do. It's a fine line, but for the most part, if you exercise a little tact in your answer, you should be fine.

My answer to the question "Would you be able to shoot and kill an enemy?" was somewhere in between "Hell yes! Kill all them bastards!" and "No, I'm not a murderer."

Basically, I explained that I took an oath to defend the Constitution of this country, and that while it would be an ultimate last resort, if shooting someone was necessary to protect my crew or myself, I would act without hesitation.

[Herk Mafia]

Anyone had experience interviewing at the Memphis unit? Laid back? Formal/informal? Any weird questions?

[Yuengling Brother]

My process went something like this: Sent in a military resume, RIP, and OPRs. Was invited to a UTA to meet the guys. During that UTA we sat around and bullshitted, went to lunch, bullshitted some more. At the end of day one I was told the CC wanted to meet me. I walked in, he put out his hand, and welcomed me to my new squadron.

All things in life should be that easy.

Edited October 19, 2011 by Yuengling Brother

[Fudge]

My process went something like this: Sent in a military resume, RIP, and OPRs. Was invited to a UTA to meet the guys. During that UTA we sat around and bullshitted, went to lunch, bullshitted some more. At the end of day one I was told the CC wanted to meet me. I walked in, he put out his hand, and welcomed me to my new squadron.

All things in life should be that easy.

Exactly!

It seems like most of the posts in this thread are geared for people walking in with no prior military flying backgrounds. (Except for the above post haha)

What's the interview process like for those of us that have already been flying active duty for a few years?

Edit - Looks like it really depends on the unit. Some are like rushing a frat, some are very formal, and the rest are somewhere in between.

Edited February 7, 2012 by Fudge

[MLW]

Does anyone know if the New Mexico Air Gaurd will be hiring anyone soon? I was a CSO/Nav on the KC-135 and separated in March and moved back home to Albuquerque. I know I would have to go through Little Rock for C-130 training and back to Albuquerque for HC/MC-130 specifics.

[ViperDriver114]

Interviewed with the 114th FW in April 2012. (Its a little late, but I forgot that I did this little write up till now)

Showed up at about 0840. They welcomed me at the door and walked me to the interview room. Three pilots on the board. They thought I was at 1000 so I kind of caught them off guard. Sat down at the table, very relaxed atmosphere. They did a good job at calming me down (I was freaking out on the inside before hand).

Started with asking me if I had been through a board before, I said no so they told me how the interview was going to go.

The first question was the standard "Tell us a little about yourself".

How do I feel about using the F-16 to kill someone.

Asked about a time when I found myself in a difficult situation and how I dealt with it. I used a time when I took off from Santa Fe and found myself in clouds, at night, over mountains, ice forming on my 172. Then they asked what I learned from that situation.

Asked about my grades (They sucked..i mean really sucked for my first half of college)and what happened. I talked about how I grew up and made a huge turnaround and started making deans list (with the exception of calculus, they got a laugh out of that).

They joked about how could I possibly not have a single infraction on my driving/criminal record. I told them I though I had gotten a ticket for an accident a long time ago, but I think they go away after a while. I have been a competitive swimmer my whole life, and was training for the 2012 Olympic Trials so they asked me a few questions about that and what my schedule would be like if I made the team (I had to explain that I had ZERO chance of making the team). We talked about swimming for a few minutes and that was pretty much it.

They asked if I had any questions, any real questions, not the one or two that most people write down just so they can say they have a them, DON'T DO THAT. I said I didn't have any (A current AGR pilot made me throw away my piece of paper with my two or three questions the day before the interview).

I thanked them for giving me this incredible opportunity, told them "I really want this job" (yes, I actually said it) and thanked them again. Shook hands and was on my way.

One of the pilots walked out with me and we talked a little more (he went to school in the same town that I fly skydivers).

After that, I got a hold of a crew chief that I knew and he let me tag along with him for the day. Got to watch launches and recoveries, they had two fini flights that day too, ate lunch with everyone and went to the retirement party for the fini flight guys. Got to meet and talk to a lot of the pilots.

I must have done something right because I got a phone call around 1700 the next day saying that I had been selected!!!

I am living proof that you don't need to be a 4.0 student, or have some incredible resume to get selected. Be Confident, but be yourself. You are going to be flying with these dudes for the next 20 years, so why try to be someone you're not. If you don't fit in, then move on to the next unit.

Study for your interview! Have an idea of how you would answer various questions but don't have them scripted out. Be yourself and stick around. Meet everyone you possibly can (Officers and Enlisted, remember the enlisted guys are the ones making sure your jet is safe)and get a feel for the unit (you have to like it if you want to work there). Don't turn down any invitation and don't be afraid to look stupid, one guy joked with me when I fist walked in "We're not buying whatever you're selling". You are standing out in a good way. The more I was there, the more I wanted the job. I am still in shock that they want me to fly an F-16.

[Guest]

I talked about how I grew up and made a huge turnaround and started making deans list (with the exception of calculus, they got a laugh out of that).

they asked me a few questions about that and what my schedule would be like if I made the team (I had to explain that I had ZERO chance of making the team). We talked about swimming for a few minutes and that was pretty much it.

I thanked them for giving me this incredible opportunity, told them "I really want this job" (yes, I actually said it) and thanked them again.

After that, I got a hold of a crew chief that I knew and he let me tag along with him for the day. Got to watch launches and recoveries, they had two fini flights that day too, ate lunch with everyone and went to the retirement party for the fini flight guys. Got to meet and talk to a lot of the pilots.

Be Confident, but be yourself.

Be yourself and stick around. Meet everyone you possibly can (Officers and Enlisted)

Don't turn down any invitation and don't be afraid to look stupid

Word.

[bb17]

Word.

Actually it looks more like Word Perfect 3.1.

[Duff_Man]

First post, I've been lurking on here as a non-member for a while. I got referred to Emerald Coast Interview Consultants by the ANG in Fresno and they really helped me out (just google it). The guy who runs it was an F15 pilot and now he works on the hiring board for FEDEX, so he understands the Guard interview process. I ended up getting hired on the next board that interviewed me, so I'd say it's worth the money, especially considering how much it costs to do a Guard interview (flight, hotel, etc). They won't give you stories or spoon-feed you 'the right answer,' but they will help you figure out what stories put your best qualities forward. Really, in the interview they have 45 minutes to get to know you and all your qualifications, so that time is like gold; you can't waste time with BS answers. They do all the consulting over the phone, they have audio files, they send you some interview worksheets, and they have conferences all over the US every few weeks. Anyway, this forum helped me hunt down Guard units, so I thought I owed it to the community to come back and give some advice that worked for me.

[HercDude]

I interviewed with a Reserve outfit last weekend as a O-4 with 13 years on AD getting ready to separate at the end of my commitment. I used this thread to prepare for the interview, but noticed almost everyone who posts questions is doing so as a dude off the street looking for someone to send them to UPT. My experience was different.

It was formal (I was in Service Dress) but they tried to make the interview and the whole day seem pretty laid back. Interview panel was composed of 10 guys I think, including at least one person from each crew position. Most of the questions though came from the chief pilot, the STAN/EVAL pilot, and the guy who set up the interview board. They gave me an opportunity to introduce myself, and after that they just threw out questions from around the room. There were zero technical questions, no "tell me about a time" questions, no specific scenarios (e.g. - "what would you do if your copilot....."), and almost no personality questions.

Specific questions I got:

Why are you leaving Active Duty?

Why the Reserves and not the Guard?

Are you applying or interviewing to other units in the area?

You have a family at home, how are you going to take care of them without an AD paycheck?

Are you seeking employment outside the Reserves?

What have you heard about this unit?

How is an aircraft commander different than the rest of the crew?

What does it mean to be an AC?

How is a Reserve officer different from an AD officer?

How do you handle conflict/dissension in the air or while on a mission?

The AF is trying to downsize their C-130 fleet, and that means some units will lose their flying mission. Would you stay here if this unit lost its C-130s?

Do you only want to fly, or would you be willing to be put on days or fill an ART position latter on that was for a non-flying related duty?

If I called your coworkers and squadron-mates, how would they describe you?

Are there any skeletons in your closet? Now is the time to air them out. (looking for Q3s, PT Test failures, referral OPRs, etc)

What questions do you have for us?

Overall I think it was about a 30 minute interview, and I think their overall intent was to make sure that I was making an informed decision. Basically they made it clear that although there are plenty of opportunities to fly and earn a paycheck, with all of the budget uncertainty in the DoD, I needed to know that there may be times when I'm only guaranteed UTAs and AFTPs, and that I shouldn't count on being a bum to feed and clothe my family.

I was encouraged to hang out the rest of the day and meet people and ask questions, which I did. apparently usually the interviews are Saturday and they encourage dudes to hang out at the bar, but this was on a Sunday so most guys headed home as soon as the duty day was over.

I got the call about 24 hours later letting me know I was hired.

[herkbum]

I interviewed with a Reserve outfit last weekend as a O-4 with 13 years on AD getting ready to separate at the end of my commitment. I used this thread to prepare for the interview, but noticed almost everyone who posts questions is doing so as a dude off the street looking for someone to send them to UPT. My experience was different.

It was formal (I was in Service Dress) but they tried to make the interview and the whole day seem pretty laid back. Interview panel was composed of 10 guys I think, including at least one person from each crew position. Most of the questions though came from the chief pilot, the STAN/EVAL pilot, and the guy who set up the interview board. They gave me an opportunity to introduce myself, and after that they just threw out questions from around the room. There were zero technical questions, no "tell me about a time" questions, no specific scenarios (e.g. - "what would you do if your copilot....."), and almost no personality questions.

Specific questions I got:

Why are you leaving Active Duty?

Why the Reserves and not the Guard?

Are you applying or interviewing to other units in the area?

You have a family at home, how are you going to take care of them without an AD paycheck?

Are you seeking employment outside the Reserves?

What have you heard about this unit?

How is an aircraft commander different than the rest of the crew?

What does it mean to be an AC?

How is a Reserve officer different from an AD officer?

How do you handle conflict/dissension in the air or while on a mission?

The AF is trying to downsize their C-130 fleet, and that means some units will lose their flying mission. Would you stay here if this unit lost its C-130s?

Do you only want to fly, or would you be willing to be put on days or fill an ART position latter on that was for a non-flying related duty?

If I called your coworkers and squadron-mates, how would they describe you?

Are there any skeletons in your closet? Now is the time to air them out. (looking for Q3s, PT Test failures, referral OPRs, etc)

What questions do you have for us?

Overall I think it was about a 30 minute interview, and I think their overall intent was to make sure that I was making an informed decision. Basically they made it clear that although there are plenty of opportunities to fly and earn a paycheck, with all of the budget uncertainty in the DoD, I needed to know that there may be times when I'm only guaranteed UTAs and AFTPs, and that I shouldn't count on being a bum to feed and clothe my family.

I was encouraged to hang out the rest of the day and meet people and ask questions, which I did. apparently usually the interviews are Saturday and they encourage dudes to hang out at the bar, but this was on a Sunday so most guys headed home as soon as the duty day was over.

I got the call about 24 hours later letting me know I was hired.

Congrats! What unit?

[Guard_Guy]

C130Driver is exactly correct. I was asked what my biggest failure was. So, be honest with them. Every unit I've interviewed with wanted to know that you were willing to stay in the area and have a job other than being a guard bum. They want to see that you have a plan. Ultimately, be yourself. If they happen to nonchalantly mention that they are having a squadron gathering later that afternoon, GO! It's at those events that they get to see who you really are and that's where they'll make their decisions. I interviewed at 4 units. Two just had interviews, the other two offered to hang out after wards. I got offers from both units where I hung around, the other two I didn't even get a call back. I hope this helps! Good luck!

[nsplayr]

Just interviewed with a Guard unit for an AGR instructor-type position so I figured I'd post what I remember of the questions here for others to benefit from. I definitely benefited from this tread to just get a feel for what would be asked...first job interview in about 6 years so good to brush up on some standard-ish questions.

Background: It was an informal interview (i.e. flight suit) between myself, the technician SQ/CC and the OG/CC. Very laid back, 10 questions, & I'm an active duty guy rather than someone off the street.

What I can remember in no particular order is below:

1. Tell me about a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.

2. What's your biggest weakness?

3. Tell me about your written communication skills.

4. Tell me about how you prepare to give a verbal presentation to a group.

5. Tell me about a time when you were excited to work on a new or innovative project.

6. Tell me about how you seek advice when making a big decision. Who do you typically consult with?

So yea...only at 60% retention of that material only 2 days after the fact...I'll add the rest if I can come up with the rest after talking to a buddy of mine who interviewed right after me.

Cheers

[City_Wok]

I was fortunate enough to be offered the UPT slot yesterday from the 114th Fighter Wing, my home base where I've been a traditional Crew Chief for almost 6 years. I wanted to post this while everything was fresh in my mind, as I type this my hands are still shaking!!!

Social

(Friday evening before the interview) - started at 1730, showed up at 1800 because I'm from out of town and currently student teach and communicated this with the squadron so they knew. This is a great chance to show face and get to know the squadron if you are from outside the unit. As soon as I got there the SQ/CC had the applicants introduce themselves and to just put us on the spot...Big hint if this happens to you, be humble and don't go for laughs. Many of the applicants did this and it made them just look like they didn't appreciate their current jobs with some of their responses. Main points here: be humble, be brief, don't be the center of attention, and if your going to drink a beer don't spill it, especially in front of one of the board pilots like some dude did...

Interview (Saturday)

First to go that day at 0730, all dressed up in my blues and I must say I was looking good! Showed up 15 min prior and the board was still getting set up. One of the enlisted personnel sat down next to me where I was waiting and we talked until I was called in. This was really big in calming me down and I owe her a lot! Then the door opened and out stepped one of the pilots and said that they were ready for me and it was game on! I stepped in and reported to the SQ/CC (head of the board) with a salute and reporting statement, if you are in the military I STRONGLY recommend that you report in. It gave me confidence and showed them I meant business. Just think if everyone else reports in and you don't, do you want to be that one???

Board included 4 pilots, all Lt. Cols...SQ/CC, DO (patch), Flight Commander, and Weapons Officer (obviously a patch).

Questions...

1. Tell us about yourself/why the F-16?

2. Why do you think you will be successful at UPT?

3. Greatest accomplishment or event in your life you are really proud of?

4. Greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?

5. How do you feel about being deployed for extended periods of time and how will your family handle it?

6. Using the F-16 to kill someone/responsible for civilian deaths?

7. The spot you are applying for is part time, so what are you going to do after training?

8. If you are not selected, what are you going to do?

9. Asked me about flying experience and how much I've been able to do lately with my student teaching

10. This was the point that I think they would ask about any weak points in your application, the SQ/CC said I had a real solid application and asked if the board had any follow up questions...he then turned to me and asked if I had any and I said no. I thanked the board for giving me this tremendous opportunity and looked every one of them in the eye and said "There's a reason why I drive 200 miles one way every drill and have done so for the past 6 years...I really want this job" it was spontaneous and came from the heart. The SQ/CC said that was it then and good job, I stood up and saluted, shook their hands and was on my way.

Sunday (my selection day!)

I was running on about 0 hours of sleep the past couple of days and was totally running on adrenaline. After the launch I went over to ops around 1100 and sat down in one of the offices and chatted with a couple pilots. After about 15 min or so, one of the board pilots stepped in and said he needed to ask me a question and to follow him (my heart was freaking pounding). He led me to the office where the interview was, opened the door and there sat the SQ/CC and DO. They stood up as I walked to the table and the commander shuffled some papers and said, "Just looking over some stuff here and have just one question for you, we were wondering if you wanted to be the next fighter pilot in the wing?" I was shaking so hard I about fell over. We talked for a bit and that was that...the best day of my life!

How I prepared for the interview...

Looked at this website and came up with bullet points of things I wanted to cover for EVERY question I could find. I wasn't going to leave anything to chance, I was coming ready to play ball (I even had a couple crew chief jokes handy). Being a member of the unit is almost a must for getting hired by a guard unit, I applaud those who can do it coming off the street. I can't stress enough you need to prepare for the questions and be able to address EVERY weakness in your app and explain it. Getting hired by a guard unit doesn't mean that you need to be in the 99% of every test you have taken (my highest score was a 92 and my lowest was a 60). Scores aren't everything, they are looking for someone who they will be able to work with for many years. I strongly recommend first looking at units in your area and getting to know them any way you can, best suggestion if you are young is to enlist while in college. For me my interview wasn't just that day, it was the past 6 years I had in the unit and it showed I was dedicated to serving with them...good luck to you all in your journey in becoming a United States Air Force Pilot! Feel free to pm me for additional questions.

[BE36]

Thanks for the recap. Congrats again buddy.

[Cameltactics]

167th Airlift interview (C-5 transitioning to C-17), Saturday March 1, 2014.

15 applicants, half from the unit and other half a mix of off-street and priors/other guard units.

5 on the board, think 1 loadmaster and 4 pilots from captain to LtCol., including chief pilot.

Very easy atmosphere, they are all laid back and awesome, with great stories, didn't mind bringing you into some of their inside jokes, and generally just putting you at ease. The candidates were also all laid back and awesome guys.

-Quickly tell us about your aviation experience/history

-Tell us about a time you made a big mistake and how you handled it/what you got from it

-What was one of the biggest moments in your career/biggest success?

-quickly give me 11 x 12

-It's movie night at the squadron and you are tasked with bringing two movies, what movies do you bring? (Safety tip: Don't be the guy that says "Top Gun". Instead if you get a question like this, have fun with it, let it break the ice some)

-Tell us about a pilot you absolutely hated flying with and why

-Pick one word to describe you

-Have you ever failed a checkride?

-Was there ever a time you disagreed with a policy/rule and what did you do about it?

-Have you ever had an emergency in the aircraft? How did you handle it?

Those are the ones that stuck out. It was about a 25 minute interview. Awesome experience. Was not offered slot, heard most went to the unit applicants and maybe one off-the-street picked up. On to the next one.

[Milchstrasse]

148th Interview - 12 applicants - 5 officers on board (3 pilots)

Meet in greet was the day before the interviews. It mostly comprised of a short briefing, a couple low passes of one of their vipers, and drinking in the squadron bar until late into the night.

Interviews were held in a small office, and were 25 minutes in length, which honestly felt very short and wish they could have been longer.

Here are the questions I remember. Most of them are pretty standard.

Tell us about yourself, from High School up till now.

Why do you want to be an officer, and why Duluth?

If you’re hired for a part-time position, what will you do for work?

What qualities do you look for in a leader?

Why are you better than any of these other guys here today?

What will make you successful in UPT?

Tell me about a time you faced criticism from your supervisor/boss and how you handled it.

Are you okay with blowing people up?

What would make you a good fighter pilot?

Have you ever been in the back of a cop car?

Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?

A lot of what we do here requires good teamwork, what qualities do you think are essential for a strong team?

With your background, you could be making a lot more money by getting a real job. How do you feel about not making a lot of money?

Edited March 28, 2014 by Milchstrasse