Standard Interview Questions

[A300]

176th/168th dual board

10 pilots from 5 different squadrons sat behind a table and had me sit in a chair in the middle of the room. Very professional atmosphere, but very welcoming. Introduced everybody and asked about my flight up to Anchorage. Said I was a little jet lagged and apologized in advance if it showed, they laughed. Make your board feel at ease with you and BE CONFIDENT!

questions encountered:

-tell us a little bit about yourself

-volunteering history

-you are 19, why should we give you the keys to a multi million dollar jet?

-what does leadership mean to you?

-what leaderships rolls have you been in during your young life? (I used group activities throughout college. Just make sure you have an example and can back it up.)

-what makes a good officer?

-what are the core air force values? (I had no idea and told them but tried to guess a few. They said they sounded like Army values and laughed)

-when was the air force formed? (late '40's was my answer)

-Why do you have a mustache? (this was a joke question)

-What is a strength you have and a weakness you have? (spin the negative to a positive! DON'T TAKE THE BAIT!)

-You will potentially be ordered into a hostile environment where you will be shot at. How do you feel about this? (Put deep thought into this question and SHOW them you are thinking about it)

-What are your plans for work outside of flying for the ANG, and what will keep you in Alaska? (this is the easiest question if you know how to answer it)

They made some jokes about me being a left brained person then asked:

-beer or wine?

-dog or cat?

-If there was a photography convention (I am a pro photographer) after you got flying with your crew, will you go there or to the bar with us? (BAR, DUH!!)

-What was a situation that you were in that you faced an issue, and how did you handle it? ( I used a flying example on my solo...they are more concerned with how you react during a situation, not so much the situation itself...again, very easy question if you know how to answer)

-Something about how you deal with a problem. (I changed the word problem to challenge, which they liked. Just food for thought)

-Is there any questions for us? (I asked about future hiring boards they will have and if I need to apply to each one if I don't get selected this time. Shows you are interested in that unit and will keep trying)

I got up and shook everyone's hand individually and thanked them and left. I hung out with a couple of Captain's the rest of the day and chatted, they toured me around, etc. The board president and her husband offered to give me a ride back to my hotel which gave us some more great time to chat about flying and what not. I was notified today I got the primary slot for the KC-135.

Please, hit me up if you have any interview questions or need help preparing and I'll give you some pointers that worked well for me.

[Termy]

Good update and congrats. The only thing I will say from a dude who sits on boards is I disagree you need to spin a negative into a positive. We are usually more impressed when someone has the maturity to admit their weakness and what they'd like to do to fix it.

[A300]

Good update and congrats. The only thing I will say from a dude who sits on boards is I disagree you need to spin a negative into a positive. We are usually more impressed when someone has the maturity to admit their weakness and what they'd like to do to fix it.

Thanks dude. Yeah, I hear ya. This is what I mean though by flipping to a positive. A question like "what is a weakness of yours." could be answered something like "I tend to be impatient at times because I like to get things done" and then follow up with an example of why you have been impatient or whatever. If you're confident with yourself and relaxed, good answers will flow.

[BDJ238]

I was also at this board. Each interview was tailored to the individual. I was even told in my interview that the board Facebook stalked me! Look out! The interview was supposed to last 45 min and I took an hour and a half. A good deal was convincing the board that I wanted to be here and that my wife wouldn't leave me for moving from the southern states to AK. I was notified I got the Alternate for the 211th RQS.

I honestly feel that stoping by the night before my interview and hanging out with the guys in the 211th for a while may have made the difference in setting me apart over others.

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[JEFF-15]

Interviewed with the High Rollers 192AS out of Reno.

The board was set up sort of like good cop bad cop. The questions were like many you'll read on here.

Tell us about yourself

What makes a good leader?

What's more important officer or pilot?

Tell us a strength/weakness

Tell us about (finds something in the packet I submitted)

Tell us about UPT

Tell us about our mission

Why do you want to move to Reno

Does your wife approve of moving

Asked me a little about my plans to work after seasoning.

Asked me about flying.

They dressed in blues. Board was an RPA guy, Nav, Pilot, Pilot, Pilot, Pilot.

[matmacwc]

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

Love ya brother but oh the places I could go with this....

[nsplayr]

Love ya brother but oh the places I could go with this....

What?

[BDJ238]

Interviewed with Savannah, Ga yesterday. 8 interviewees, I was next to last. 5 Officers on the board, no enlisted members, 6 questions total. The one thing that caught me off guard was doing formal reporting upon entering. I haven't done that in years and years.

1. Tell us about yourself.

2. Talk about a difficult situation you've been in, what you did, & what you learned.

3. Tell us about a time when you had to step up as a leader and take charge. Also talk about you leadership styles and preferences.

4. Tell us about a time you had to go against the grain to do what you felt was right. IE didn't agree with leadership or regs.

5. Tell us about a time you failed at something.

6. Why you?

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[SnakeLegsBanks]

First Post, recently selected to fly C-130s so I'll add my experiences from my 3 interviews here.

Fist of all, the key for me was going to visit the unit (may seem pretty obvious but I think it's worth repeating). I sent out a lot of applications and as the record stands, I'm batting 1.000 on interviews for units that I visited, and .000 for those I didn't. This may have been more important because I'm from CA, and everyone automatically assumes you are a douche (can't really blame them).

First interview was at an a-10 unit. I had visited once for a drill weekend and met most of the pilots. One of 14 I think interviewing, most were non-prior like me.

I wasn't prepared for how INformal it was. Interviewed with 3 pilots, 2 of them were pretty new. It was a very casual atmosphere, and basically just a conversation, really don't remember many interview-type questions.

-Tell me what we do/what is our mission?

-How do you feel about killing people (was told prior that the correct response was somewhere between the guy who said he was against it and wouldn't do it, and the guy who said he had a gun in his truck and would go kill anyone they wanted right now)

I had prepared pretty thoroughly for all the tough questions, and walked out of there feeling like I left alot of my good talking points on the table.

2nd interview was a c-130 unit. I had visited previously 3-4 times, one drill weekend and a couple short mid-week drop-ins. I developed a pretty good relationship with the guy running the board, and another LtCol who lived near me. I was one of 7 or 8 being considered, I think I was the only non-prior.

The interview was pretty formal, ~6 O's in blues with you sitting in the single chair in the middle of the room.

Most of the questions were what you would expect. A few that stood out to me were:

-Do you plan to move here, what will you do for work?

-Would you consider a navigator position?

-Why this aircraft/this unit?

-If a fighter unit called after you were selected, would you go interview with them?

-Tell me what leadership and integrity mean to you, and how they go together.

-Tell us a joke.

1 or 2 questions I stumbled on, but felt I recovered ok and didn't completely bomb them. Ended up getting the alternate position. I got feedback from the guy running the board that it was close and I was his top choice. The advice he gave me was that I did a good job in the interview, but I could have kept the atmosphere a little 'lighter' and to act more like a 'rockstar'. Tought to do sitting in the hot seat in front of 6 officers in blues grilling you, but take that for whatever it's worth.

3rd, successful interview was another c-130 unit. Visited once, mid-week met a handful of pilots. One of 5 interviewing, I think only 1 was prior service.

Interview had 7-8 pilots in flight suits, and was much less formal than the last. A few questions I remember

-How will you support yourself here if selected. This was a very big deal in this unit, and I had taken the advice of a Col. I had met during my visit, and researched some specific jobs in the area. Nailed the response by telling them I had started the application process for x, y, and z jobs in the area.

-We are only hiring pilots on this board, but why pilot and not nav? Also nailed this response by telling them it didn't make much sense as a career move with the upcoming J-model transition. Probably wouldn't be a good response if there was a Nav in the room, but it was all pilots and I remember seeing each of them nod in approval and start writing notes almost in unison.

-If you were selected, and for some reason ended up being DQ'd for pilot down the road, would you consider a different officer position in the unit? Told them I would because I was down with the mission of the unit, and by that point I would be too old to be applying for pilot spots anyways.

-Tell us about a great leader you have met, and what some of their traits are that you would bring to the unit.

The rest of the interview was just them asking questions about about my resume. I was able to take the feedback from the previous interview, and tried to keep the atmosphere more casual. The whole thing was more of a conversation than an interview, if that makes sense. I walked out of there feeling like I got the job, and 2 days later I found out I was right.

Every interview was very different, but no matter how formal/informal they were looking back they all wanted to see the successful canidate connect with them on a personal level. My advice is don't be the 'I'm honored for this opportunity/thank you for your consideration/If selected I won't let you down, Sir' guy. You don't want to be cocky, but you don't want to be humble either. It's kinda like meeting your girlfriends parents for the first time. You don't want to be disrespectful and cocky, but you want to impress them and be confident. You have to know your place, but you want to walk away as friends at the end of the interview. I think working on this approach is more important than preparing for any specific questions.

Good luck to everyone, and have fun travelling around the country and hanging out with pilots.

PS- about showing up with booze: most units are stoked, but some are not (maybe the commander doesn't drink or something like that). My move was to show up in the morning with a travel case or 2 of hot Starbucks. It's a safe play and they aren't expensive. Leave the booze in the car until you can gather some intel.

[agizzle]

I interviewed at the 183rd AS this week and compiled most of the questions that were asked to me.

First the board was made up of 6 members, 5 pilots and 1 loadmaster all gathered around a conference room table with me at the head and the board leader at the other end. There were no formal reporting procedures in terms of addressing the board upon entry. It was very laid back and everyone was friendly but the questions were very standard and professional and it lasted about an hour.

1. Identify your biggest strength

2. Identify your biggest weakness

3. One word to best describe you

4. Tell of a time you had to disagree with a boss

5. Tell of a time when you had to make an unfavorable decision as a leader

6. Who would you select if 2 units both offered you a position

7. Why this unit

8. What do you plan on doing to support yourself after UPT

9. Who is someone in your life that has made a big impact and why

10. At the end they gave me an opportunity to sell myself and tell the board anything I wanted then gave me the opportunity to ask the board any questions

[Yossarian1234]

A few from Montana:

Tell us about yourself.

What do you know about this unit?

If you could choose any aircraft to fly, what would it be and why?

What one mission would you want to fly before you retire?

I mentioned something humanitarian... Which opened a can of worms about equipping C-130's with guns or shipping guns and how I'd feel about being directly responsible for killing someone.

A few scenario-based questions putting me in a position of authority. E.g. The navigator outranks you but you're the one in charge of the mission, weather is at minimum he doesn't want to fly what do you do?

Ugh it's all a blur now... I could have done sooo much better....

They were very laid back and friendly. Only three pilots on the board. Great guys.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Yossarian1234

[HercDude]

Recently interviewed with the 172AW in Jackson, MS for a TR job transferring from another airframe. There were 5 people on the interview panel - 1 LM and 4 pilots of varying backgrounds.

- What is your leadership style

- Tell me about an EP you had

- Tell me about a time you failed, and what you learned

- TMAAT you disagreed with your boss, and how you handled it

- TMAAT you took input from a subordinate

- What do you bring to the table besides flying experience

- Why do you want to come here

- Why DON'T you want to go somewhere else (specifically named a different unit I was interviewing with)

- Why should we pick you

[Helopilot]

Interviewed with the 106th Rescue Wing about a year ago. I'm a Navy H-60 pilot going "Gold to Silver". The board was for rated helo pilots looking to transfer to the HH-60. The board was 4 pilots(2 O-5s, 1 O-4, 1 O-3) The questions I was asked you can probably find on this thread already. The biggest piece of advice I can give to folks is that the board notices the amount of effort you put in and how much you want to be at that unit. They interviewed 9 or 10 guys, but only 4 guys interviewed in person, the rest did a phone interview. 3 of the 4 in person applicants got picked(myself included).

How you answer there questions is important, but they definitely also take notice of how you conduct yourself before the interview and can tell how much you want to be at that particular unit and not just an ANG pilot at whatever unit will take me.

I might be an extreme example, but I flew in from Hawaii and that was the only place I applied to.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Helopilot

[bb17]

Got back recently from an interview at my unit of choice and was offered the job! The most unique of the "questions" was the first one, in which they said "This interview is all about you, so spend 5 minutes and tell us about yourself and what got you here". Most of the rest of the questions they asked fed on my answer to that particular question, and in the end the interview lasted about 45 minutes. At the end they offered me the opportunity to ask exactly 1 question of my own. I've been to a handful of interviews and while the format was similar (still sitting in a chair in front of a bunch of pilots), I felt the open ended nature of the interview resulted in a great dialogue that was beneficial to both me and the hiring board. It was very non-confrontational. 

I felt the real interview, though, was not what I said in the board room, but rather the general interactions you have between not only the pilots, but the enlisted members as well as the other candidates interviewing. Say yes to every opportunity they give you, whether it is to grab lunch, to hang out at the bar, or whatever. Hopefully you have strong test scores and good work experience, and beyond that, just be a good dude with a positive attitude and you will go far. 

My advice - be yourself and be laid back! Don't be afraid to joke around if you see the opportunity, and also don't take things personally if they give you a hard time about something stupid you do or say. Also, if your interview is in a different city, I'd highly recommend making a mini-vacation out of it and even taking your spouse with if you are married. Not only will it help you make an informed decision about living there, but it will also show the board that you are committed.

Edited October 5, 2015 by bb17

[The Beast]

I think this is a good thing. However, although I am not on one of these boards nor am I in one of these units...

 

I can smell a canned answer from a mile away. Be careful how you use this.

 

My Advice: Know your answer...have the points...don't have a statement.

 

Except:

 

 

 

EVERYONE should have AT LEAST one in your pocket just cause.

 

Just humble advice.

 

BENDY

This is very good advice. I have conducted interviews for an AFRC unit for approximately 8-9 years, hired people from all kinds of backgrounds. In my experience I am looking for three things when I ask questions:

1. Can you make it through training?

2. Will you stick around once we train you?

3. Do you fit in with our culture?

The last one is the most important for the interview questions. No matter what the answers are I can get a pretty good idea of someones character by the answers they give. Most of us have been in the same position and understand the awkwardness of answering interview questions. The best thing to do is answer confidently and honestly.

Beast

[Rohhiram]

Couldn't agree more. Meeting the guys before the interviews helped, and they told me they're looking for 2 things. First; Will you make it through training? Second; Can we get along with you? I've had a couple different bases say when I asked for advice "We can teach you how to fly a plane, but we can't teach you to get along with people."

I was just selected for a 135 slot. Couldn't be happier. Board was 4 officers, Lt to Lt Col. Questions were basically the same as what's been posted.

What's the dumbest thing you've ever done?

On a scale of 1-10, how lucky do you feel?

Tell us about yourself

If you could change anything about your resume, what would it be

What do you know about the 135 and it's mission

What do you plan to do for full-time employment

How do you handle doing work that you don't really want to do

Have you ever been deployed

Tell us about a leadership experience you had

[cagg011]

I was recently selected by a guard unit, and much of my success came from this thread alone. So, I thought I would return the favor.

The board was made up of 5 pilots, ranging from Captain to Lt Col. The most important thing for them was how well we would fit in with their squadron, since our backgrounds/resumes were all outstanding and could get us to pilot training alone. Below are the interview questions:

• Tell us about yourself.
• Name these aircraft (15 or so, ranging from heavies to foreign fighters).
• Favorite movie?
• Why the interest in becoming a military aviator, other than it's a cool career?
• What are the challenges of becoming an F-16 pilot, and how will you handle them?
• Explain what you do for your civilian job (I am not in the aviation industry).
• What would you do for a living after seasoning?
• Favorite drink?
• Do you own any guns?
• Did you play any sports growing up? What was your favorite?
• When was the last time you flew? What did you do?
• Are you aware you will deploy?
• Are you aware you may be tasked with gunning down an airliner and killing civilians?
• When was a time your judgement was questioned?
• Tell us about our mission/what we do.
• Any questions or concerns for us?

[Idontknownanything]

I was recently selected by a guard unit, and much of my success came from this thread alone. So, I thought I would return the favor.

The board was made up of 5 pilots, ranging from Captain to Lt Col. The most important thing for them was how well we would fit in with their squadron, since our backgrounds/resumes were all outstanding and could get us to pilot training alone. Below are the interview questions:

• Tell us about yourself.
• Name these aircraft (15 or so, ranging from heavies to foreign fighters).
• Favorite movie?
• Why the interest in becoming a military aviator, other than it's a cool career?
• What are the challenges of becoming an F-16 pilot, and how will you handle them?
• Explain what you do for your civilian job (I am not in the aviation industry).
• What would you do for a living after seasoning?
• Favorite drink?
• Do you own any guns?
• Did you play any sports growing up? What was your favorite?
• When was the last time you flew? What did you do?
• Are you aware you will deploy?
• Are you aware you may be tasked with gunning down an airliner and killing civilians?
• When was a time your judgement was questioned?
• Tell us about our mission/what we do.
• Any questions or concerns for us?

Where did you interview? If ya don't mind my asking.

[Drewh716]

How do you guys balance experience vs personal details in your responses during the boards? I have completed several interviews, but the feedback I receive is that I need to talk more about who I am as a person and not so much what I've done. Which is confusing because what I've accomplished reflects who I am as an individual and my work ethic. Thoughts?

[mrgrey]

Interviewing soon with a Herk unit. Is it custom to leave a bottle of Jack or is that just for FWs?

[herkbum]

Interviewing soon with a Herk unit. Is it custom to leave a bottle of Jack or is that just for FWs?

No one would ever complain

[Idontknownanything]

Is that actually koshier/expected for FW interviews?

[cagg011]

Every FW I interviewed with (except for the 177th), it seemed it was in your best interest to do so.

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[Sledge Hammer]

Is that actually koshier/expected for FW interviews?

I never brought one and I got hired. No one ever cared either way.

[Drewh716]

I've received feedback that I need to talk more about who I am as a person rather than what I've done. How would you guys approach this?