Standard Interview Questions

[MickG]

1 hour ago, Engineer2Pilot said:

Alright guys,

 

2 fighter interviews so far with no luck. "Be yourself" is truly the best advice given, canned answers and a fake interview personality are bad for business. What I'm struggling with is the general question "Why fighters?" or "why do you want to fly military/Air Force?" I've always had a desire to serve the country, but only recently have I found out I can do it flying for the military. Like I literally started pursuing this last year as hard as possible. I'm having trouble verbalizing that this is what I want to do with my life and it isn't some fad or phase that will fizzle out in a few years. I don't want to seem like I'm jumping on a bandwagon with guys who have wanted to fly, particularly fighters for their whole lives opposed to me who has realized the possibility and chased the dream for about a year now. Thoughts on this?   

I'm in the same boat. Just got back from my first fighter interview. Fingers crossed. 

To answer the question, "Why do I want to fly in the Air Force?" I framed it with the following reasons. 

1. First and foremost, to help deliver on the mission of the Air Force in defending the United States (this should be your most explained point, bring up the second core value of the Air Force "Service Before Self")

2. Second, for the opportunity to fly the most technologically advanced planes available and become the best pilot I can be.

3. Lastly and least importantly, it's a very cost effective way to become an airline pilot and after all, this is my goal once I am a Reservist. 

To answer the question, "Why fighters?" You gotta look at the specific fighter your flying and the specific squadron your flying with. What about the mission excites you and makes you think that you would be a good fit. I interviewed with an A-10 Squadron, and so my answer was along the lines of "I don't see any more gratifying way to serve my country than that of the close air support missions that the A-10 serves. To be able to see good guys and bad guys on the ground and make an impact right then and there is my ultimate dream."

Hope this helps. 

[iRobot]

Hey all,

I tried to memorize the questions as best as possible from my interview. Not exactly verbatim, but very close. Here are the questions I was asked:

1. Tell us about yourself, personal and professional; also, tell us about your flying experience.

2. What do you know about the KC-135?

3. What does it mean to you to be an Officer in the military?

4. How have you handled leadership roles (if any applies to you)?

5. How have you handled disagreements between you and co-workers, including superiors and subordinates.

6. Tell us about your coolest/craziest flying experience.

7. Can you pass the physical portion of OTS? (funny story with that 😅)

8. What are your personal/professional goals?

9. What are your goals for flying with the Air Force Reserves? (Full time AGR/ART or TR)

10. How do you plan on supplementing your income as a Reservist, especially in CA?

11. Are you ok with deployments?

12. How do you plan on committing your time (outside of your career) to the Reserves?

13. Tell us about your most proud moment(s)/achievement(s).

14. Tell us about your least proud moment(s)/failure(s).

15. Are you applying to any other units?

16. Is your family/spouse on board for what you plan on committing to?
    • This question was something they really emphasized. I believe a lot of folks (especially younger) don't realize the extent of how committed you have to be, especially with a family on board.

I interviewed with the amazing pilots and aircrew from the 336th ARS, and they mentioned I did well. Awesome experience and quite frankly, ANY chance you can interview, do it, regardless of the base, airframe, etc. (just my $0.02). Being a civilian showing up to an air base for the first time with a panel of 7+ Officers and NCO's can be intimidating for some. (I've been fortunate enough to be around a lot of military personnel, so I've grown used to it).

Side note: I know I really shouldn't have to say this but...  just be completely open and honest in your answers. Some of the answers I gave were very personal, but hey, if I am to be with these folks for the next 20+ years of my life, then we better lay a solid foundation of trust right out of the gates.

[ASE.K]

Had a KC-135 board today:

Tell us about yourself

Did you do anything in town last night

Tell us about a stressful situation

What do you think makes a good candidate on paper. Followed up with what makes a good leader

*Read weather report*

What do you think UPT is like

How do you take criticism 

How do you feel being a role model not only as a female pilot but as one of the few female officers on the base

Scenario: You're a new co pilot and your AC/Boom get into a huge fight at a bar, the next day they aren't talking. How do you handle it?

Tell us how you got your call sign

Why did you get a D in immunology 

What lets you see in the dark, rods or cones

What are the lights on the aircraft and where are there

Tell us about winning Airman of the year for your state

 

I was fortunate enough to get feedback before I even reported out. Just breathe and be yourself, getting the job is great but more importantly you want a unit that likes you for who you are!

Good luck on your boards!!!

 

Edited October 17, 2018 by ASE.K

[GoodSplash9]

36 minutes ago, Flying Pillows said:

I would really appreciate if a couple of the experienced dudes on here could hammer me with some interview prep! I would also love to compare packages with dudes so I can get on the right track, thanks dudes. Really looking forward to getting drilled by everyone, always trying to better myself! 

Ugh...first lesson is situational awareness with word choice. Telling a bunch of pilots your "looking to get drilled by everyone" or "hammered by dudes" will probably make the entire board giggle, but they'll also likely think your stupid. I'm personally not a big "STS" guy, but you definitely could have used it 2-3 times. 

Other than that, this thread already has enough golden information for you to "drill yourself hard, so to speak, with interview prep questions". Take the initiative on your own, highly unlikely anyone is going to spend personal time helping you prep for an interview above and beyond what is already here. You could consider Bogidope's consulting service for interview prep if you have a few bucks.

[Engraft]

21 minutes ago, GoodSplash9 said:

Ugh...first lesson is situational awareness with word choice.

At this point, I'm pretty sure it's intentional.

[GoodSplash9]

Just now, Engraft said:

At this point, I'm pretty sure it's intentional.

Innuendo troll? I saw a few other posts of his in the hiring board thread that had the same level of SA.

[Hopefulflyer389]

8 hours ago, Flying Pillows said:

Sorry, was looking for interview prep. 

As mentioned before, this thread is full of information and you can extrapolate what you want to make a custom questionare. In regards to packets, invest in bogidope’s packet evaluation. 

[goodflightcowboy]

What I can remember from Tulsa at the moment

In 30-90 seconds, tell me about yourself

Mental math question varied from person to person, mostly multiplication and division

Identify: F-15, F-16, F-18, T-38, T-6, SU-27, U-2, B-1, Robin Olds

Why you and not the other guys?

What will you do if we don't hire you? 

Where are you in 10 years?

Video: you just killed 7 people. How do you feel?

How will you interact with the enlisted?

How can you improve interactions with the enlisted?

I see a lot of knowledge on your resume; teach me something

We talked to the person who hates you the most/likes you the least. What would they say, and why?

Would you rather fight a horse sized duck, or 100 duck sized horses?

 

Will edit if I remember more

Edited November 8, 2018 by goodflightcowboy
Remembered more

[donkey]

3 hours ago, goodflightcowboy said:

What I can remember from Tulsa at the moment

In 30-90 seconds, tell me about yourself

Mental math question varied from person to person, mostly multiplication and division

Identify: F-15, F-16, F-18, T-38, T-6, SU-27, U-2, B-1, Robin Olds

Why you and not the other guys?

What will you do if we don't hire you? 

Where are you in 10 years?

Video: you just killed 7 people. How do you feel?

How will you interact with the enlisted?

I see a lot of knowledge on your resume; teach me something

 

Will edit if I remember more

Based on your comment in the other thread, what answer were they looking for on 5 lol, that you'd chain yourself to the guard gate until they gave you a slot?

[Seadogs]

13 minutes ago, donkey said:

Based on your comment in the other thread, what answer were they looking for on 5 lol, that you'd chain yourself to the guard gate until they gave you a slot?

The answer is probably give up and go work at Burger King.

[goodflightcowboy]

3 hours ago, donkey said:

Based on your comment in the other thread, what answer were they looking for on 5 lol, that you'd chain yourself to the guard gate until they gave you a slot?

Lol well, I got to ask them that in the debrief! 

Apparently, the answer was more about reflecting that this is my life, and that I’d do everything I could to become a Viper pilot somewhere. They said that I didn’t exude the qualities of a fighter pilot, I don’t wanna run out and jump in the jet. So, without being bitter, it became evident that the answer is making it crystal clear that you only want one thing in life, which is to be a fighter pilot. 

[Adamw412]

Interviewed at the NDANG 119th Wing UPT/URT board. Board was three members.It was a pretty relaxing atmosphere, chuckles and laughs all around in the beginning.  They began with some pretty easy questions:

What do I know about North Dakota and am I okay with cold?

Do I have a family and are they okay with moving to North Dakota?

Why am I interested in the North Dakota ANG?

Do I know the difference between UPT and URT?

If I am transferred over and worse comes to worse where something happens and I am either not able to attend UPT/URT, or I washout, what would my plan be?

If I am selected and complete UPT/URT, what would I do for work after I finish all of the training?

They asked me a few specific questions about my application package, mostly regarding my military history, and what drove me to move to Alaska?

 Most of the hard interview questions were centered around leadership and my experience as a leader:

What is my leadership style?

Tell them about a time I was criticized for making the right decision.

Tell them about a time where, as a leader, I made a decision based upon the information I was given that turned out to be the wrong decision, and how I handled it.

How do I feel about killing someone?

They then opened to floor for questions from me where we spent the next 20 minutes or so just chatting about the unit up there, and comparison between North Dakota and Fairbanks, Alaska where I currently am. 

There may have been a few other question scattered in there that I forgot. Overall the interview lasted right about 40 minutes.

Not a real difficult interview altogether, but as the interview that popped my cherry, it was great experience. I do not anticipate getting selected. 

Edited November 7, 2018 by Adamw412

[Spicoli]

C-130 Unit. Board consisted of 6 people (pilots, nav, flight engineer, loadmaster). 

1. Tell us about yourself and how you ended up here.
2. Why the C-130, why this city, why this unit?
3. Tell us about a time you had a disagreement with a co-worker/supervisor.
4. UPT is hard, tell us about a time you failed and how you overcame the failure.
5. Weaknesses question (reworded as a “strengths that are lacking” or something along those lines).
6. Question about how I handle leadership (“We aren’t hiring co-pilots, we’re hiring future aircraft commanders. How do you handle leadership?”).
7. What are your plans post seasoning?
8. Have you applied anywhere else? 

Then they asked my about my flying time (had a several month break in my log book).

There may have been one or two more; I’ll edit later if they pop up. This thread was very helpful in my preparation for the interview and I walked out feeling pretty good about it. It was my first interview and, of course, there are things I would’ve said a little different in hindsight but overall I was prepared for what they asked and nothing came as too much of a surprise. Great board, everyone was friendly and it was pretty relaxed. Whole thing took about 25 minutes.

Should be hearing something any day now...

[M2]

[Hopefulflyer389]

2 hours ago, M2 said:

Illustrates all of my interviews 

[jvlonardo]

I totally forgot to post this following my interview back in Feb and for that I'm sorry for lack of detail, considering how well this thread helped me. I was the only civilian at mine so not sure how my interview compared to the Officer/Enlisted guys in the unit / Enlisted from another base. Got word that i knocked it out of the park and I believe its because i compiled all the questions from the threads and spent the time answering them. Casual interview environment with some joking, but I can't overemphasize how cool it was and the advice I got. Girl from another base said she was given a plane down scenario (at her home unit's interview) and basically had to answer in a timely manner how they'd deal with potential hostiles approaching a downed plane. Sounded rough compared to my experience at this other unit. Remember to have good thoughtful questions to ask them too by the way. Evaluate how they treat you and if the unit interviewing you (chances are you'll work with them all) has the leadership/atmosphere you'd want to spend your life working at.

1. Tell us about yourself.

2. What is the hardest thing you've ever had to do?

3. In what ways are you a leader? What type of leader are you?

4. How would your friends describe you?

5. Who were some role models in your life and why?

6. What do you know about the whole process?

7. Have you considered the time commitments / where will you work and what you will do besides the Reserve (seasoning will make it hard to have a job for a while after you're back at the base from training)? Deployments and TDY?

8. Some questions about my hobbies and personal interests.

9. What questions do you have for us?

Attached the list of questions that I went through and answered. Ended up being about 7 pages of text but it was worth the time.

Interview Questions Blank.pdf

Edited April 24, 2019 by jvlonardo

[Nova1976]

I recently Interviewed at a fighter unit and this thread helped me a ton! Most of the questions asked where already stated here and there was some personal questions asked about my packet. The interview was unexpectedly very relaxed. Although, after the interview I forgot to ask the board when I should expect to hear back from them. (Rookie mistake) 

My question for you guys is, how long did it take for you to get input back? If so, did you get a call even if you were not selected? Just trying to get an idea of what to expect now, and in the future at other interviews. 

Good Luck!  

[N730]

I recently Interviewed at a fighter unit and this thread helped me a ton! Most of the questions asked where already stated here and there was some personal questions asked about my packet. The interview was unexpectedly very relaxed. Although, after the interview I forgot to ask the board when I should expect to hear back from them. (Rookie mistake) 
My question for you guys is, how long did it take for you to get input back? If so, did you get a call even if you were not selected? Just trying to get an idea of what to expect now, and in the future at other interviews. 
Good Luck!  

Timeframe depends on the unit. After one interview, they called everyone the Monday following the interview weekend.

With my other interview, they called exactly a week after my interview. I think they tried to call those selected first, because I know it took a few days for them to get in touch with everyone.

I think the vast majority of units let applicants know either way.

And honestly, if they don’t let you know after an interview, it might be for the best. These interviews are a big deal, a big effort, and expensive. If a unit doesn’t appreciate that enough to have a difficult phone call or at least email the people they interviewed, I’m not sure I’d want to be a part of that unit.

I kind of understand not sending rejection emails to 200 applicants that didn’t get interviews. But personally, I feel like the 10-20 people that interview should be notified of the results and given feedback.


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[CharlieHotel47]

On 11/2/2018 at 9:38 AM, Hopefulflyer389 said:

As mentioned before, this thread is full of information and you can extrapolate what you want to make a custom questionare. In regards to packets, invest in bogidope’s packet evaluation. 

The guys at Bogidope are great. I second the comment above. 

[JustHangingOut]

On 6/13/2019 at 5:57 PM, CharlieHotel47 said:

The guys at Bogidope are great. I second the comment above. 

i'll second this 

[CavGuy]

Questions for current mil guys. What is the reporting in process for an Air Force interview and will they let you know beforehand if its required? They require service dress for the interview. I'm an Army Officer and want to do it the correct way to AF standard if thats expected. Thanks

[CharlieHotel47]

Questions for current mil guys. What is the reporting in process for an Air Force interview and will they let you know beforehand if its required? They require service dress for the interview. I'm an Army Officer and want to do it the correct way to AF standard if thats expected. Thanks

Had 3 interviews and I asked the same question in all before each one. For all three I just had to knock an come in. Maybe the heavy guys I was interviewing w were somewhat relaxed. No one told me to come in, salute and say reporting as order sir/ma’am... is it just an army thing?


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[CavGuy]

1 hour ago, CharlieHotel47 said:

 

Had 3 interviews and I asked the same question in all before each one. For all three I just had to knock an come in. Maybe the heavy guys I was interviewing w were somewhat relaxed. No one told me to come in, salute and say reporting as order sir/ma’am... is it just an army thing?


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Only time I've had to do formal reporting-in in the Army is at the school house. Other than that, the Guard is pretty chill. I've read many different comments on threads on here that currently enlisted guys need to report-in. Glad to hear that probably wont be the case.

[Snuggie]

This thread was very helpful as I prepped for my interview. My background; I'm a qualified IP in the unit's MWS and I applied for a part time position. The questions I remembered are below.

Was told specifically not to report in (and that they would make fun of me for it if I did). For the interview it was the SQ/CC, DO, an ADO, Supt, another enlisted leader and another pilot. It was a quick interview and somewhat informal.

-Why this unit/location? How did you hear about the unit?

-Why you?

-What are you plans for work?

-How often do you think you will be able to fly with us?

-They asked for the story of my call sign. 

-What airplanes are on the sticks outside the gate? There were 5 and I only knew one. 

[CavGuy]

I've had two interviews since October, both KC-135 units.

YMMV but here were some of the questions asked.

Unit 1: 4 pilots (O2-O4) sit around a small conference table, casual. Quick interview, about 30 minutes.

-About yourself

-Flying aspirations

-Why this unit/plane

-Spouse good with moving to the area?

-Flight experience

-Why me

-What questions I had for them.

 

Unit 2: 8 pilots and booms. Large conference room table, 1.25 hours. This one was much more thorough and professional in demeanor. Was required to do a formal report-in to the board upon entering the room.

-Formal reporting in

-About yourself

-Talked about medical issue that prevented me from flying in the AF before

-My current military job experience and what it could bring to the table in an AF unit

-Plans for work or if I wanted to work full time in the unit after UPT

-Scenario based question regarding feuding crew members and how I'd handle it as a junior Officer

-Flight experience in detail. Each board member went through my log book and asked questions from it

-8-10 questions from the FAA Private Pilot PTS book. I'm glad I prepared for this by studying up before the interview

-Why me

-Questions for them 

-Asked if I wanted to go see a plane (of course YES!)

 

Edited December 30, 2019 by CavGuy