Standard Interview Questions

[ChristisKing]

CavGuy did you get picked up??


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[CavGuy]

11 hours ago, ChristisKing said:

CavGuy did you get picked up??


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negative

[CavGuy]

C-17 unit:

Bulk of the applicants already enlisted in the unit. No formal reporting in. Consisted of the SC, 4 pilots, 1 loadmaster.

-Tell us about yourself

-What would your Commander say about you

-Why this unit

-Asked about an obscure item on my application

-What questions do I have

Quickest interview ever, 10 minutes long (short). All the other applicants were 10 minutes as well. Not anticipating getting hired.

[ChesterBear]

Hello

AD pilot here, rushed/informal interviewed with an ANG unit 5 weeks ago.  3 weeks later I didn't hear anything so I texted the POC about when I might expect to hear back from them with a yea/nay, he said he'd look into it.  Still nothing.  Should I keep sitting tight for an answer, or just move on with my job search?  Thanks!

[CavGuy]

On 2/27/2020 at 5:01 PM, ChesterBear said:

Hello

AD pilot here, rushed/informal interviewed with an ANG unit 5 weeks ago.  3 weeks later I didn't hear anything so I texted the POC about when I might expect to hear back from them with a yea/nay, he said he'd look into it.  Still nothing.  Should I keep sitting tight for an answer, or just move on with my job search?  Thanks!

Lots of units out there, not sure what airframe you're rated in but apply everywhere unless  you're dead set on a single unit/city.

[Grave]

This thread helped me out a ton for my interview with a C-17 unit. Ended up doing very well and got picked up. Here's what I can remember.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself

2. Tell me about a time where you succeeded. Tell me about a time where you failed.

3. some questions about my current career field which some of the board members were unfamiliar with.

4. Why the C-17/How did you get here?

5. What are the capabilities of the C-17/What role does it fill?

And a few follow up questions from my answers.
 

I might be missing a question or two, but the previous pages of this thread basically covered all the questions I experienced.

The questions here were super valuable! The best advice I can give is try to be relaxed. if you have made it all the way to the interview, you are qualified for the job. Now they want to know if you're someone they could work with for the next 5, 10, or 20 years.

[CavGuy]

59 minutes ago, Grave said:

This thread helped me out a ton for my interview with a C-17 unit. Ended up doing very well and got picked up. Here's what I can remember.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself

2. Tell me about a time where you succeeded. Tell me about a time where you failed.

3. some questions about my current career field which some of the board members were unfamiliar with.

4. Why the C-17/How did you get here?

5. What are the capabilities of the C-17/What role does it fill?

And a few follow up questions from my answers.
 

I might be missing a question or two, but the previous pages of this thread basically covered all the questions I experienced.

The questions here were super valuable! The best advice I can give is try to be relaxed. if you have made it all the way to the interview, you are qualified for the job. Now they want to know if you're someone they could work with for the next 5, 10, or 20 years.

Congratulations first off, you're set for life👍

Do you mind mentioning what unit?

[Broskees]

Recently got picked up by a fighter unit. This thread was incredibly useful during my preparation so I wanted to return the favor. Here were some of my questions:

1. Tell us about yourself.

2. Are you okay with the possibility of shooting down a civilian airliner?

3. Why should we choose you over all the other qualified applicants?

4. Convince me you wont wash out of UPT?

5. Have you ever been in a fight?

6. How will you interact with the enlisted personnel on base? (Asked by enlisted member)

7. What if you’re in UPT and failing, what would you do?

8. What is something you struggle with while flying? 

9. What’s more important, being an officer or a pilot?

10. Do you have any questions or closing remarks?

Biggest piece of advice I can give is to actually answer the question and relate your answer back to how you’ll succeed at UPT, flying, etc. At one of my interviews, I was so focused on deliberating that I never gave a straight answer to the question asked. Also, be yourself, be honest, and be confident even if you get pushback on some of your answers.

Best of luck to everyone!

[goodflightcowboy]

8 hours ago, Broskees said:

Recently got picked up by a fighter unit. This thread was incredibly useful during my preparation so I wanted to return the favor. Here were some of my questions:

1. Tell us about yourself.

2. Are you okay with the possibility of shooting down a civilian airliner?

3. Why should we choose you over all the other qualified applicants?

4. Convince me you wont wash out of UPT?

5. Have you ever been in a fight?

6. How will you interact with the enlisted personnel on base? (Asked by enlisted member)

7. What if you’re in UPT and failing, what would you do?

8. What is something you struggle with while flying? 

9. What’s more important, being an officer or a pilot?

10. Do you have any questions or closing remarks?

Biggest piece of advice I can give is to actually answer the question and relate your answer back to how you’ll succeed at UPT, flying, etc. At one of my interviews, I was so focused on deliberating that I never gave a straight answer to the question asked. Also, be yourself, be honest, and be confident even if you get pushback on some of your answers.

Best of luck to everyone!

Echoing CavGuy from earlier, congratulations first and foremost.

Mind sharing who picked you up? Didn't know any fighter units had interviews recently! 

[Queso_3]

One question that I've been asked and have seen on here quite a bit, "Are you applying to any other units?". What is the most common reason for this question? Are they looking to see if you are only applying to them or that specific plane/mission, or do they want to see you are shotgunning applications and pursuing your dream of becoming a pilot in the Air Guard and maybe they should pick you up now before another unit does?

Thank you to everyone on here for sharing your stories and feedback, these threads have helped me prepare tremendously with meet and greets, interviews, etc.

Cheers!

Edited June 30, 2020 by Ghost_17

[N730]

One question that I've been asked and have seen on here quite a bit, "Are you applying to any other units?". What is the most common reason for this question? Are they looking to see if you are only applying to them or that specific plane/mission, or do they want to see you are shotgunning applications and pursuing your dream of becoming a pilot in the Air Guard and maybe they should pick you up now before another unit does?
Thank you to everyone on here for sharing your stories and feedback, these threads have helped me prepare tremendously with meet and greets, interviews, etc.
Cheers!

I'm sure there are some exceptions, but multiple units and people I spoke with before getting hired said that they wanted to hear that you were applying other places to show that you really wanted it.

If you're only applying to one unit they may be flattered, but there may also be people that think "if this guy really wanted to be a pilot he'd be applying everywhere".

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[Ten30Seven]

Interviewed recently with a C-5 unit. Consisted of 7 pilots, super casual, no reporting in, interview was online and took about 45 minutes.

1. Introduce yourself

2. Why did you choose to go into the reserves instead of active duty?

3. How do you handle disagreements in decision making?

4. How would you balance a reservist career with an airline career?

5. Do you understand the time commitment involved, even with being a TR?

6. Everyone these days has good stats. What sets you apart?

7. Give an overview of your flight experience. Did you encounter any challenges during flight training?

8. Have you encountered any unsafe situations while flying? How did you handle them?

9. What are your strongest skills when it comes to flying?

10. Do you have any questions for us?

 

I'd echo Broskees' advice, find a way to tie in your answers to how you'd succeed as a pilot and fit in well in the squadron. Obviously be yourself and answer honestly, but don't be afraid to sell yourself too. Make a strong argument for why you should be the one to get hired.

[CavGuy]

Refueling squadron 5 pilots, 1 boom on the board

-tell about yourself

-my job in the military

-strength/weakness

-If you were on a layover with the crew, what would you do for fun

-in an emergency situation, how would you utilize the boom operator

-what movie character best describes you

-tell us about a funny experience that happened to you

-your biggest role model

-where you see yourself in 10 years

-why this unit and city

-a time you had to sacrifice or hard time in your life

-any questions for us

 

 

 

[FliesForLunch]

Interviewed with a  Reserve KC-135 Squadron and was offered the position. I used this forum to prepare myself for the questions and used the resume template from RST airline prep. Board was composed of the Squadron Commander and 5 other O-4's and 5's and a senior Boom. Informal and very conversation-like.

-Tell us about yourself  (made sure I spoke about me as a person and hit highlights that aren't mentioned on my packet)

- You're not used to having an enlisted person in your current aircraft, how do you plan to work with an enlisted boom?

- You're rolling down the runway taking off and the boom says "abort". he's not a pilot right? so, what do you do?

- What are your plans with your airline career and the squadron? do you plan to live local?

- I see you've hooked a ride, how do we know you're going to do well in training?

-Where do you see yourself once you're back from pilot training?

-What ties you to the local area and will you stay?

-Why do you wanna leave the Army?

- Why should we hire you?

 

At a point, it became less about answering interview type questions and we talked about my current military flying experience and the pain of transferring branches and how I planned to tackle that process. They also busted my balls for having addressed my cover and recommendation letters to the wrong Squadron Commander (was given an old packet instruction sheet and was told to follow the instructions exactly as listed, and that's what I did). I somehow turned it around into a "I am really good at following instructions" joke. At the end I thanked the board members for the chance to come interview and I handed them a nice bottle of liquor before leaving the room. The board members came out of the board room about an hour later and at noon, they let us know we had been accepted into the Squadron.

 

Luckily, despite COVID, the Squadron did invite a few of us to go meet them and rush the unit. I am convinced I was hired because I was able to meet everyone and fortunately I clicked very well with the guys and gals there. BE YOURSELF. Hang out, be honest and don't pretend to be someone you're not to impress them or force yourself to fit in. They can smell a bullsh*tter from a mile away. Answer the questions honestly and when given a scenario, tell them how you'd actually handle the situation. Don't try to give them Air Force book answer. They wanna know you're the type of person they can spend hours in the cockpit with and grab a beer at the bar. Be the guy that's gonna have their back and treat your crew like family. 

 

Background: Army fixed-wing, Regional CA, 2,000 TT

[CharlieHotel47]

 
Background: Army fixed-wing, Regional CA, 2,000 TT


Congrats Amigo and welcome to the blue side of the grass. You left the army’s best kept secret for an even better opportunity. #NKAWTG


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[FliesForLunch]

On 11/9/2020 at 11:29 AM, CharlieHotel47 said:

 

Congrats Amigo and welcome to the blue side of the grass. You left the army’s best kept secret for an even better opportunity. #NKAWTG
 

Thanks! Truly is a great gig and the best in the Army...STILL doesn't compare to the AF.

[Terminator5]

What's up ya'll. Blessed to have been somewhat recently picked up and wanted to share my experiences in the interviews with hopes that this can benefit others as this site was a huge help to me. I was selected on my 8th interview so for those of you all out there that don't get your first one keep pushing! Below are some of the questions I received in the interviews to the best I can remember. The questions with an exclamation after them I was asked in multiple interviews. These were all fighter squadrons.

Tell me about yourself and what got you here today (!)

What is your biggest strength and why?

Why do you want to live in "fill in unit location" and be apart of "fill in specific squadron" (!)

Biggest Weakness and how this has affected you as a leader.

A time you have failed, but it turned out to work in your favor.

Tell me about a failure you have had and how you handled it. (!)

Squadron is chilling at the bar, you have to put on a movie. What are you picking? (!)

What is your biggest accomplishment? (!)

Biggest role model and impact they have had on where you are today. (!)

Why do you want to fly the "fill in squadron aircraft" and what makes you think you will fit into our culture? (!)

Convince me you won't flunk out of UPT

Would you break a rule to have the back of your friend or squad mate?

TMAAT you helped someone else succeed.

Why not active duty? Have you considered other routes to UPT? (!)

What is your 5/10/20 year plan (!)

How do you feel about shooting down an airliner? 

TMAAT you disagreed with a peer and you ended up being wrong and how you handled that.

TMAAT you had to make a tough decision very quickly (!)

What do you love about flying and why do you want to fly?

There are a lot of other qualified individuals we are interviewing. Give me some things that make you stand out above all the rest. (!)

 

Best of luck to ya'll and happy to answer any questions if anyone has any.

Cheers!

[CavGuy]

I am extremely grateful for all the posters in this group and can proudly say I was offered my dream job as a KC135 UPT selectee today. This thread has been a wealth of knowledge.

KC135 board. 3 pilots, 1 boom operator (Captain to LT Col). Most relaxed, human interview I've participated in and so glad I get to call this unit my future home.

"Tell us about yourself" 

"Tell us about your civilian job and what its like"

"Do you want to be an airline pilot?"

"If you could get in the plane right now and go anywhere, where would you go and what would you eat?"
 

"How do you handle conflict with another person?"
 

"Tell us about your flight experience" 

"Ever have an instructor you didn't mesh with and how did you handle it?"

"What do you do as an Army Officer?"

"Favorite movie/food/drink? "

"Questions for us?"

PCSM 97    Pilot 87    250TT  Age 26

If anybody has specific questions or anything, please feel free to message me and we can talk! 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by CavGuy

[Terminator5]

7 hours ago, CavGuy said:

I am extremely grateful for all the posters in this group and can proudly say I was offered my dream job as a KC135 UPT selectee today. This thread has been a wealth of knowledge.

KC135 board. 3 pilots, 1 boom operator (Captain to LT Col). Most relaxed, human interview I've participated in and so glad I get to call this unit my future home.

"Tell us about yourself" 

"Tell us about your civilian job and what its like"

"Do you want to be an airline pilot?"

"If you could get in the plane right now and go anywhere, where would you go and what would you eat?"
 

"How do you handle conflict with another person?"
 

"Tell us about your flight experience" 

"Ever have an instructor you didn't mesh with and how did you handle it?"

"What do you do as an Army Officer?"

"Favorite movie/food/drink? "

"Questions for us?"

If anybody has specific questions or anything, please feel free to message me and we can talk! 

 

 

Lets go! Huge congrats man. Know you have been working towards this for awhile.

[CavGuy]

Cheers man!!

[herkbum]

What's up ya'll. Blessed to have been somewhat recently picked up and wanted to share my experiences in the interviews with hopes that this can benefit others as this site was a huge help to me. I was selected on my 8th interview so for those of you all out there that don't get your first one keep pushing! Below are some of the questions I received in the interviews to the best I can remember. The questions with an exclamation after them I was asked in multiple interviews. These were all fighter squadrons.

Tell me about yourself and what got you here today (!)

What is your biggest strength and why?

Why do you want to live in "fill in unit location" and be apart of "fill in specific squadron" (!)

Biggest Weakness and how this has affected you as a leader.

A time you have failed, but it turned out to work in your favor.

Tell me about a failure you have had and how you handled it. (!)

Squadron is chilling at the bar, you have to put on a movie. What are you picking? (!)

What is your biggest accomplishment? (!)

Biggest role model and impact they have had on where you are today. (!)

Why do you want to fly the "fill in squadron aircraft" and what makes you think you will fit into our culture? (!)

Convince me you won't flunk out of UPT

Would you break a rule to have the back of your friend or squad mate?

TMAAT you helped someone else succeed.

Why not active duty? Have you considered other routes to UPT? (!)

What is your 5/10/20 year plan (!)

How do you feel about shooting down an airliner? 

TMAAT you disagreed with a peer and you ended up being wrong and how you handled that.

TMAAT you had to make a tough decision very quickly (!)

What do you love about flying and why do you want to fly?

There are a lot of other qualified individuals we are interviewing. Give me some things that make you stand out above all the rest. (!)

 

Best of luck to ya'll and happy to answer any questions if anyone has any.
Cheers!

Congrats! Which unit?


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[benff89]

Posting what stuck out:

-what would you plan for us to do if the crew got stuck in a 18 hour layover in Topeka, Kansas

-TMAAT you sacrificed for the betterment of the team

-TMAAT you made the best out of a situation you weren’t thrilled to be in. 
 

Edit: one more

-Do you know what Sputnik is?

Edited June 27, 2021 by benff89
Add question.

[limacharlie1776]

3 hours ago, benff89 said:

Posting what I stuck out:

-what would you plan for us to do if the crew got stuck in a 18 hour layover in Topeka, Kansas

What kind of unit? Did you say online masters and PME? Or going out with the dudes/dudettes? 

[benff89]

21 hours ago, limacharlie1776 said:

What kind of unit? Did you say online masters and PME? Or going out with the dudes/dudettes? 

It was a Rescue squadron. I said going out with the bros and broettes. And told them at the end of the day my ideas probably didn’t matter since they would probably tell me I’m low man on the unit and just drive the rental car. They laughed at least. I hope that was right.

 

 

[LimaLowdown]

All of the interview gouge in this thread is still relevant. I'm sure its been said, but I will reiterate that its important to have a bunch of stories that you can apply to lots of different questions. Try to think about what they are really asking about when you read through questions in here, there are about a million different ways to ask the same question, but they all want to hear the same thing. 

The basic questions you will be asked in some way:

Why this squadron

Why this mission

Are you a leader/team player

Will we want to spend time with you

Also some random questions to throw you off your game/ hear what you are really like without prep

I visited and had experiences during those visits that came up in the interview, it made the interview much more relaxing and conversational. Know when to be serious answering questions, and when to be lighthearted; visiting helps you know what the squadron members are like and will help with this immensely.

It's hard to "practice" for an interview and not have canned answers. The best thing to do is to really think about stories in your past that show who you are as a person. Record yourself talking, or even have a friend ask you some questions from a list and try to relate these questions back to your stories/experiences.

Anyone can say things they want to do or will do, but they are looking for someone that can back up what they say with an action.  

Edited September 5, 2021 by LimaLowdown