Bottle for the bar

[Busterb63]

If you get invited for an interview is it really necessary to bring a bottle for the bar? 
 

How do you present it to them when you’re with a group of other interviewees in a way thats not awkward?

maybe I’m overthinking this haha

[herkbum]

Keep the tradition alive and bring one. Give it to the person that greets/hosts you when you get there. Keep it simple.


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[Padres02]

47 minutes ago, herkbum said:

Keep the tradition alive and bring one. Give it to the person that greets/hosts you when you get there. Keep it simple.


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Does the type/quality of bottle matter? Like does it need to be some fancy whiskey or will some mediocre tequila do?

[herkbum]

Does the type/quality of bottle matter? Like does it need to be some fancy whiskey or will some mediocre tequila do?

Be unique if you want. Maybe something local or well known, but don’t get something cheap.


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[Mighty]

1 hour ago, Padres02 said:

Does the type/quality of bottle matter? Like does it need to be some fancy whiskey or will some mediocre tequila do?

Whiskey-type is usually your safest bet. No need to get top shelf, don’t get bottom shelf….hip to armpit height is the sweet spot.

Get a handle if you can

Edited March 4, 2023 by Mighty

[O Face]

3 hours ago, Padres02 said:

Does the type/quality of bottle matter? Like does it need to be some fancy whiskey or will some mediocre tequila do?

[thebleakmw]

14 hours ago, Padres02 said:

Does the type/quality of bottle matter? Like does it need to be some fancy whiskey or will some mediocre tequila do?

It absolutely matters, even if they say it doesn’t. If they’re inviting you to interview they are giving you a chance to land your dream job (if that’s what this is to you). Getting a nice bottle is an easy way to show how much it means to you and they do notice it. The extra money you spend will be worth it when you get a “nice bottle, man” comment versus getting roasted for bringing something bottom shelf. If you want the job, put yourself in the best position to land it. 

[Lockjaw]

You can also consider writing a short message on the bottle with a sharpie. Something simple like "Thanks for your time/consideration, etc" and your name. More than once I've gone to a bottle, asked "who the hell brought this?" and then learned about a promising prospect.

[Guardian]

A nice bottle with a message and if you have a local flare where you are from, beer, alcohol, food, whatever, bring it and present to the masses. This is a moment you can never get back. And if you bring a six pack of Miller light, that’s all they will need to know about you. They might not even drink. But if you don’t value your future with that unit and don’t do something special and put effort into it, it’s an easy pass for them. They want someone they would like to hang out for 10+ years and has a good attitude and if you have a family, that they get along with you. You could have the best resume ever but if you’re awkward or don’t make an effort to make a splash in some of the only chances you get, then it’s an easy pass. There isn’t a shortage of people trying to get into a unit. There is a shortage of good people with their heart and mind in the right place that people want to go to war with.

A bottle or special gift or a way to set yourself apart is just a small subset of who you are. Don’t just get a bottle and leave it. Make a splash. Do something to make them laugh show them why they want you and can’t be without you.

The pilot shortage isn’t so bad that people will hire someone they don’t want to be around in military aviation.

Generally speaking.

[herkbum]

^^^
Excellent advice!


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[Lockjaw]

Thread winner.

[M2]

On 3/6/2023 at 9:09 AM, Guardian said:

A nice bottle with a message and if you have a local flare where you are from, beer, alcohol, food, whatever, bring it and present to the masses. This is a moment you can never get back. And if you bring a six pack of Miller light, that’s all they will need to know about you. They might not even drink. But if you don’t value your future with that unit and don’t do something special and put effort into it, it’s an easy pass for them. They want someone they would like to hang out for 10+ years and has a good attitude and if you have a family, that they get along with you. You could have the best resume ever but if you’re awkward or don’t make an effort to make a splash in some of the only chances you get, then it’s an easy pass. There isn’t a shortage of people trying to get into a unit. There is a shortage of good people with their heart and mind in the right place that people want to go to war with.

A bottle or special gift or a way to set yourself apart is just a small subset of who you are. Don’t just get a bottle and leave it. Make a splash. Do something to make them laugh show them why they want you and can’t be without you.

The pilot shortage isn’t so bad that people will hire someone they don’t want to be around in military aviation.

Generally speaking.

And this, gentlemen, is why BaseOps will always be a valuable resource for the up and coming (STS)....

[twoTangoKilo]

Worked for me.  Showed up with a $40-$45 bottle of whiskey.  Nothing extreme but something I'd want to drink!  Left it in my truck for the interview but at the end when they asked if I had questions I said "do yall like whiskey? Because I brought some..." (I'm sure you can guess how that went).  Whipped it out when I showed up to the social.

 

The way I see it, this is your shot. You can't control every aspect of how your interview and interaction with the unit will go, but you better leave as little to chance that you possibly can.  

[AMH3218]

I'm attending an interview and a social event.  I was thinking it was more appropriate to drop my bottle at the social event rather than the interview, but when I saw this thread pop up I figured this would be a good sanity check to make sure that that's the best place to hand it off?  

Great commentary in here, thanks dudes.  

Edited March 13, 2023 by AMH3218

[thebleakmw]

2 hours ago, AMH3218 said:

I'm attending an interview and a social event.  I was thinking it was more appropriate to drop my bottle at the social event rather than the interview, but when I saw this thread pop up I figured this would be a good sanity check to make sure that that's the best place to hand it off?  

Great commentary in here, thanks dudes.  

Yes, bring the bottle to the social event and make sure your name is on it in some way. Like @Guardian stated, if you can add some personal flare to it then all the better. Best of luck! 

[AMH3218]

18 minutes ago, thebleakmw said:

Yes, bring the bottle to the social event and make sure your name is on it in some way. Like @Guardian stated, if you can add some personal flare to it then all the better. Best of luck! 

@thebleakmw Awesome!  Thank you so much for the insight and really appreciate the quick reply.  

[Busterb63]

So I've done 2 social events/interviews so far. Based on this small sample size, bringing a bottle is a nice thing to do but they could both generally care less if you brought one or not. I fall in the "it cant hurt" to bring one category but a few of us brought one to the last interview and they went out of their way to say that it's not going to factor in at all if we're going to hire someone or not.

I think you may get the best value out of this if you were to rush the squadron solo and not when you are with a bunch of other interviewees. When they get 6-9 bottles all at once, it doesn't really matter at that point, with that said you will feel dumb if everyone brings one besides you. 

 

 

[brabus]

7 hours ago, Busterb63 said:

they went out of their way to say that it's not going to factor in at all if we're going to hire someone or not.

I think your post is pretty spot on. Nobody is going to get hired because they brought the nicest bottle. But, it’s also a tool to help people remember you/your name when discussions on who to hire come up, FWIW.