How to Ace an Airline Interview by Telling a Good Story

A professional pilot offers tips for when you're given an opportunity to talk about your life and career.

Friday, May 03, 2024 at 12:41 PM ET

Verified

Airlines are starting to be more choosy about who they hire, making job-hunting and interviewing skills important. [File photo/ Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

With the easing of the pilot shortage, strong job-hunting and interviewing skills, particularly the ability to tell compelling stories, are once again crucial for aviation job seekers.
Candidates should proactively practice and refine a repertoire of concise (2-3 minute) illustrative stories from their life and career to effectively answer common "Tell me about a time you..." interview questions.
Effective stories should have a clear structure (setup, narrative, conclusion), demonstrate humility and growth, maintain a positive tone (avoiding negativity towards past employers), and can include both aviation and non-aviation experiences.
Storytelling is a learnable skill requiring early and deliberate practice through methods like professional coaching, peer feedback, or self-recording to ensure a natural and authentic delivery.

See a mistake? Contact us.

With the easing of the pilot shortage, many employers are starting to be more choosy about who they hire, and job-hunting and interviewing skills are once again becoming more important. No longer can you expect to just show up and fog the proverbial mirror. You need to put time and effort into preparing yourself for the interview.

I’ve written about this process in broad terms before, but there is one aspect I would like to focus on: honing your ability to tell a good story and refining your repertoire of stories for interviews.