FedEx Hiring
04-16-2015, 05:44 AM
#631
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jul 2009
Position: MD-11 F/O
Posts: 55
stop the insanity! There's no need to spend $1000 on an interview suit. When I was job hunting a little over a decade ago, I got a good deal on a grey pinstripe suit from Jos. A. Banks. I posted my find on an Internet group I belonged to, and a friend/interview guru pro temps, Lionel Cole, launched into the same "Oh my god!!!" rhetoric, as above because it was not the "uniform" plain blue suit. To make things worse, I ended up interviewing in a pink shirt. Pink. Not on purpose, an ill fitting coffee cup lid and Memphis rush hour drivers conspired to ruin my white shirt on my way to the interview. BUT, one of the interviewing captains happened to be wearing a pink shirt too. I said, "I'm so glad to see that im not the only one in the room wearing a pink shirt." He replied, "I'm so glad to see that someone figured out that we don't give a sh!t what color your shirt is." While I don't recommend wearing a pink shirt per se. Which is to say, don't wear a pink f'ing shirt, the point is, prioritize your limited budget on interview prep, sim prep, a conservative suit that fits your body and your budget, and a hotel room the night before the interview to make sure you're well rested. You'll have plenty of time to show your ability to perform while sleep deprived AFTER you get the job!
This! concentrate on the interview itself. Show up rested and well groomed with a conservative suit and, most importantly, a good attitude.
04-16-2015, 07:55 AM
#632
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2011
Position: Pressing On
Posts: 524
Wore blue shirt and purple tie. Blue shirt was backup due to unfortunate kiln explosion/shaving incident on my white shirt. Tie was just my favorite and red didn't do the trick at first major interview. Still in pool but blue/purple/Joseph A. Bank worked good at last major interview too.
Maybe it is not the shirt. But have a spare. And show up prepped and rested.
Maybe it is not the shirt. But have a spare. And show up prepped and rested.
04-16-2015, 08:12 AM
#633
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: 767 FO
Posts: 8,047
While probably not a player at FDX (but who really knows what the process is) maybe the HR lady feels she needs to reject a candidate every six months just to justify her job. Best not to give her a reson to single you out.
04-16-2015, 01:11 PM
#634
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2006
Posts: 2,889
Over the years, I've seen and heard some pretty funny and not so funny interview fails.
Here are some points I think are important at FedEx, but also about anywhere you are interviewing:
1. Do not square corner yourself into the interview with a last minute flight or jumpseat. I've had guys ask me about how early they should show up, or say they were getting up early and driving in that morning from 3-4 hours away... I know of one very sharp retired officer who flew in from the other side of the world on a Saturday for a Monday a.m. interview. How sharp do you think he was after giving himself about 36 hours to adjust to crossing 12+ time zones? (Not on property, btw...) You have to ask yourself--what is this job worth to me? If its worth several million dollars, or if you think it will change your life, then taking 3-4 days off your current job and burning leave/vacation/dollars to be in position 24-48 hours early is cheap insurance. You aren't going to sleep well the night prior, and will be under a lot of stress anyway. Don't add to that stress by showing up late the night prior or looking at your watch as you drive up 78 or Interstate 55 worrying if you will make it. Get a nice room somewhere, unwind, and reflect on your preparation. The day prior--relax--go for an afternoon run or workout, have a beer or glass of wine with dinner, and get as much sleep as you can. Being well rested and in a good frame of mind is priceless. Heard about one client who put his head down in a briefing room while waiting for his turn at the sim and took a nap. It may have been early, but how much enthusiasm for this new job does that show? (Not hired, BTW...) We may make jokes about how you are going to be tired working at FedEx, but there is no excuse being tired at the interview for any airline. I do not recommend staying with a friend if they have pets/kids/noise etc--get a sterile, quiet hotel room. Get in your zone, and be on the local time clock body-wise if at all possible.
2. Area fam. Get a friend/sponsor to drive you to where you will interview from your hotel. Time the trip from the hotel to the location and take the bus/van/taxi/your car to arrive at least 1 hour early. I gave this advice to my own daughter who just locked down an AFRES pilot slot last week. I reminded her all her years of work and effort will be wasted if she had to call saying she was late because of A) traffic B) gate closures C) mechanical issues D) taxi driver was lost/confused etc. I told her if she wasn't a hour early she was wrong, and if she wasn't :15 early she might as well not go to the interview as she would not be hired. I give the same advice to airline clients. All airlines run on time. FedEx takes time management even to a higher level. If you cannot be on time for your interview, WHEN can you possibly be on time?
3. Suits. Red ties at Delta and American. A nice tie at Fedex--color your option. I don't recommend brown or earth tones to avoid any UPS comparisons. (In Louisville for UPS--invert this--wear a brown suit) Look at the new hire pictures (have your sponsor show you). Do you look like they do or is your suit "different"? Black, blue, charcoal, gray, and a nice shirt should be fine. Most of these folks are wearing exactly what they wore when they interviewed. Why do we wear suits for these interviews when we never wear them at work? Someone one told me "if they are going to pay you like an executive, they want to see you dress like an executive...." I didn't make the rules, but if you want the job you should try to play by them. The goal is if you ask the interviewer "what kind of suit did he have on?" the answer would be "hmmm....not sure...don't remember anything particular...but he looked sharp....I remember that... Woman can wear suits or skirts...men need to stick with suits even though we have seen the infamous kilt pictures.
No interview is perfect, and there are always challenges. That said, if you can avoid digging yourself a hole at the start by showing up well rested, on time, and looking sharp...the confidence you carry will spill over into the interview conservations. If you are are apologizing from the get-go for being late, yawning, or realize you look very "different" that the other 5 interviewees, then you are already probably going to be very self conscious and digging yourself out of a hole to start the process.
Here are some points I think are important at FedEx, but also about anywhere you are interviewing:
1. Do not square corner yourself into the interview with a last minute flight or jumpseat. I've had guys ask me about how early they should show up, or say they were getting up early and driving in that morning from 3-4 hours away... I know of one very sharp retired officer who flew in from the other side of the world on a Saturday for a Monday a.m. interview. How sharp do you think he was after giving himself about 36 hours to adjust to crossing 12+ time zones? (Not on property, btw...) You have to ask yourself--what is this job worth to me? If its worth several million dollars, or if you think it will change your life, then taking 3-4 days off your current job and burning leave/vacation/dollars to be in position 24-48 hours early is cheap insurance. You aren't going to sleep well the night prior, and will be under a lot of stress anyway. Don't add to that stress by showing up late the night prior or looking at your watch as you drive up 78 or Interstate 55 worrying if you will make it. Get a nice room somewhere, unwind, and reflect on your preparation. The day prior--relax--go for an afternoon run or workout, have a beer or glass of wine with dinner, and get as much sleep as you can. Being well rested and in a good frame of mind is priceless. Heard about one client who put his head down in a briefing room while waiting for his turn at the sim and took a nap. It may have been early, but how much enthusiasm for this new job does that show? (Not hired, BTW...) We may make jokes about how you are going to be tired working at FedEx, but there is no excuse being tired at the interview for any airline. I do not recommend staying with a friend if they have pets/kids/noise etc--get a sterile, quiet hotel room. Get in your zone, and be on the local time clock body-wise if at all possible.
2. Area fam. Get a friend/sponsor to drive you to where you will interview from your hotel. Time the trip from the hotel to the location and take the bus/van/taxi/your car to arrive at least 1 hour early. I gave this advice to my own daughter who just locked down an AFRES pilot slot last week. I reminded her all her years of work and effort will be wasted if she had to call saying she was late because of A) traffic B) gate closures C) mechanical issues D) taxi driver was lost/confused etc. I told her if she wasn't a hour early she was wrong, and if she wasn't :15 early she might as well not go to the interview as she would not be hired. I give the same advice to airline clients. All airlines run on time. FedEx takes time management even to a higher level. If you cannot be on time for your interview, WHEN can you possibly be on time?
3. Suits. Red ties at Delta and American. A nice tie at Fedex--color your option. I don't recommend brown or earth tones to avoid any UPS comparisons. (In Louisville for UPS--invert this--wear a brown suit) Look at the new hire pictures (have your sponsor show you). Do you look like they do or is your suit "different"? Black, blue, charcoal, gray, and a nice shirt should be fine. Most of these folks are wearing exactly what they wore when they interviewed. Why do we wear suits for these interviews when we never wear them at work? Someone one told me "if they are going to pay you like an executive, they want to see you dress like an executive...." I didn't make the rules, but if you want the job you should try to play by them. The goal is if you ask the interviewer "what kind of suit did he have on?" the answer would be "hmmm....not sure...don't remember anything particular...but he looked sharp....I remember that... Woman can wear suits or skirts...men need to stick with suits even though we have seen the infamous kilt pictures.
No interview is perfect, and there are always challenges. That said, if you can avoid digging yourself a hole at the start by showing up well rested, on time, and looking sharp...the confidence you carry will spill over into the interview conservations. If you are are apologizing from the get-go for being late, yawning, or realize you look very "different" that the other 5 interviewees, then you are already probably going to be very self conscious and digging yourself out of a hole to start the process.
04-16-2015, 02:37 PM
#637
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: Retired
Posts: 3,717
Granted, it’s been a while since I interviewed for any job, never mind an airline job, but here’s a few things that I’ve found useful over the years, and not just for an airline interview. All these, plus my glowing personality helped me land my 3 airline jobs. 
Wear a nice conservative suit and tie. Nothing too loud. Don't wear paisley. Don't wear brown. Don't wear shocking pink. Conservative.
Smile. Not that dumb, fixated smile you give your buddies when the hottest girl in the bar has asked you to dance, but your warmest, sincerest smile. And use it appropriately.
Relax. Most airlines actually want you to work for them, as can be evidenced by the fact that you’ve actually been invited to their interview process. Who’d want to work with someone who seems tense all the time. The folks conducting your interview know this, and actually want you to be at ease, so relax, it’s (your airline name goes here.)
Don’t be wishy-washy, and always offer a firm handshake and look people in the eye. You need to be confident, both with yourself as well as with your accomplishments. If you’re not, you need to learn to fake it, because the interviewers will certainly notice.
After reading a few posts here, I’ll offer some additional advice that should go without saying, but obviously needs to be mentioned. Groom yourself before you get dressed in your best interview clothes. Shave whilst in your skivvies, not in your new white dress shirt. Same goes for any hygienic preparation that uses liquids, powders, paints, etc. For you Navy (and Marine) pilots, that means put your clothes on last.
Here’s some more: 1) tell the truth to the best of your ability; 2) don’t badmouth a former employer or a colleague; 3) remain positive; 4) if the airline conducts a simulator evaluation and if you’ve never flown a glass cockpit, get some glass practice somewhere; 5) remember, they’re not looking for how well you can fly their sim, they’re looking at your cross-check and your corrections back to the norm (ie, 10,000 feet does not mean 9975 feet & 230 KIAS assigned is not 235 KIAS), and of course they’re looking at how you manage stress; 6) if you’ve been living a normal life, successfully dealing with folks on a daily basis, you probably don’t need interview practice; however if you think you do, then you definitely do.
Good luck.
JJ
Wear a nice conservative suit and tie. Nothing too loud. Don't wear paisley. Don't wear brown. Don't wear shocking pink. Conservative.
Smile. Not that dumb, fixated smile you give your buddies when the hottest girl in the bar has asked you to dance, but your warmest, sincerest smile. And use it appropriately.
Relax. Most airlines actually want you to work for them, as can be evidenced by the fact that you’ve actually been invited to their interview process. Who’d want to work with someone who seems tense all the time. The folks conducting your interview know this, and actually want you to be at ease, so relax, it’s (your airline name goes here.)
Don’t be wishy-washy, and always offer a firm handshake and look people in the eye. You need to be confident, both with yourself as well as with your accomplishments. If you’re not, you need to learn to fake it, because the interviewers will certainly notice.
After reading a few posts here, I’ll offer some additional advice that should go without saying, but obviously needs to be mentioned. Groom yourself before you get dressed in your best interview clothes. Shave whilst in your skivvies, not in your new white dress shirt. Same goes for any hygienic preparation that uses liquids, powders, paints, etc. For you Navy (and Marine) pilots, that means put your clothes on last.
Here’s some more: 1) tell the truth to the best of your ability; 2) don’t badmouth a former employer or a colleague; 3) remain positive; 4) if the airline conducts a simulator evaluation and if you’ve never flown a glass cockpit, get some glass practice somewhere; 5) remember, they’re not looking for how well you can fly their sim, they’re looking at your cross-check and your corrections back to the norm (ie, 10,000 feet does not mean 9975 feet & 230 KIAS assigned is not 235 KIAS), and of course they’re looking at how you manage stress; 6) if you’ve been living a normal life, successfully dealing with folks on a daily basis, you probably don’t need interview practice; however if you think you do, then you definitely do.
Good luck.
JJ
04-17-2015, 06:45 AM
#639
Line Holder
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: https://t.me/pump_upp
Posts: 67
All sound advice that hopefully you don't find surprising if you made it this far. Albie won't blow his own horn but he did a 20 phone follow up the night before with me from my hotel room. It was perfect run through for the q&a and I went in feeling as relaxed as possible. His company was money well spent, find some prep and pay for it.
RegionalFO, no not looking for pilots with solely 75/76 time.
RegionalFO, no not looking for pilots with solely 75/76 time.
04-17-2015, 07:48 AM
#640
Line Holder
Joined APC: May 2012
Position: 75CA
Posts: 82
I will second PB's comment above and will add that Albie also has several other guys that are top notch and can prep you for not only Fedex but any of the major/legacies..... With the removal of the Sim requirement at Fedex, the intangibles that Emerald helps to polish have become even more important.
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