Common interview questions

Click Herefor a great list of common, generic interview questions.

Let's look at these questions and how they pertain to airline pilot interviews.
I would love your comments and questions - please post your comments below!

1. Tell me about yourself:
Their suggestion:
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short
statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound
rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise.
Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to
the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest
back and work up to the present.

My thoughts:
I do not agree with this suggestion regarding pilot interviews. However, in a pinch it would suffice. Is it wrong? NO, absolutely not. But I believe there is a better way to approach this question in an airline pilot interview.

Unlike the "rest of the world" pilot interviews are different. The HR portion of the interview is extremely short, relatively speaking. It is typically 30 minutes or less and very often right around the 15-20 minute mark. Pilot interviews are unlike the other 99% of the world's interviews where the interviewer has a much longer period of time to talk and get to know the candidate.

With this in mind it is my suggestion that you answer this question much more personally. They already have your work history in front of them so give them something more to chew on. Tell them about YOU - let them get to know you. I prefer to hear about the intangibles like how you got into flying and why today (interview day) is so important to you.

If the question were posed "tell me about your career" then I would wholeheartedly agree with what they illustrate. My stance is to take it to the personal level unless instructed otherwise.

All in all this is usually an ice-breaker question, but why not use it to your advantage and let them see the person behind the suit?

What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree?