Many airlines now run competency-based interviews. The non-technical questions are designed to find evidence of the same core competencies you will be assessed against in the simulator and on the line.
The strongest answers are short, specific stories that show a behaviour in action: what the situation was, what you did, and what you learned.
What the Panel Is Really Listening For
A question like “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a colleague” is not really about the disagreement. The panel is listening for Leadership and Teamwork, Communication, and Problem Solving and Decision Making. Did you speak up? How did you do it? How did the team reach the right outcome? Every non-technical question has one or two competencies behind it. Recognise which, and you know what your answer needs to show.
Technical questions matter too, and they map to Application of Knowledge. But at selection the panel already knows you can learn an aircraft. What is harder to teach is how you think, communicate and work with others under pressure. That is what the non-technical questions are there to find.
The Questions Behind the Competencies
The wording varies between airlines, but the questions tend to fall into the same families. Each competency below links to articles on the behaviours an assessor is looking for.
| Competency | Typical questions |
|---|---|
| Leadership and Teamwork | “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a Captain or senior colleague.” · “How do you get the best out of a team?” |
| Communication | “Describe a time a misunderstanding caused a problem. What did you do about it?” |
| Situational Awareness | “Tell me about a time you noticed something that others had missed.” |
| Workload Management | “Describe a time you were overloaded. How did you manage it?” |
| Problem Solving and Decision Making | “Tell me about a difficult decision you made with incomplete information.” |
| Application of Knowledge and Procedures | “When is it right to deviate from an SOP?” · plus the technical questions |
| Professionalism | “Tell me about a mistake you made and what you learned from it.” |
| Flight Path Management | Usually tested in the simulator assessment: “How do you decide what level of automation to use?” |
How to Structure an Answer
Panels hear hundreds of answers. The ones that land share a simple shape: the situation in two sentences, enough context to follow and no more; what you did, in the first person, because this is where the competency shows; and the outcome, with what you would do differently or have done since.
Keep it to about a minute. If the panel wants more, they will ask, and a follow-up question is usually a good sign. Avoid stories in which you were the hero and everyone else was wrong. The best answers show you working with people, not around them.
- A real example, told briefly.
- “I” for your actions, “we” for the team’s.
- A clear link to how you would behave on the flight deck.
- An honest lesson, not a disguised strength.
- A moment’s pause to think before answering.
- A hypothetical when the panel asked for an example.
- Blaming the other person.
- A “weakness” that is really a boast.
- Talking for more than two minutes.
- A rehearsed answer that doesn’t fit the question asked.
Listen: The Interview Podcast
The free Pilot Interview Preparation podcast works through the questions panels ask, with competency-based answers. Start with the non-technical questions.
After the Interview
The competencies don’t stop at selection. Your type rating, line training, every recurrent check and, one day, your command upgrade are assessed against the same framework. Pilots who start building the behaviours early arrive at each of those steps with the evidence already in hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What competencies do airlines assess at pilot interviews?
Airlines that use competency-based selection generally assess the same core competencies used in pilot training: Communication, Leadership and Teamwork, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Situational Awareness, Workload Management and Application of Knowledge, with Flight Path Management usually tested in the simulator assessment. Some operators add their own, such as Professionalism. The exact list varies, so check the airline's recruitment information.
How should I answer non-technical pilot interview questions?
With a short, real example: the situation in a sentence or two, what you specifically did, and the outcome or what you learned. Aim for about a minute. Make sure the example shows the competency the question is aimed at, such as speaking up, sharing workload or making a decision.
What if I don't have much flying experience to draw on?
Use any setting where you had to communicate, decide or work as part of a team: flight training, previous jobs, sport or volunteering. Panels interviewing cadets and low-hours pilots expect examples from outside aviation. What matters is the behaviour you show, not where it happened.
Are technical questions part of a competency-based interview?
Yes. Technical questions test Application of Knowledge: systems, performance, meteorology, regulations and procedures relevant to the aircraft and the role. The podcast's technical episode works through 50 typical questions.
Before You Need Them
High Performance Pilot brings the competencies airlines assess to life through more than 850 practical insights. Use it to prepare your examples before the interview, then keep developing on the line. Free to start.
Try Free — highperformancepilot.com