Non-Technical Assessments - L3 Airline Academy Selection

Where technical assessments exist to score your aptitude, non-technical assessments exist to score your personal/interpersonal skills and behaviours/attitudes against the desired qualities of an airline pilot. Commercial airline flying requires cohesive teamwork and it's therefore commonplace for non-technical assessments to assess both your individual and group performance in assessed areas. 

It's worth saying that if you've been invited to a non-technical assessment day then congratulations! Up until this point in the process you're exactly what the academy are looking for and it's now down to the non-technical assessments to establish if you're the right fit for both the role of a pilot and for a given airline's culture, where applicable.

NOTECHS is a framework used for the assessment of social skills (those we use to communicate and interact with each other) and cognitive skills (the core skills your brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason, and pay attention) which makes it possible to pick out individuals possessing the foundation skills not directly related to aircraft controls or systems. In other words, NOTECHS and similar frameworks assists airlines or training organisations in selecting those individuals who fit the mould of the professional pilot: somebody who will co-operate, who shows true leadership potential, who can make a decision when needed, and so on. 

An individuals non-technical skills are essential in the world of commercial flying which relies heavily on two-pilot operations. You could well be the best pilot in the world but if you can't work in a team then you'll likely struggle in the pointy end of your Boeing 737 or Airbus A320. Therefore, pilot selection processes will commonly assess your non-technical skills in both a one-on-one and group-task basis.

The next section of this post goes into a bit more detail about NOTECHS framework and breaks it down into its' individual components. I've included this in the blog post as I feel understanding NOTECHS will help you appreciate exactly what non-technical criteria is considered during your typical pilot assessment process. It may also help you to see why exactly certain questions could be asked during the one-to-one interview etc. 

The NOTECHS framework comprises three different levels and we'll take a look at these here. The first level is referred to as a category and in most cases there are four of these although this can be altered to an organisations requirements. A non-technical assessment is designed to seek out qualities in your person which align to these categories. Here are the most common four.

The second level of the framework contains subsets/sub-categories of the first. These are referred to as Elements. For example, it can be said that strong team building & maintaining can be seen as co-operation. You can find some examples of elements in the table below. Note this is not an exhaustive list and not all of these will apply to a selection process for an aspiring pilot.

The third level of the NOTECHS framework is referred to as the Behaviour Markers. These exist to help assessors mark observed behaviours in a standardised and objective manor. Each marker aligns to one or more element and indicates whether an observed action projects a positive or a negative impact in the overall category. Let's take a behaviour marker aligned to the considering others element. 

An individual marked as positive for this behaviour marker is one deemed able to consider others and as a result able to co-operate well. There may well be more than one behaviour marker for each element and you might be assessed for the same behaviour marker or element in multiple sections of a non-technical assessment which in L3 Airline Academy's case consists of a one-to-one interview and group task. 

In the subsequent sections we'll look at the different methods assessors could use to score you. The following sections are more related to the assessment at L3 Airline Academy which consists of a one to one competency interview and a group exercise.

Competency-based interviews are one of the most common styles of interview out there. They often last between 30 minutes to an hour and will contain a number of questions focusing on the desired competencies for the position being offered. The major difference to that last statement is that at an airline academy they'll often be looking at your future captain potential alongside your capacity to cope within a training environment. My own interviews at L3 Airline Academy were conducted on a one-to-one basis although it has been known that additional staff be present in the case of airline specific programs. 

Given our detailed look into NOTECHS above you should now have some understanding of what typical pilot competencies may be. However, the NOTECHS list is by no means exhaustive and most generic competencies tend to span the following areas:

• Teamwork
• Responsibility
• Communication skills
• Decision making
• Leadership
• Problem-solving
• Organisation
• Goal orientation

Questions can often ask you to recall experiences from your past and may even take on a hypothetical context to assess your thought processes. With this in mind you can quite often expect questions that start like this:

1. Can you think of an example where you have demonstrated...
2. Describe a way in which...
3. How do you cope when...
4. What would you do if...
5. Give me an example...

The most effective way to answer competency-based questions is with the use of the STAR technique and I've gone into the STAR technique and how to answer competency-based questions in much more detail in the following section of this blog post. Having used STAR in almost every interview i've ever attended I pretty much swear by it and it's a great way to structure your answers.

The STAR method is arguably one of the most widely-used and recommended approaches to answering both behavioural and competency-based questions. It's essentially just an acronym that once broken down represents a structure for your answer. It's so successful at helping candidates provide the information an assessor is looking for, that even L3 Airline Academy tend to recommend it themselves in preparation guides or in selection day presentations.

Having worked in recruitment in the past, the biggest frustration is the applicant going on and on and on but thankfully STAR will provide you with a way to plan answers to common questions well in advance. This will ensure your answers are short but sweet all while containing the juicy information assessors are looking for.

Let's take a look at what each letter stands for and build up an example answer.

Click/tap on each heading to learn more about it.

All a competency interview answer really is, is a story about your past. Your success depends on how well you tell it and how well your version of events links tightly with the desired competencies for that role. In order to tell a good story you need to put in the time with your preparation. 

The downside to competency-based interviews is life experience. It's beneficial to have many examples you pull from during your interview so that you're not recycling the same example again and again. This point applies in particular to those young-faced entrants straight out of school with little or no work experience. Planning is perhaps more important for you than an experienced individual with several years of work under their belt. What I would suggest for those of you who are concerned about the interview is to list off all of the competencies of a pilot and then think of things you've done in your life that demonstrate that. You may find one example spans multiple competencies and as such this offers you the chance to use for the most suited question.

While the STAR system is designed to help you structure your answers, don't use it too rigidly. You want your answer to flow like natural conversation. Ultimately the less of an interview your time in the spotlight feels, and the more of a friendly conversation it becomes, then the happier you'll feel inside about your performance.

Experienced recruiters will be there to put you at ease and they'll ask their questions in a friendly and approachable manor. You'll be pleased to hear that not all interviews are like a scene from the BBC's Apprentice! I often find that in the heat of the situation I lose my trail of thought and if that happens don't be afraid to ask the interview to remind you of the question. It's perfectly fine to do this so, we're all human, just make sure it's not on every question.

The sole purpose of a group interview is to assess, compare and contrast a selection of candidates. Group interviews are effective as they enable the assessment of a behaviours, competencies and metrics that a one-to-one interview can't. These include but aren't limited to team working, conflict management, time management, spatial awareness and so on. 

It's important for me to say here that there is no one size fits all approach to group assessments and as such they can take many forms. The group assessment I took at L3 Airline Academy back in 2014/2015 and then the additional group exercise as part of easyJet's selection were each different and the tasks we as a group were asked to complete took on a different style. It's therefore going to be impossible for me to tell you exactly what you'll face during your own exercise. Adding to this I also signed a document to state I wouldn't openly comment on the tasks employed but having said that, I can provide a general overview of what you could look to expect and some tips on how you may stand out from the rest of the group.

The individuals on your assessment day will likely be split into smaller groups as part of the group assessed portion of the day. During my time at L3 this was achieved with different colour lanyards or name badges. The blue group had their one-to-one first and red had their group exercise. The assessors will lead you into a conference style room such as the example photograph above. You may be asked to take a seat randomly or be told to find your name should you be allocated one already. It's common that assessors will sit at the end of the table and there is often more than one of them.

You might find pens, sheets of paper or other items on your table and it's likely these will help you during the task. The assessors will take a moment to introduce themselves and explain how the tasks will run so that there is no doubt as to what is expected of you. If you are unsure of anything explained, be sure to ask aas once the task starts you're being marked. 

Group tasks can last anything from an 30 minutes onwards depending on the task and sometimes there are multiple tasks to complete.

Types of group task

Here is just a small list of the types of group tasks that I have personally experienced in the several interviews I've attended over the years. Note, these aren't all specific to L3. They've been provided as examples only.

• Discussion based
  "Current Affairs" or "Views on improving an airline" or "Challenges facing an airline" etc.
  
  
• Problem based
  "Stuck on a desert island" or "Sinking ship" or "Lost passenger baggage" etc.
  
  
• Task based
  "Bridge of straws" or "Build the tallest tower out of cups" etc.

Key aspects of most group tasks

• Group Work
  Kind of obvious this one. The group task is going to require you working as a group to meet the objectives of the task.
• Time
  There will almost always be a time limit, or multiple time limits for each component. Assessors will watch this time incredibly closely with a stopwatch and it is down to the group to manage their own time. Usually one individual takes on the responsibility for time keeping but if this isn't you then it won't hurt to be aware of the time yourself. Should the time keeper fail in their time keeping - as I have one (more on that in a mo) - then you could say "There's still 2 minutes left" which means the rest of the group can use that 2 minutes to complete the task effectively without all stopping. 
• Curveballs
  On every task I've ever done - except the odd building task - assessors have always thrown in a curveball mid-way through the task which tends to drastically change the task at hand or the view point of each candidate.  

The "Dos" of Group Exercises

1. Be an effective communicator
   You must be able to listen to others and also respond appropriately. One of the group may suggest the daftest thing you've ever heard but don't just laugh it off. Be considerate of them and approach the situation appropriately by suggesting why their solution may not be the best. When you eventually speak be sure to make it both clear and concise. You also want to be confident in your viewpoint but don't dominate the discussion with it.
2. Development on the points of others
   Someone in your group might suggest a point which you think has promise. Acknowledge it's positives and consider building on their ideas if you can contribute anything. The two of you may have the same idea so this shows you've listened and considered the view of your peer. You might  build on it like this "Yea, I agree with Jane.. she's made a great point. If we combined it with [insert your own point] then it would allow us to.....". Doing this demonstrates support and encouragement for others and their suggestions.
   
   
3. Include Everyone
   If one of your peers is sat quietly it doesn't mean they don't have anything to contribute. Not everyone is an extrovert and by opening up your arms and including them you show both a consideration of others and your ability to manage a team. You could address them directly to do this, such as "What do you think Dom?". Once everybody has said their bit you might consider putting all the ideas to a democratic vote or running a tally to come to your final outcome. 

The "Don'ts" of Group Exercises

1. Be overpowering / talk over people
   With interview processes being rather competitive in nature, it can be tempting to try and show assessors why you're the best by taking the lead in an overpowering manor. Don't get me wrong, demonstrating leadership is a great attribute to have but there's also too much of a good thing. I'm sure you've experienced this at some point in your life already where one person becomes rather bossy or wants to take the lead. A group exercise is very much about everybody having an equal say.  To quote recruitment site Reed: "the wisest people don’t always speak the loudest, but they always make their voices heard. Always think before you speak".
2. Lose focus
   Due to the fast nature of group exercises you can rather easily fall behind the curve and lost track of what's been said. Ensure to give your full attention to the task at hand, retain a suitable level of social interaction and try not to mention something that's already been said by one of your peers. Making notes or a list of what has already been said can help you out here.

These group tasks tips are non-exhaustive and you can find many more along these lines with a quick Google search.