Welcome!
It’s finally happened! Your application caught their attention among a crowded field, and now they’re giving you the (highly coveted) opportunity to sell them on why you should be a part of their team. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for, and you need to impress.
Interviewing for a pilot job with the Air National Guard or USAF Reserve can seem like a daunting prospect if you’re not prepared. If you’re reading this, we’re confident that this won’t apply to you! BogiDope is dedicated to making sure you get the preparation you need. Our goal is for you to arrive at your interview confident and excited about your opportunity to show your future unit why you’re going to be an outstanding addition to their team.
Please remember, though, that it isn’t possible for us to spoon-feed everything to you—and we wouldn’t want to even if we could. Your interview preparation right now will be a lot like chair flying when you were just starting out as a pilot. Your flight instructors could try to teach you all day, but your performance in the aircraft ultimately reflected the time you put in practicing on your own. We will do everything we can to help you be successful, but you will only get as much out of this course as you put into it.
Interview Prep eCourse Instructor
Hi, I’m Greg “Smack” Balzhiser, a husband, father, BogiDope Coach, and current F-16 pilot in the Air Force Reserve. I spent over 10 years on active duty, where I served through multiple combat deployments and graduated from F-16 Weapons School. Despite an active duty career that I am grateful for, the best thing that I’ve done in my Air Force career so far is transitioning to the Reserves. It’s allowed me to continue to serve my country, flying the world’s greatest fighter (ok, ok, I’m a little bias) with more control and family stability (fun fact, my wife is also a fighter pilot).
Whether you’re already a military pilot transitioning from active duty or earning a pilot training slot through a Guard/Reserve UPT board, let me assure you that you’re making the right choice. Guard/Reserve pilot slots are often referred to as the best-kept secrets in the Air Force. The problem is that the secret is out and the competition is increasing.
I’ve participated in multiple hiring boards, and I’ve seen the good, bad, and ugly firsthand. This course will leverage hundreds of BogiDope consultations’ experiences to ensure you avoid common mistakes and represent yourself as well as possible. Thank you again for choosing BogiDope. We’re humbled to have the opportunity to be a small part of your aviation career journey. Let’s get started!
What We’ll Cover
- Visualize the interview – Chair flying the interview
- Nonverbal communication – What you’re saying without opening your mouth
- Verbal communication – How to structure your answers effectively
- Example answers to the most common questions
- Phone call or video interview specifics
- Rushing a unit
- Rated pilot specifics
- How to practice and avoid common pitfalls