Air France has always taken great care in its pilot selection, being considered vital to its operations. The recruitment process seeks to obtain the clearest possible “snapshot” of the candidate in terms of personality, professional conduct and skill.
To do so, three spheres are explored: cognitive resources (intellectual, memory and psycho-motor aptitudes), behavioural resources (personality, personal resources) and conative resources (motivation). Psycho-technical and psycho-motor tests will assess the cognitive sphere. These different tools metaphorically reproduce tasks actually conducted when piloting.
When they pass the tests, candidates go on to the second phase of selection: assessment of professional conduct, which will depend on their personality, the personal resources which they are capable of mobilising, and their motivation.
The second step is divided into three phases: completing personality inventories, a group role-play assessment and a personal interview.
Selecting the Right Candidates Through a Proactive Approach to Recruitment
The personality inventories which we use are SOSIE and TD12, published by Pearson TalentLens. According to the responses given by the candidate when describing themselves, we make assumptions about the way they conduct themselves and what motivates them. We will always pass these assumptions on to the candidate at the end of their personal interview. It is therefore an exchange which often proves to be very instructive, both for the assessors and the candidates themselves, who often express their surprise at the congruence between the results and their personality.
The group role-play allows us to observe how candidates use their intellectual aptitudes and their interpersonal skills in a particular teamwork situation. We are not in search of the profile of a “perfect pilot”.
Our aim is to measure positive and negative behaviours, since good communication in the cockpit is critical to ensure safety and crew effectiveness.
The observations will be compared with what the candidate said during the last phase that is the personal interview. During this we will also ensure that the candidate’s career objectives are consistent with working as an Air France pilot.
Hosting Candidates in a Friendly Atmosphere
The board is always comprised of an expert pilot and a psychologist. Each assessor has a standardised observation form and reaches their decision independently that is then submitted to the recruitment committee. Above and beyond the tools used, which constitute a precious aid to our recruitment, we believe that it is vital to host candidates in a welcoming atmosphere.
In doing so, we can get the best read of a candidate’s genuine personality. Due to the very high degree of responsibility involved in working as a pilot, we ensure that the selection process collects as much essential information on the candidate as possible. The company is scrupulous: it is sometimes the case that candidates who could meet our expectations are not selected. However, whether selected or not, we hope that the experience will also have broadened the candidate’s knowledge of themselves.
Company Snapshot
A key player in worldwide air travel: the number one intercontinental group of carriers operating out of Europe.
Core businesses: air transport of passengers and freight and aeronautical maintenance.
Key figures:
- 344 aircraft in operation (2015)
- 114 countries, 320 destinations (2016)
- 89.8 million passengers transported (2015)
- 63,995 employees including:
- 45,514 ground staff
- 13,720 flight attendants
- 4,720 cockpit crew