PEPC Interview Questions Here

[Raydon]

what if they're long outstanding and I've never attempted to pay them off?

[WoH]

Originally Posted by Raydon

what if they're long outstanding and I've never attempted to pay them off?

Many people denied clearance were indeed delinquent on their debt. If you're making any kind of minimum payment...that should be sufficient. 1k is like...nothin'. If you're not making minimum payments then start now so you can show them you're making an effort to resolve your debt. Just in case. The people getting denied have TONS of credit cards and other stuff and have never paid any of it off.

[joeemti17]

There is a great website that shows a whole long list of reasons security clearances were denied or approved after appeal. I can't seem to find it again - anyone know where it is?

[ohioaviator]

Originally Posted by joeemti17

There is a great website that shows a whole long list of reasons security clearances were denied or approved after appeal. I can't seem to find it again - anyone know where it is?

www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/

[aviatorchris]

All of these PEPC interview Questions were spot on. No suprise Q's at all. But honestlly as stated above this is a formality interview not a REAL interview. So truthfully just RELAX awnser a couple questions, show interest, and youll sign your TOL.

[jacob330]

This thread puts me at ease for an interview I'm not even sure if I will get

[HotoneJ]

Originally Posted by ohioaviator

www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/

Wow!!! The majority of the 2009 security denials are because of financial reasons. Does the FAA not care about the current financial crisis, or do they look at the overall picture when they make their decision?

[nathanw]

Originally Posted by HotoneJ

Wow!!! The majority of the 2009 security denials are because of financial reasons. Does the FAA not care about the current financial crisis, or do they look at the overall picture when they make their decision?

That link has DOD security clearance denials, not OPM (the agency that does FAA clearances). And the current "financial crisis" is no excuse for not paying your bills. They don't care how much debt you have as long as you are making your payments.

[HonuPineapple]

How long do the interviews take? Also, does everyone just sit down and start and end at the same time?

[bippoptl]

Originally Posted by HonuPineapple

How long do the interviews take? Also, does everyone just sit down and start and end at the same time?

the interview could take 20 minutes, or 45...each persons is different depending on how much you are talking with your interviewer

[futureatc1515]

i dont think that i have ever been that nervous. the interview was the easiest part of the dat for me. i think it lasted about 25 minutes. the guy that i interviewed with was from cleveland center and was really nice. the first few minutes was about getting to know each other and then from there on he said i am required to ask these questions were exactly what is listed on the first post. he wrote everything down and helped me if i was stumped. The second after my interview i was signing my TOL(still waiting on FOL because my facility is part of the freeze). for all of u that are worrying about the interview, dont. i hadnt interviewed in about three years and everything went fine. just go over the questions on here and u will be fine. sorry about the long post. thanks for taking the time to read. good luck to all

[HonuPineapple]

So here's how it went:

7:30 Arrived, took about 10 min to get parked, then sat in lobby with some other folks and chatted. Everyone was in suits.

7:50 They took us back and gave a quick speech. Most important part of it was that there are no class dates until after April and that we should expect the May-June-July timeframe. Later in the day some other people said that there were none through May.

8:00 Interview! Very low key, no stress at all.

My questions were different from the ones listed on the sticky post. My interviewer had about 3 pages of questions and he leafed through and picked the ones he wanted to ask. I got:

It started out with him asking me to talk about my experiences visiting a tower and a center. So he had read through my ASAP info! This transitioned into me talking about my flying experience.

How did you prepare for this interview?

Tell me about the most stressful situation you have ever been in.

Something about teamwork, along the lines of "what makes a team effective?" I think.

Do you think there is anything else I should know about you?

Do you have questions from me? Which led into some discussion about training and instrument flying.

At the end he wanted me to give him a list of references, which I did not expect. I had my e-QIP printout on me so I went over and copied a few names off of that to give him, and he said they would be contacted that day.

8:30 - 9:00 Security. Signed some forms and did fingerprinting, it was uncomplicated.

9:00 - 10:30 Medical. This consisted of various tests in various cubicles.

10:15 - 10:30 Drug test. I recommend that anyone who hasn't done this yet chugs some water right after the interview so you are ready for the drug test, otherwise you have to sit in a room drinking water until you are ready to go.

10:30 - 11:30 MMPI. This is the only thing that I didn't feel great about at the end of the day. I know I aced the medical, and I think my security is fine. Clearly I have no drugs, so that is fine too. But that MMPI is such a wildcard. It's so hard not to answer with what they want to hear or with what social convension wants you to say. I tried to be honest, but I'm worried about this one a little.

That was it!

Oh, and one note, all along the way nearly everyone I ran into had questions about my flying experience. While they say it's not required, I am absolutely convinced after today that it is very helpful and they respect it a lot.

[Rosstafari]

Thanks Honu!

I'm sure you did fine on the MMPI, knowing you.

[jermscentral]

The one question that I "failed" was the one about a situation where something failed for which I was the responsible party - as in, it was my fault that something failed. The question asked how I reacted/responded in that situation. I had a hard time thinking of anything, since I haven't been in a lot of leadership roles in my short career. Then, my interviewer asked if anything *outside* of work ever happened where I was the guilty one.

These guys know you do not have the most established work history in the world, so know that your answers can come from things that happen outside the office. The responses they are looking for deal with how you have previously handled different situations-- not only at work, but in your home and social life as well. The key is to see how you would function as a potential FAA employee.

He asked if I understood the question, and I felt stupid having to ask for an interpretation, but he was glad to help me understand it better. Basically, in this case, they want to know how would you react if you were directly and completely responsible for an incident at your facility. Would you be able to accept blame and handle the consequences, or would you try to pass the blame on to someone/something else instead?

Don't be afraid to ask for more information on ANYthing in the interview!

[vmp43]

and for those wondering THEY WILL ask you about deliquencies,they stopped me, thats the only problem i had, everything else fine, so I Had to write down everything that was in the process of being paid, settled etc and send them info.

[jacob330]

Im going to add one of the questions I was asked.

"Why ahould we trust you?"

I thought it was a great question for an interview

[FREZ_ATC]

Seems like my interviewer had the list of questions printed out and also a copy of my ASAP information, at least the work history part. So, in short get ready to talk about your prior work experience. I also got the stressful situation questions, how did you prepare for this inteview, why are you interested in ATC, how do you unwind, and of course TEAMWORK!!

Like EVERYONE has said, the interview is great experience, really a great time to ask questions about anything: ask about NextGen, ask about training, ask about their experiences with FAA.

You'll do fine, and I know you'll still stress about it...

[RobertB]

Originally Posted by jermscentral

The one question that I "failed" was the one about a situation where something failed for which I was the responsible party - as in, it was my fault that something failed. The question asked how I reacted/responded in that situation. I had a hard time thinking of anything, since I haven't been in a lot of leadership roles in my short career. Then, my interviewer asked if anything *outside* of work ever happened where I was the guilty one.

These guys know you do not have the most established work history in the world, so know that your answers can come from things that happen outside the office. The responses they are looking for deal with how you have previously handled different situations-- not only at work, but in your home and social life as well. The key is to see how you would function as a potential FAA employee.

He asked if I understood the question, and I felt stupid having to ask for an interpretation, but he was glad to help me understand it better. Basically, in this case, they want to know how would you react if you were directly and completely responsible for an incident at your facility. Would you be able to accept blame and handle the consequences, or would you try to pass the blame on to someone/something else instead?

Don't be afraid to ask for more information on ANYthing in the interview!

I played sports growing up so I answered questions that I couldn't by using work experience with answers dealing with me playing sports growing up and having to overcome adversity while playing sports.

I was asked, "What makes you a better hire than the rest of the people in attendance here today?" I answered with, "I don't know the personal and educational backgrounds of the other people in attendance here..." CC, ATM at ABQ, interrupted me and responded, "That wasn't the question I asked you." To which I responded, "I believe that I am better able to handle, work through, and find the most effective and efficient ways to deal with obstacles that are thrown at me in anything I do in life." Yada Yada Yada

Interview lasted roughly five to ten minutes.

[jermscentral]

Originally Posted by RobertB

Interview lasted roughly five to ten minutes.

Good heavens! Mine lasted about 45 minutes, but I also wanted to ask questions and actually interact with my interviewer (ATM AT ELP). He was a great interviewer and was really responsive to anything I wanted to know.

[RobertB]

Originally Posted by jermscentral

Good heavens! Mine lasted about 45 minutes, but I also wanted to ask questions and actually interact with my interviewer (ATM AT ELP). He was a great interviewer and was really responsive to anything I wanted to know.

My time included him and I talking about hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. It was a quick interview, but went exceptionally well. My entire time at the PEPC lasted less than five hours. Unfortunately, I had to go back the next day because the drug test contractor forgot to get my initials on one of the samples. I drove from MCI to downtown Kansas City, waited almost a hour, and was told that they would send me an affidavit in the mail (which never came). Pat, Joe, etc (PEPC people) were all pissed as hell and wanted to know why I couldn't take another one since I was there without me having to wait for an affidavit thus delaying my processing. We were told yada yada yada "contract says we can't do that."

CC said that the thing that irritates him the most is a great deal of new hires don't want to listen and learn. He told me that if another one said, "Whatever dude" to him again, he would do whatever he could to have their time, at his facility, as difficult as possible.

[MikeBike]

I have an interview coming up at a facility. Not PEPC. I am guessing that the questions will probably be the same? Also, should I bring my resume? Any other info?

[greg1016]

Does anyone know what form we fill out for our security clearance? Is it the sf-85p or sf-86 or something else?

Also, what level of security clearance do ATCers get? I formerly had a secret clearance, but I am relatively sure it is no longer valid.

[BigCat24]

I'm guessing we'll get this in the e-mail if I get one, but what do I need to bring to the PEPC? If it's in the e-mail just tell me that and that will suffice. Thanks..

[Rosstafari]

Originally Posted by BigCat24

I'm guessing we'll get this in the e-mail if I get one, but what do I need to bring to the PEPC? If it's in the e-mail just tell me that and that will suffice. Thanks..

It'll be in your confirmation email.

There's not a lot of preparation you need, EXCEPT for having all the info you need for your background check. Start tracking down all the references you need now to fill out that SF-85 or -86, since it can take some time to get it together.

[daw840]

I am doing this the old fashioned way apparently. I have to go the Olathe, KS ARTCC for the interview. I am assuming they will tell me all the info I need to gather for the security check, right?

One more thing. What exactly is entailed in the medical clearance? I fractured my skull, and had a severe concussion, when I was in high school. But it has healed fine with no lasting effects. Will that affect my medical?