Applied online. Got an e-mail to complete the HireVue video interview. Then I got the invitation to call United to schedule my face-to-face interview. As long as you live more than a 4-hour drive from Houston, United will schedule your flight to arrive the day before and then ideally you leave the same day of the interview. Upon arrival at the recruiting office on March 9, everyone sat in chairs in the room where a video was playing. One by one we were called to a table where we had to provide a copy of our resume and confirm the expiration date of our passport. We received a name tag and a flyer with some good information on it. Sample work schedule, pay details, etc.
Two of the recruiters gave a brief synopsis of the good and the bad about what to expect. Then they opened it up to questions for anyone to ask. After 6 or 7 questions, they started taking people out of the waiting room and into the interview area. The interview area is a large room with cubicles set up where interviews can be done privately - I mentioned "cubicles" because it plays a role in something I overheard.... I'll tell you about that momentarily.
Some people went in and came out rather quickly (4-5 minutes) and were told by their recruiter, "Thank you so much for coming! We'll be sending you a letter of our decision within a week!"
The first set of questions they ask will determine how far you go in your interview:
1) You will need to relocate to the location of United's choosing. Are you willing to do this?
2) At first, the pay may seem low because you will be on reserve and may not get as many hours as you would like. Are you willing to accept this?
3) You will be required to work nights, weekends, holidays, etc. Are you willing to do this?
If you answer "No" to any of these, the interview is pretty much over. These terms are non-negotiable. If you really want this job, you'll need to answer "yes" to all of them.
Then the recruiter will bounce back and forth, asking you about things on your resume and then giving you a real-life scenario to see how you would react. Then more questions about your resume and then more real-life scenarios.
The recruiter will explain to you that when you give answers, they will be taking notes and there might be 30+ seconds of silence while they're writing and not to worry, the next question will be coming as soon as they document your answers. This is important because.....
One person who posted their experience on this site back in Februayr said that after their interview they were advised to go to the airport medic and have a drug/vision/hearing test because they were being offered a position.... but I didn't see any other postings on this site mention this.
Remember that I mentioned the interviews take place in cubicles? Well, while I was in the cubicle and while the recruiter was writing his answers with a 30+ second wait while he wrote, I heard through the cubicle behind me as one of the recruiters was telling a candidate, "Go back to the airport to Concourse C. Go down to the baggage claim and take the elevator up to...." and basically told this person to go have their drug/hearing/vision testing done because United was offering them a position.
My interview went on for quite a while and then I was escorted to a different holding-area where I was to wait until I could meet the Vice President of Inflight Recruiting "just in case they had any additional questions." Moments later I was taken around the corner to meet this person who looked me up and down and said, "We don't have any further questions. Thank you for coming today." I FELT LIKE THIS INTERVIEW HAD NOW TURNED INTO A BEAUTY PAGEANT! I'm sure the VP just wanted to see if I had "the United look," because all he did was look at me and then thank me for coming.
Overall, it was a really good experience. It was a free trip to Houston and the experience was really, really good.
TIP OF THE DAY: If they tell you, "We'll be sending you a letter within a week with our decision!" I suspect that this means, "Sorry, you didn't make it," but if you get asked to go back to the airport medic for drug/vision/hearing tests, you're most likely on your way to a fun and exciting career.
Within the week, I got a rejection e-mail with words of encouragement to reapply within 6 months which I might do.