From piloting transoceanic flights to preparing job interviews: “It is the most challenging test”

The expert, a native of Puerto del Rosario, Fuerteventura, and with a 27-year career in the aviation sector, entered the path of psychology when he was appointed head of the CRM department (Customer Relationship Management), which is responsible for “training crews in human resource management, stress or fatigue management,” as it describes.

Part of this work consisted of interviewing, advising or helping crews who had suffered some type of trauma or plane accident, which prompted him to decipher a mystery: «What was that link or connection between the human factor and flight safety?». This is how he began his studies in this discipline.

After obtaining his degree, he specialized in behavioral disorders and, later, with the study of a master’s degree, in traumas, phobias, grief and fears.

As a result of this, different professionals in the aviation sector requested your help and guidance to face a personal job interview. “My curiosity began in how to help pilots, air traffic controllers or stewards enter this world, and then it spread to other sectors, whether for law firms, companies, health workers or officials”, concern with which his new facet was born. professional.

Emotional stability as an asset

Psychology and employability are more connected than it seems. Godoy uses two terms to define the current labor market: “quite demanding”, but that does not mean it is free of opportunities. One of them has more to do with the soul and personality of the job applicant than with his technical skills. «There is a demand on the part of companies to hire qualified personnel and that requires having not only academic training, but also a training and emotional stability», he contextualizes.

This trend draws from American sources, where “they have been studying this for many years.” «Entering a company is not just about having a brilliant resume or excellent academic training. That is very good, it is wonderful, but the evidence says that many positions that have been in charge of departments have failed due to lack of emotional intelligence», says the psychologist.

Companies are increasingly showing interest in people “with high capacities for emotional stability, flexibility, managing their personal stress, knowing how to work as a team, controlling themselves, knowing themselves, detecting with empathy how their team responds, and enduring moments of depression.” , face challenges or enter and leave your comfort zone,” he points out.

Attributes that, although they are not seen, «They are essential for any professional of the 21st century. and in any sector”, and that can be transmitted in the job interview. The most striking thing is that these skills, although not possessed by birth, can be trained, allowing the candidate to “become a professional that the company’s staff can count on to achieve the intended objectives.”

Keys to passing a job interview

Godoy firmly believes that the personal job interview can become “the interview of your life”, but the “ignorance” It leads a large part of the population to not give it the importance it deserves. Having it prepared, he defends, represents “a great opportunity to exponentially multiply” the options for being hired.

It offers two basic keys to confront it: “speak from the heart and be yourself, do not pretend”. Point at which what is known in psychology as positive reformulation comes into play, which consists of “being able to turn a negative aspect into something positive.”

For example, if a company requires a profile with experience and the applicant is young and lacks this, they have two options: confirm that they do not meet that requirement and remain silent, leaving “a negative impression on the interviewer”, or “turn it around” to the situation using positive reformulation.

The first thing would be to admit that lack of experience, “that’s the part where you show yourself as you are.” That answer could be: “Yes, indeed, I am a young person, but my youth allows me to be a person who comes to this company with great enthusiasm, without habits and with a learning capacity that perhaps differs from other older people.” .

The pilot thus advises avoiding “the verbiage with which typical questions are usually answered.” «What it is about is speaking from the heart, being you. It is the easiest way to control your nerves and when you manifest yourself as you are, even with your uncertainty using positive reframing, you are able to let go. a different imprint that distinguishes you from others», he delves.

This does not mean that success is guaranteed, since the applicant may not have the profile that the company is looking for. “If at all times it has been him or her, perhaps it has been lucky not to join that company, why? Because I would be an unhappy person,” she reflects.

Work method

Jaime Godoy prepares for job interviews both in person and online. The first step of the process, before fully entering into the training, consists of knowing the personality of the candidate through a report to be completed.

He then works on “the entire ritual of non-verbal communication», from how to sit to how to gesture with your hands, modulate your voice or dress.

Then comes the turn of the battery of questions. With them, the psychologist guides “about what to say, how to say it, what words to avoid, so that the person, when they leave the preparation process, has a very clear idea of how to face a personal interview», which also encourages the confidence of the interviewee.

Preparation usually lasts for “three intense hours”, with its “corresponding breaks so that the brain can assimilate the information.” Although, sometimes more time is used if the candidate requires it, since each training is personalized.

Its clientele is usually young and falls into a range that ranges from 28 to 40 years old. As for the professional profile that most demands its services, the range is wide: from pilots and flight attendants to lawyers or aspiring civil servants. Well, no matter how educated you are, “everyone goes to the job interview nervous because they are risking it.”

Consider that this preparation may be especially interesting for young people who have completed their university studies and are ready to enter the work ‘jungle’. «Training at the personal interview level is a great value that, obviously, does not 100% guarantee that you will get in, but if you go with an exquisitely prepared personal interview, your opportunities multiply exponentially to be the candidate that the company needs,” he adds.