Pass The Becoming United Virtual Job Tryout (VJT)
United Airlines is always looking for new pilots to join- whether through the United Aviate Academy for new pilots or in other ways for experienced ones.
In order to join, you will need to take the United Virtual Job Tryout- a Situational Judgement Test (SJT)combined with a personality test.
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The Becoming United VJT (Virtual Job Tryout) is an assessment that takes place as part of the United hiring process.
Before novice pilots are allowed to join the United Aviate Academy, they are required to take this aptitude test and prove they have the personality traits and situational judgement skills required of commercial pilots.
Experienced pilots must also take this test before joining the ranks of United Airlines pilots.
This test includes 36 personality test questions and 5 SJT questions. Let's learn more about them!
Personality Test Section
This section provides you with a scale between two polarizing statements. You must decide which of the two is more descriptive of you, using a scale.
For example:
When I see someone is not at ease, I try helping them feel more comfortable.
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Most Like Me
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Somewhat like me
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Neutral
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Somewhat like me
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Most like me
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I keep my behavior the same with everyone; I don’t try to guess their emotions.
How should we approach answering such a question?
Personality tests always advise you to "be yourself" and "answer naturally". This, however, does not serve the test taker- and may harm their chances due to a lack of understanding of how personality tests work. Remember- every test an employer gives you is used to measure your worth for the company, so you should always try to pass it.
Explanation
To refer to the scale, we will alphabetize its five options from left to right: (A) Most like me, (B) Somewhat like me, (C) Neutral, (D) Somewhat like me, and (E) Mostly like me.
The preferred answer is (B).
This question deals with WARMTH and CORDIALITY, which refers to the extent to which people are sociable, pleasant, caring, and have positive intentions toward others. It also deals with TEAMMATE and RELATIONSHIP skills.
Answers (A) and (B) indicate that you are a people-person, sociable, and caring. However, excessive warmth is associated with excessive friendliness and may indicate a tendency to behave inappropriately and unprofessionally; therefore, answer (A) is less preferred.
Answers (D) and (E) indicate being detached and distant in interpersonal relationships and a lack of interest in others. Although most workplaces contain both warm and formal people, the ability to communicate pleasantly and effectively is required in almost any job.
Situational Judgement Test Section
For the Situational Judgement Test section, you will be provided with a scenario likely to happen to commercial pilots during their career.
You will be required to rank 4 possible responses regarding their priority relevant to the situation.
For example:
You are having a busy day. A new team member has joined the team today, and you want to meet them but also need to get all the work done.
Rank the following options in order of what you are most likely to do first, second, third, and fourth.
A. Take a short break from your tasks to stop by and introduce yourself to the new team member. Schedule a time for tomorrow for a deeper introduction.
B. Focus on your tasks and meet them tomorrow because you'll have more time, and they will not be overwhelmed by the number of new people.
C. Take a short break from your tasks to stop by and introduce yourself to the new team member. Explain that you are having a busy day, but you are excited they joined.
D. Focus on your tasks first, and then go to see if they still have time to meet before they leave or do so the next morning.
How should you answer this question?
Explanation
This question is designed to measure your prioritization skills, sociability, and teamwork orientation. You face a situation where you need to decide what is more important to you – meeting work deadlines or meeting the new employee. As a team member, you are expected to dedicate time to the new member for an introduction, according to your time constraints.
The correct order is as follows:
1. A, 2. C, 3. B, 4. D.
1. "(A) Take a short break from your tasks to stop by and introduce yourself to the new team member. Schedule a time for tomorrow for a deeper introduction."
This response indicates great prioritization skills as well as sociability. This is the most reasonable solution that enables the new member to feel welcomed and interesting and also enables you to keep up with your tasks.
2. "(C) Take a short break from your tasks to stop by and introduce yourself to the new team member. Explain that you are having a busy day, but you are excited they joined."
This response also indicates great prioritization skills but focuses less on sociability. You make the new member feel welcomed, but you don’t invest that extra mile so you two can actually get to know each other. Maintaining good relationships with colleagues is a major skill desired by employers. Additionally, saying that you are having a busy day has no positive impact; it’s better to focus on scheduling a talk.
3. "(B) Focus on your tasks and meet them tomorrow because you'll have more time, and they will not be overwhelmed by the number of new people."
This response is quite similar to answer (D), but the major difference is that you plan the meeting with the new member and don’t let time tell. By this, you prove you care about them and understand the importance of having a focused conversation.
4. "(D) Focus on your tasks first, and then go to see if they still have time to meet before they leave or do so the next morning." This response indicates great prioritization and devotion to the tasks and demands. However, it seems as you don’t really care about the new employee and prioritize them last. You don’t completely ignore their presence, but you leave meeting with them to the end of the day, and you postpone it without really considering the impact.
