TOPICS FOR INTERVIEW PRACTICE

No.

Topics

1.

Prepare for the

interview

2.

Hometown

3.

Home/house

4.

Travelling/
Means of
transport

Suggestion
How did you prepare for this interview?
What do you know about this interview?
Where are you from?
Could you tell me something about your hometown?
Where do you live? How long have you been living there?
Tell me something about your house.
How far is it from your house to your office?
How long does it take you to get there?
Do you live alone or with your family?
How do you go to work? How often do you get stuck?
What do you think about the traffic this morning/afternoon?
Make comparisons between travelling by air and travelling
by road.
Which is safer, travelling by air or highway travel? Give
your opinions.

6.

Leisure time and

Entertainment

7.

Hobbies

Have you had any problems when travelling by air? Tell me

about that.
When staying at home, what kinds of entertainment do you
enjoy most?
What do you often do at weekends?
How do you normally spend your leisure time/spare
time/free time?
What kinds of TV programs do you like?
Do you like reading/singing/going fishing /surfing the
Internet in your free time? Why/Why not?
How often do you go to the cinema?
What do you like eating at weekends?

8.

Plans

What are your plans for the next 5 years?

After this interview, what will you do?

9.

Educational/ATC
background

What will you do when the weather is fine?

Tell something about your educational/ATC background.
What have you been doing since you left High
school/Aviation school/College?
What courses did you attend to become an air traffic
controller?
What subjects did you study in your initial training course?

No.
10.

Topics
ATC working
position

Suggestion
Which unit are you working at (TWR, APP, ACC)?
Tell about your working position.
What is your favorite ATC unit? Why?

11.

Training courses

Tell me something about your basic ATC course.

What is the importance of training for air traffic controllers?
What are some advantages of your refresher or recurrent
courses?
Do you think that training can help you in handling the
traffic in non-routine situations? Why/Why not?
What is the most useful ATC training courses for your job?
Why?
What are the advantages of overseas training?
What do you learn from simulator training?

12.

Job descriptions
and working in
general

How long have you been working for your company?

How long have you been working as an air traffic
controller?
How many hours a week does you normally work?
Describe your job.
Tell about the main purpose of the ATC service?
What are your responsibilities/duties at work?

14.

Ideas about job/

career

Tell your opinion about ATC job (the good things/bad

things/most difficult/most challenging things).
The reason why you chose ATC as your career.
Do you think ATC job is very special and only some people
can do?
Do you think that Viet Nams air traffic controllers give
special treatment to local airlines (Vietnam Airlines,
Jetstar...) by giving them priority during arrival and
departure, in comparison with foreign airlines?
Which job would be your choice if you had not chosen the
ATC career?
Should your children become an air traffic controller like
you? Why/Why not?

17.

Working skills

Tell about some necessary skills of a good air traffic

controller.
Share what you have done to improve your working skills.

No.

Topics

Suggestion

18.

Working
characteristics

Describe the most important characteristics of a good air

traffic controller.

19.

Strengths and
weaknesses at
work

Tell your strengths (strong points) and weaknesses (weak

points) at work.

20.

Working on shift

Describe your shift (day shift/night shift).

What information is usually exchanged between controllers
before taking over shift/watch?
Tell about your busiest time in your day shift/night shift.

21.

Working in team

Tell me about the advantages of working in a team.

Do you think teamwork is really good for ATC? Why?
Do you think that team work is really important for air
traffic controllers? Why?
Do you like to work independently or in a team? Why?
What do you think about the work of an assistant controller?

22.

Stress

When you get stressed at work, what do you do to remove

the stress?
Tell about some situations that make you feel stressed.
What is the most stressful situation you have ever been in?

23.

ATC environment Is it equal for women working in ATC? Why?

Describe your working environment.

24.

ATC documents

List some kinds or ATC documents you are using.

Tell about difficulties you have when studying these
documents.

25.

ICAO English

When did you start learning English?

What skills in English are you good at/bad at?
Share your experience of learning English (some ways to
improve your English speaking skill/ listening skills/English
pronunciation).
Describe some situations that you use/you dont use English
at work.
Do you think that studying English with a foreign teacher is
an effective way to learn English? Why/Why not?
The importance of English proficiency for an air traffic
controller.

No.

Topics

Suggestion
Why is it necessary for pilots and air traffic controllers to
use ICAO standard phraseologies to communicate with each
other?
Give examples in which language is barrier for pilots and
controllers in communication.
If you could not understand what the pilot of an arriving
aircraft was saying, what would you do?

26.

situations in
general

What is your opinion about ICAO English language

proficiency test for air traffic controllers and pilots?
Tell about an abnormal situation/non-routine/ emergency
situation you encountered.
How can you and your colleagues help each other in
handling traffic in abnormal situations?
How does emergency aircraft affect traffic under your
control?

Controlling
traffic in general

Share the challenges you met during your first time in

controlling real traffic.

Non-routine/
abnormal/
emergency

27.

Explain the most important thing you have to do when you

are handling a difficult traffic situation.
Do you think traffic in the air is more complicated than
traffic on the ground? Why/Why not?
Tell the differences between controlling the aircraft in real
situation and in the simulator.
If you were responsible for two sectors by yourself, the
traffic suddenly became busy. What would you do?
28.

Geography

29.

IFR/VFR flights

30.

VIP movement

Describe the geography of an airspace you are familiar with.

Can you describe the geography of your airport?
Tell about your difficulties in controlling IFR flights and
VFR flights at the same time (if any).
Do you have to make any special arrangements when
transporting VIP(s) at your airport?
Yes, we do. We have to follow local prodedures, such as
the airport is closed to give priority to VIP flight,
only qualified controllers can control VIP flight,

we apply larger separation between VIP flight and other

flights.
If an aircraft with VIP on board requested the priority over
preceding aircraft in your TMA, what would you do?

No.

32.

Topics

Separation

Suggestion
According to the local regulations, the VIP flight has priority
over other aircraft, so in this case will approve the pilots
request.

Tell about reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM)

and the courses of actions in case of aircraft having
RVSM failure.
RVSM stands for Reduced Vertical Separation Minima.
That means the reduction of vertical separation above
FL290 from 2000 feet to 1000 feet.
RVSM failure:
- The pilot shall notify ATC of any equipment
failure.
- ATC will increase the VSM to 2000 feet.
- ATC will inform the situation to subsequent ATS
units.
Explain the separation (vertical, lateral, and
longitudinal).
Vertical separation: is obtained by requiring aircraft to
operate at different levels expressed in terms of flight
levels or altitudes.
Lateral separation of aircraft is obtained by requiring
operation on different routes or by the use of navigation
aids or by the use of area navigation (RNAV)
equipment, such as NDB, VOR/DME
Longitudinal separation shall be applied so that the
spacing between the estimated positions of the aircraft
being separated is never less than a prescribed
minimum, such as time separation, DME separation.
What are some of the problems with the changes in
minimum vertical separation?
RVSM: There are many reqirements to operate in RVSM airspace
and only RVSM certified aircraft can operate in RVSM airspace.

33.

Fuel problems

What would you do if the pilot of an aircraft holding in your

airspace for weather improvement informed you that he was
in minimum fuel condition?
- Inform pilot the latest weather forecast and request pilots
intention.
- If the pilot requests to divert to the alternate aerodrome I will
5

No.

Topics

Suggestion
coordinate with ACC to request ATC clearance for him.
- If the pilot declares emergency and he needs to land
immediately I will inform him the latest landing conditions, and I
will try my best to support him making a safe landing.

What would you do if an arriving aircraft reported that he

had a shortage of fuel?
When the aircraft reported that he had a shortage of fuel, I would
gave him priority land, asked the pilots intention, and
coordinated with concerning units.
If the pilot declared emergency I would inform my supervisor
and coordinate with ground emergency services.

34.

Take
off/Landing

In a case of an emergency landing, what would you do to

help the pilot land safely?
Verify aircraft position, understand the nature of emergency.
Give aircraft priority landing.
Inform aircraft the latest landing conditions.
Inform the supervisor to coordinate with Airport emergency
services.
Give maximum support to the aircraft.
What would you do in the following take off/landing
situations:
-

runway lights were in failure due to unknown reasons

and an aircraft requested to land at the airport;

- Runway lights failure: If day time, inform pilot and request pilot
intention. If night time, clear aircraft to holding fix, waiting for
repairing or to divert to alternate airport.

an aircraft requested landing or take-off from a

runway which was not suitable for prevailing wind at
the time;

In this case I would not approve the pilots request

because it was not safe to take off or land with unsuitable
wind conditions.
-

an aircraft diverted to your airport for landing;

It depended on the situations. If it wasnt an emergency

situation, I would control this aircraft like normal
6

No.

Topics

Suggestion
arriving aircraft. If it was an emergency aircraft, I would
follow the procedures in MANOP, such as giving the
aircraft priority landing, informing Supervisor,
coordinating with Airport emergency services.
-

an aircraft requested emergency landing due to smoke

in the cockpit

Verify aircraft position.

Give aircraft priority landing.
Inform aircraft the latest landing conditions.
Inform the supervisor to coordinate with Airport emergency
services.
Give maximum support to the aircraft.
- ASSIST
- Runway lights failure: If day time, inform pilot and request pilot
intention. If night time, clear aircraft to holding fix, waiting for
repairing or to divert to alternate airport.
- Unable to approve, inform pilot.

35.

Hydraulic
problem

What are some difficulties you have when controlling

aircraft experiencing hydraulic problem.
Tell any incidents you know relating to hydraulic problem.

36.

Squawk code

What would you do if you saw on the radar that an arriving

aircraft squawked: A7500; A7600; A7700.

37.

Runway
incursion

What are some situations that may cause runway incursions?

38.

Meteorology/
Weather
conditions

What would you do to avoid risks of runway incursion?

How is the weather today?
What is the weather like in your hometown?
What kind of weather do you like best?
Tell about the weather conditions at your airport.
Could you tell me when bad weather conditions often
happen in your airspace?
Tell about some weather phenomena that affect aircraft takeoff and landing.
Have you ever experienced a bad weather situation in your
job? Tell me something about it.
Do you find any difficulties in controlling aerodrome traffic
in bad weather? Why?

No.

Topics

Suggestion
Describe an incident/accident when the weather was a
factor.
If you were working on the tower at busy time and the
visibility was very low. The pilot of a taxiing aircraft
informed you that he was lost. What would you do?
If you were working on the tower, the weather was in VMC,
an aircraft took off and lost communication. What would
you do?
What would you do if you noticed your colleague clearing
an aircraft for approach when the weather was below
landing minima?
If the weather was so bad (under the minima condition) what
would you do to help the pilots to land at your airport?

41.

Equipment,
facilities and
technical
problems

Tell about surveillance systems that are used to control air

traffic.
What are some of the common problems with ATC
facilities?
Do you have any problems with equipment at work?
Why?/Why not?
How do you handle a stuck microphone?
How do you control the aircraft without using radar?
Describe the fire and rescue features in an airport you are
familiar with.
What would you do if you received the pilots request to
divert to another aerodrome due to technical problem?
What would you do if the radar was in failure?

43.

TCAS or ACAS

Tell about TCAS or ACAS.

What would you do if a pilot reported that he was following
a traffic resolution advisory of TCAS (TR) warning?

44.

Communication

What are some advantages and disadvantages of using voice

communication between pilots and air traffic controllers?
Describe some main factors causing misunderstandings
between pilots and controllers.
Between voice and data link communication, which is the
most convenient means of communication between pilots
and air traffic controllers? Why?
Which is the most convenient means of communication
between pilots and air traffic controllers? Why?
Tell about the procedures you use when you experience a
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No.

Topics

Suggestion
radio communication failure situation.
What would you do in the following situations:
an aircraft was entering into your airspace without
establishing communication yet?
you tried to contact with an aircraft but there was no
reply?
you experienced a communication failure situation?

45.

Health problems

If the weather condition was below operation minima, the

pilot of an aircraft holding for weather improvement
informed you that there was a passenger with serious health
problem on board. What would you do?
What would you do if the pilot of an aircraft informed you
that there was a passenger suffering from a heart attack on
board?

46.

Engine on fire

What would you do if an aircraft was experiencing engine

on fire?
What would you do to assist an aircraft having engine on
fire?

47.

Giving
instructions

Is it necessary for pilots to repeat or read back the

instructions given by the air traffic controller? Why?
What would you do if a pilot clearly made a mistake or
misunderstood an instruction?
What would you do if you gave a wrong instruction to an
aircraft?

49.

50.

Bomb
warning/Hijack

What could you do to assist aircraft having bomb on board?

Emergency
descent

What would you do if a pilot was making an emergency

descent due to decompression?

What would you do if a pilot informed you that he was

being hijacked?

What are some cases when the pilot has to make an

emergency descent?
51.

Others

When did you get here this morning/afternoon?

What time did you come here?
At what age is too old for an air traffic controller?
Where did you go last summer holidays?
What did you do last weekend?
9

No.

Topics

Suggestion
What do you think about this interview?
Tell about the air route systems in your airspace.
What is the importance of PIREPS (pilot reports) to air
traffic controllers?
What do you think about familiarization (Fam. Flight)?
What do you learn from Fam. Flight?
Tell about the relationship between air traffic controllers.
What should the controller know about the aircraft
performance? Why?
What do you normally do when you feel sleepy while on
duty?
In order to prevent feeling sleepy while on duty, what do
you normally do?
What would you react if an aircrafts position deviated
significantly from its report?
What would you do if the pilot who broke into a frequency
and cut off another pilots message?
If there was a similarity between two or more aircraft call
signs that might cause confusion, what would you do?
How do you handle traffic having depressurization?
Describe the alerting service operating at your airport.
If you were working in radar environment, you saw that the
mode C level was significantly different from the pilot
reported level. What would you do?
Tell about a specific example of situation causing delays at
your airport.
If you were working on the tower, the emergency landing
aircraft overran the runway and the pilot informed you that
he needed to evacuate the passengers immediately. What
would you do?

10

FUNCTIONS OF ENGLISH
(Useful techniques of speaking)
1. Answering techniques
You may often need to delay answering a question while you think for a
moment or check on your facts. Here are some useful techniques for delaying
your answer:
- Well, let me see
- Well now
- Oh, let me think for a moment
- Im not sure, Ill just have to find out
- Thats a very interesting question
2. Hesitating
Hesitation is a natural part of using a language-both for those learning
English as well as for native speakers. Very articulate and fluent speakers
dont need to hesitate very often. The worst way to hesitate is with silence.
Silence causes embarrassment and confusion.
Hesitation devices give you time to think-to organize your thoughts and
decide how to express them. Here are some useful hesitation devices:
- Um
- Er
- Well
- Actually
- In fact
- You see
- You know
- The thing is
- How shall I put it?
- Lets see now
- Its like this, you see
- Sort of

3. Giving opinions
Here are some useful opening expressions to give yourself thinking time
while you arrange your ideas (These expressions are graded according to
how formal they are):
- I think that

11

- In my opinion
- Id say that
- The point is
- Dont you agree that
- As I see it
- Id just like to say that I think that
- Id like to point out that
4. Agreeing and Disagreeing
AGREEMENT

I couldnt agree more.

Thats just what I was thinking.
You know, thats exactly what I think.
I agree entirely.
Thats a good point.

DISAGREEMENT Yes, thats quite true, but

Im not sure I quite agree
Well, you have a point there, but
Perhaps, but dont you think that
I see what you mean, but

5. Clarifying
When other people may not understand what you say to them. So you may
need to rephrase your own statements, beginning like this:
- Thats not quite what I meant
- Let me put it another way
- Sorry, let me explain
6. Checking understanding
Here are some useful ways of saying when you dont understand the
questions:
- Sorry, can you say that again, please?
- Could you repeat it, please?
- Sorry, but Im not quite clear on
7. Talking about past events: remembering, describing experiences
7.1 Remembering
Here are some expressions that are often used to answer specific questions:
12

- As far as I can remember

- I remember quite clearly that
- After that
- Before that
- While that was happening
- The next thing I did was
7.2. Describing experiences
We sometimes begin talking about our like this:
- Oh, that takes me back
- Im not sure I can remember all the details, but
- Ill never forget the time I
- That reminds me of the time I
8. Talking about the future: stating intentions
Nothing is totally certain about the future. We can try to foresee events, we
can make plans and state our intentions-but we can never be sure what will
actually happen.
Here are some ways of stating intentions and showing how firmly we intend
to do something:
- Im certainly going to, Im going to, thats for sure (Yes, certainly).
- I think I will, I may, Im hoping to (Yes, probably).
- Im thinking of, I thought I might, I havent made up my mind whether
to (Perhaps).

13