Originally Posted by
paul4040
They fail because there are only so many posts available. BA take the best x number of candidates.
You might say the same for officer recruitment in the Royal Air Force, for example, but it wouldn't be true; it is an extraordinarily rigorous process.
The RAF are on record for actively telling all candidates that selection is not fool proof. Any organisation that claims to have a fool proof selection process is deluded.
Originally Posted by
Blueboys999
So not a gifantic task to give that feedback only to those who are suitable but not in the top tranche and invite them to re-apply or even maintain a waitlist. If a candidate isn't suitable tell them that.
I have no experience of that process but I'll bet not all initial candidates get to final interview and all those that do get full feedback.
For Future Pilot Programme cadets who find themselves in the system, they are actively encouraged to apply again by the three flying schools the programme is run in conjunction with. They are also actively asked to apply for the other airline schemes booked in the system for later that year. Albeit you might argue that it is only for revenue protection that they do this.
As for the RAF process, feed back is actively given either during your time as OASC or afterwards dependant on which stage you progressed to. It was a three day event when I last attended but perhaps it has been streamlined a little more. For those who fail due to aptitude test batteries, detailed feedback on their options is made available in a room with just them and one of the selection board. The same for medical, which is probably the to hardest to handle for both the candidate and staff, especially when an individual realises for the first time that they are colour blind. I remember that happening on one board that I attended.
For those that see it through but subsequently fall just short, feedback is available through their local careers office, who first filtered their application and conducted a 'filter interview'.
It must be remembered that the RAF and a commercial organisation whether it be BA, Google, Deloitte etc have vastly differing reasons to recruit. One is a interested in the defence if the realm and interests overseas, and the others the protection of share value, and investor dividend. Whist all will no doubt wish to select the best candidates available, one of those organisation has slightly more at stake and must be able to re attract candidates.
The filtering system, in terms of numbers, is possibly far greater than that of other commercial organisations. It must also be realised that if push came to shove a commercial organisation would probably fill a vacancy by selecting the 'best of a bad bunch'. The RAF simply will not do this. Hence comparing the two is not exactly meaningful.
EDIT:
this episode of 'Fighter Pilot' from 1981 shows the selection process at it stood at the time. Apart from technology and the location, not a great deal has changed overtime