The Essential Guide to Becoming a Flight Attendant

by Kiki Ward

  For an open house interview it is imperative that you be on time. Many airlines will simply lock the doors at the specified open house start time and proceed with the applicants already there. It is important also that you not be discouraged by the number of applicants. Remember, you have the knowledge to set you apart. You can expect the open house to last between two and eight hours. Open house interviews proceed on a specific agenda with applicants weeded out at each step of the process leaving only the most competitive applicants to take part in an individual interview. You may find yourself waiting long periods of time to be interviewed simply due to the amount of people in attendance. Open house interviews are sometimes, but not always, followed by a second or third interview at a later date for those applicants who are selected from the open house. Occasionally the second or third interview will occur the same day but normally you will be flown to the airlines headquarters at a later date for your final interview.

  Interview essentials

  Whether you are attending an open house interview or a standard interview always bring along the following items:

  A pen and small pad of paper for discreetly documenting the interviewer/s name for a follow up thank you note and for taking any notes as needed.

  A drivers license or other form of personal identification is essential.

  You should have your social security card with you or know your social security number.

  If you are a non U.S. citizen applying to a U.S. airline you must also have with you a copy of your work permit, alien registration or green card. All U.S. airlines require that applicants who are not citizens of the U.S. already have in place the proper legal documentation to work within the U.S. and also make multiple entries and exits to and from the U.S.

  Just a hint…

  Your interview day will most likely be a long one, especially if it involves travel to and from the interview site. Eating something prior to your interview is a must. This will ensure that you are able to stay focused, avoid a headache and allow your concentration to remain intact. You will need to be at one hundred percent in order to stay on top of all that you are going to be presented with. It will without question be the most important day of your hopeful flight attendant career!

  Dressing for success

  Appearance will count for a considerable portion of the interview. As I mentioned earlier appearance is certainly a factor in getting hired at an airline. You must absolutely be neat and well groomed in order to even be considered for a flight attendant position. Notice, I did not say extraordinarily beautiful, very thin or very handsome. Your positive attitude and outgoing personality are far more important than a perfect physical appearance. Airlines are first and foremost looking for approachability in an applicant. I had a reader who was a former runner up to the Miss America title. She interviewed to be a flight attendant at two major airlines and was not hired. She later e-mailed me very distraught that other “less attractive” applicants in her interview had been hired. It proves that airlines are not taken in only by beauty and are certainly not taken by an applicant who only acts as though they have the personality for the job but rather seek the applicant who has personality, warmth and a genuine interest in customer service. Your individual wardrobe choice is a big factor in the interview. Your wardrobe can definitely enhance your image and overall appearance. It also gives the recruiter an indication of your personality and ideas about your professionalism. When selecting your interview or open house wardrobe keep in mind the basic premise of most flight attendant uniforms. They are normally conservative, tasteful, dark and business like. Make it easy for your recruiter to envision you in uniform!

  Keep the following important guidelines in mind when selecting an interview ensemble.

  Men

  For men:

  - Wear a well-fitting business suit with a coordinating tie. Your interview will be conducted in a business atmosphere. Always have on a suit coat or a sports coat. A shirt and pants without a jacket is not acceptable.

  -Choose a tasteful, subdued color like navy, black or gray.

  -Make sure that your pants are the appropriate length, etc. There is no way for you to project confidence if you are not comfortable in what you are wearing. -Wear shined dress shoes or loafers. No overly casual shoes.

  -Tasteful pattered socks are acceptable.

  -You can also demonstrate a little personality in the selection of your tie but keep in on the conservative side and make sure it complements your suit. -Facial hair in the form of a goatee or beard is either allowable or rapidly becoming allowable at nearly all major airlines. It is best though to appear clean shaven at your interview, neatly groomed mustaches are acceptable.

  -No earrings and a maximum of one ring.

  -A wristwatch is essential. A watch is among the first things an airline recruiter looks for. It is an FAA required item for flight attendants and wearing one to the interview also demonstrates your sense of punctuality.

  -Be sure you have clean nails and excellent overall hygiene.

  -Avoid wearing overpowering cologne.

  -If you wear glasses be sure the frames are tasteful and conservative.

  -Avoid chewing gum.

  -An attache or attractive business file folder or even a briefcase is acceptable and will be handy to bring along the interview items mentioned earlier.

  -Avoid an overly trendy look. The key is to look polished, pulled together and neat.

  Women

  -Women should wear a well fitting business like dress, skirt and blazer or suit in the form of skirt and blazer or pants and a blazer.

  -Choose a tasteful, conservative color like black, navy or gray but if there is a color that you know you look great in, wear it!

  -Be comfortable in what you choose. There is no way to project confidence if you do not feel comfortable in what you are wearing. When choosing your outfit, sit in it, move in it, make sure the fabric is comfortable, make sure it isn’t too tight or too loose. If you feel great in what you’re wearing, you’ll have one less thing to worry about!

  -Be sure the hem on your skirt is the appropriate length. Hemlines that fall at or just above the knee are the uniform standard at most airlines.

  -Choose neutral sheer or dark sheer hosiery, no patterns. If you have room tuck an extra pair of hosiery in your purse, a run in your hose does nothing for your confidence!

  -If wearing a suit wear a solid colored, neatly pressed blouse underneath.

  -Add a string of pearls, scarf or other necklace but only one accessory at the neck, if any.

  -Wear closed toe pumps. No open toe shoes or mules. Also, no flat shoes or extremely high heels. A simple one to one and one half inch heel is the uniform standard at most airlines.

  -Wear small earrings and only one per ear.

  -A maximum of one ring on each hand and maximum of one bracelet.

  -You must wear a wristwatch. A watch will be one of the first items your recruiter will look for. A watch is a FAA required item for all flight attendants and wearing one to your interview also demonstrates that you are a punctual person.

  -Your hair should be very neat. If you have extremely long hair your best bet is to wear it up in a neat twist or bun. Whatever length of hair you have make sure you style it as neatly as possible for the interview and avoid hair accessories like barrettes, combs, etc.. Hair that is shoulder length or shorter should simply be neat in appearance.

  - Be sure your nails are clean, no extremely long or bitten nails. Wear neatly applied polish in a tasteful, subdued color or clear polish.

  -Excellent overall hygiene is essential. No overpowering perfumes.

  -Lipstick is essential as well as neatly applied, subdued makeup in tones complimentary to your skin tone and clothing. Most department store makeup counters offer free personal consultations on choosing and effectively applying makeup. This is one trick that can definitely enhance your image.

  -Carry minimal accessories. Since you will most likely carry a p
urse limit yourself to only one other item in the form of an attache, attractive file folder or briefcase.

  - No gum chewing!

  -If you wear glasses be sure the frames are tasteful and conservative.

  -Avoid a trendy look. The recruiter is looking for an applicant who will be able to conform to uniform standards and the image of the airline. The key is to look pulled together, well groomed and neat.

  Act successful!

  Now that you are dressed for success, act successful, even if you might be nervous at the idea of an airline interview. I have one reader who told me she decided to go into her interview as if she were already a flight attendant! She carried herself with extreme confidence, was open, friendly and receptive to everyone she came in contact with and she got the job! Great advice. Observe a flight attendant sometime, they are extremely confident, ready to take on just about anything at anytime and always receptive to others. The very best asset you can bring with you to your flight attendant interview is a positive, warm, approachable personality.

  Things to remember

  Whether you are invited to attend an interview or you attend an open house, there are several important things to keep in mind. If you are attending an airline interview by invitation you will usually be traveling as a passenger to the interview site. It is important to be a discreet passenger. Agents or flight attendants working your flight could report to the recruiting team, so follow directions as they are given to you. A plus of traveling to your interview is that you will be able to learn a great deal from the flight attendants working your flight. Don’t be afraid to engage the flight attendants in conversation, they will in most cases be happy to talk with you. Be sure they have completed their in-flight duties and appear available before approaching them. I’ve had many applicants on flights enroute to interviews and I have enjoyed spending time with them and helping to prepare them and ease their nerves about the interview.

  As a working flight attendant you are going to be expected to interact with complete strangers on a daily basis. It is important that as a flight attendant applicant you interact continually with other applicants. You are going to be observed from the time you enter the waiting area at the interview, so begin interacting and striking up conversations immediately. Always appear enthusiastic and interested. Be very courteous to the reception staff. The amount of paperwork processed on behalf of flight attendant applicants is staggering. Present only the requested paperwork and never try and make additions to your application or resume via the reception staff once you arrive for your interview. Remember that at any time you might be observed. It could be the receptionist, the recruiter or even a company employee posing as an applicant. All applicants will be continually monitored on their ability to interact with others during all phases of the interview.

  Physical skills

  Your interviewer/s will make an initial assessment of your image and your impact. You will be assessed over and over throughout the interview but like the saying goes…you never get a second chance to make a first impression! Appearance and dressing guidelines were covered earlier but there is much more to appearance than wardrobe. There are physical skills that can enhance your image. These skills will also be evaluated by your interviewer for an overall assessment. To further enhance your self presentation: -Walk erect when you enter or leave a room and hold your head high. Just these two simple actions make you appear more confident.

  -Sit with good posture throughout the interview. -Never fold your arms across your chest. This is one action that recruiters actually look for as it sends a message of inapproachability.

  -Always use a calm, pleasant, well modulated voice. -Be an effective listener by always listening and appearing interested in what others are saying. -Continue making eye contact with the recruiter and others throughout the room or in your group during the interview.

  -Use appropriate intonations and inflections in your voice so that you don’t sound dry or monotone when you speak.

  -Appear as natural as possible when speaking to the recruiter or to the group of applicants.

  -Employ effective use of your language. Avoid using a lot of fillers in your speech. Try to avoid using “you know” or “urn” during pauses in your speech. It is difficult when you are nervous but with practice you can rid your sentences of them entirely. It will allow you to sound much more professional and confident when speaking.

  -Project your voice when speaking. This does not mean yelling. Just speaking loudly and clearly enough for everyone in the room to hear you without straining will allow you to appear much more dynamic and outgoing.

  -Whenever possible sit in the middle of the room or near the front during a group interview or presentation. This will allow the interviewer to notice you, make eye contact with you and remember you. It also makes you appear much more motivated and interested. Career/company overview Whether you attend an open house or a standard airline interview you will be presented with a career overview and company presentation. This will be the offering by the airline of what you can expect as a flight attendant working for their company. Some airlines will simply present the overview in video form and some will be conducted by a facilitator. This portion is part of your interview! It may seem as though you are simply sitting and listening but you are already being evaluated. It is important that you do not become complacent during this phase and paramount that you appear interested and enthusiastic. You may be surprised at what you hear, in some cases airlines will purposefully paint a bleak picture of the first couple of years of flying which allows them to weed out the less interested applicants and continue on with the more motivated applicants. At open house interviews applicants will usually be given the opportunity to leave the interview or continue on after the career overview/company presentation. There will almost always be a portion of the overview where applicants will be permitted to ask questions, your chance to get noticed! This gives you a great opportunity to bring positive attention to yourself by asking a concise, intelligent, well thought-out question when you are given the opportunity. A good way to prepare for this portion of the interview is to either visit the airline website to get a feeling for their philosophy and a current update of their corporate news including recent announcements, slogans, expansion plans, etc. The website of an airline is so rich in content that you should be able to easily formulate a good question. Read through some of the past corporate news clips on the website and simply formulate your question from something there. Even if you already know the answer it will reflect well on you to ask an intelligent question. Recruiters like to hear and answer a good question. Another method of familiarizing yourself with the airline is to read a book on either the airline or about the CEO of the airline. Nearly all major airlines have books about the CEO or the history of the airline itself. Most of these books are readily available at a bookstore or to even at your local library. There are even websites devoted to the history of some airlines.

  An example of a good general question to ask could be:

  “I know (airline name) is a solid, reputable company, what are some of the long range plans as far expansion and growth?”

  Always try to complement the airline in your question. Be sure to avoid asking any questions about length of reserve, benefits you will be receiving or where the airline is currently basing flight attendants. You may be shocked at some of the really bad questions that will be asked. I have had many recruiters tell me stories about the unbelievably bad questions that are asked during the career overview. So your intelligent, good question is going to make you stand out even more. Again, make sure you formulate and ask a question that is both positive and complimentary to the airline. My advice is to go in prepared with a couple of questions as another applicant may have the opportunity to ask the question you were planning to ask and you should never repeat another applicant. You may also simply formulate a question after hearing or viewing the overview. Many of my readers have told me that they had a question come to the
m suddenly during the overview. Do not ask a lot of questions. One or maybe two is plenty to bring positive attention to yourself. Recruiters have also told me that applicants who simply bombard them with question after question are annoying and end up taking up a lot of valuable time.

  Reach test

  After the career/company overview you may be given a reach test or measured to ensure that you meet the height requirements. This doesn’t always take place at the interview but at many airlines it does. Some airlines, especially those holding open interviews will not measure applicants at the open house due to time constraints and the number of applicants. These airlines will generally perform the reach test or measuring at the second interview. If you are attending an interview at an airline that conducts a reach test you will be lined up randomly, remove shoes, walk by a mock overhead bin, stop and demonstrate that you can reach into the bin and retrieve a piece of emergency equipment. Other airlines will simply have you stand against a measuring tool or wall and check your actual height or have you reach to a specific mark. Not meeting or exceeding the height requirements will normally preclude you from moving on in the interview. Be sure you are familiar with the airline height requirements before applying.

  Meeting the interviewer/s After the career/company overview and reach test the interview may go many different ways depending on the airline you are interviewing with. Each airline is very unique in their specific interview although most airlines ask very similar questions and perform similar testing. It is important at any airline to make a point of impacting your interviewer from the moment you meet him or her.

  At an open house, your recruiter or interviewer will be seeing many applicants and you certainly do not want to get lost in the crowd. At a standard interview you are obviously being invited because your application or resume met the criteria for employment, but you must then go into the interview and be able to stand out among the many other applicants. The interviewer/s will be looking for initial and continual impact in both your appearance and in the way you carry yourself.