by Kiki Ward
I had a training classmate who was asked to leave in the second week of training because her background check revealed something she had not been honest about in her application. It was unfortunate, but it is imperative that your background check be clear. Some airlines will begin the actual questioning phase during the paperwork review. Some will not conduct a review with you at all and some airlines will conduct the paperwork review at the conclusion of your interview. Again, it is dependent on the airline you are interviewing with.
Questions and answers
Most airlines have returned to the time tested tradition of presenting questioning in conjunction with a few other skill assessing exercises. The airline interview has become much more fast paced and much less stressful than it once was. I have given you a broad overview of all airline interviews and their exercises but remember that you will not be undergoing each type of exercise mentioned. You will however definitely be prepared for any airline interview! Each airline is going to ask you questions. You may be asked in a group setting or individually. In a group interview you will be asked the same questions and answer in turn. Keep in mind the following guidelines: Group interview:
-Shake the recruiters hand when meeting, if possible. -Remember the recruiters name and try to use it throughout the interview.
-Demonstrate good listening skills and professionalism by listening to other applicants as they answer. -Sit near the middle of the group and in the center if possible. Most group interviews will take place in a horseshoe type seating arrangement.
-Try to be original in your answers and avoid repeating what others before you have said.
-Do not always be the first to answer and try not to be the last to answer. You may be called by name to answer.
-Remember what is being said, you may be asked something about the person seated next to you later in the interview.
-Make your answers concise and to the point. Be specific.
-Always speak in terms of what you have to offer the airline, not what you hope to be receiving in terms of benefits.
-Maintain eye contact with the recruiter and other applicants.
-Focus and think about the question before you answer it.
-Utilize the physical skills mentioned earlier, including good posture and projecting your voice.
-At the completion of the interview thank your re-cruiter/s for the opportunity to interview.
Individual interview:
-Shake the recruiters hand upon meeting and upon leaving, if possible, and make instant eye contact. -Use the recruiters name throughout the interview. -Make your answers concise and to the point. Be specific.
-Utilize the physical skills mentioned earlier.
-Think about the question before you answer it.
-In an individual interview you can often turn the interview into a much more informal, comfortable atmosphere. If you have a chance to ask the recruiter about his or her flying career then do so, it will definitely help relax you both. If you are in a private office, comment on family photos, children or awards if it feels appropriate.
-Always speak in terms of what you have to offer the airline, not what you hope to be receiving from the airline in terms of benefits.
The most important questions that will be asked of you in your airline interview are the questions concerning relocation, your past and current job attendance history and your experience with customer service. Each question asked is going to tell the interviewer something about you but it is necessary that you are willing to relocate, be adaptable and have a commitment to your job and to customer service. Many of the questions will be “what if or “tell me about a time when” type of questions. Many of my readers who bought this book only after interviewing unsuccessfully told me they had no idea the questioning would leave the ball in their court so often and ask them to explain personal customer service scenarios. There are very few yes or no answers. You really need to prepare for the question portion or you could be lost during this portion.
When answering try to exclude the “I think that would have to be the time when…” And answer the question without hesitation or a lead in. You will not only appear more confident in your answer but the interview will progress much more quickly. Also, many recruiters will be fun and easy to talk to and many will not. Many of my readers have left the interview feeling like they have made a friend and many leave the interview feeling very unimpressed. Some interviewers will make the day enjoyable for you and some interviewers will be extremely difficult, even purposely interrupting you as you speak or stopping you in the middle of an answer to ask you to be more specific. It is important that you remain calm and collected if you feel that there is no connection happening between you and your interviewer. Keep smiling and stay enthused. Many interviewers will try to make the interview uncomfortable just to see how you react under pressure. It is so easy to lose your concentration when you are feeling pressured so review the questions that follow often before your interview so that even if you do lose your concentration you can retrieve an appropriate answer from memory.
Some airlines will ask only a few key questions, while others will put you through a barrage of them. What follows are the most current airline questions from airlines around the world. You will hear these questions in your airline interviews. Each question has a suggested answer. Add to or change the answer as it suits your personality but take into consideration the overall guideline of the answer. Stay focused, enthused and above all, keep smiling!
Why are you interested in becoming a flight attendant?
- your desire to utilize your commitment to customer service in a stimulating work environment like aviation.
-your interest in making a lifestyle change to a more spontaneous work schedule, your flexibility and your ability and willingness to relocate.
-your desire and ability to go the extra mile for customers as a representative for such a quality airline, -your interest in fulfilling a long time dream and furthering your personal growth as a team player, -your commitment to customer service.
Why are you interested in becoming a flight attendant for this airline?
Relate that you have done your homework and are impressed with the stability and success of the airline along with the outstanding reputation for safety and customer service. Mention that you would like to utilize your commitment to customer service to represent and contribute to the further success of the airline.
What do you find attractive about the flight attendant position besides the obvious benefits?
Communicate your desire to work in a more flexible, fast paced, spontaneous environment. Add that you feel your adaptable, self motivated personality would allow you to flourish in a career so full of variation. What kinds of jobs have you held in the past and what did you like most about them?
Try and speak about jobs you have held that involved customer service. Mentioning any job you have had that brought you into contact with the public will be a plus. Emphasize that you enjoyed most the parts of those jobs that allowed you to interact with the public.
What jobs have you held that you least enjoyed?
Speak about positives when referring to former jobs and employers. Try and extract the things you were able to learn and take with you from those jobs you enjoyed the least.
Are you willing to relocate?
Relocation is usually inevitable and almost always a condition of employment. The interviewer needs to hear yes. This is definitely not the time to begin asking questions about where you might possibly be based or if there is any way around the relocation issue. A simple yes is the best answer.
Why are you interested in leaving your current employer?
Speak positively about your current employer. A safe answer is that you really wish to pursue your dream of becoming a flight attendant. Avoid going into personal details about your feelings regarding your current employer.
What do you think would be most challenging about the flight attendant posit
ion?
Communicate that you would enjoy the challenge of working to make (airline name) the best in terms of customer service and providing customers with the most exceptional service in the airline industry.
How would you describe yourself?
Some good adjectives include: flexible, adaptable, sincere, self-motivated, helpful, dependable, personable, energetic, friendly.
How would your very best friend describe you?
Some good adjectives include: Responsible, dependable, trustworthy, compassionate, personable.
Tell me about someone you admire and why. Avoid making a statement about politics or religion in this answer. Choose a neutral figure who is or was admired by many.
A very safe and good answer would be one of your family members or friends and the reason you admire them so much.
If you were going on a transatlantic flight and could only bring along one person, who would it be?
Again, family or friend is a safe choice on this one. Tell me about a stressful situation you have encountered in your work life and how you handled it.
Whatever situation you choose to relate be sure you stress that you reacted calmly, rationally and diplomatically and also that you handled it professionally and effectively.
What do you think is the primary responsibility of a flight attendant?
Your recruiter will be impressed when you say the correct answer which is safety. Passenger service and comfort are second.
Give me an example if a time when you were able to anticipate a problem and then take the appropriate measures to prevent it.
Try to relate a situation that involved customer service. Again, relate that you reacted quickly and effectively with maturity and professionalism. Making mention that you used company policy or procedure as a guide in handling it is also a good point.
What have you accomplished in your life that you are most proud of?
This could be anything from your family, reaching a specific goal, completing college or the completion of a project. The point of the question is to allow you to talk about something personal to you, giving the recruiter a sense of your personality.
Have you ever missed anything due to a time conflict?
There is absolutely no margin of error in the flight attendant career when it comes to being on time. You simply cannot be late for your scheduled trip. Believe me your airplane will not be waiting for you! The recruiter wants to hear that you are a punctual person who takes your commitments seriously. Explain that you are careful about how you schedule your time and that you make it a point to keep your commitments.
When arriving at a destination are you generally five minutes early, right on time or five minutes late?
Absolutely five minutes early!
How do you react in a confrontation?
As a flight attendant you will at times be dealing with irate passengers and you will be expected to maintain your composure. Relate that you act calmly, controlled and rationally in a confrontation.
How much in control of a situation do you like to be?
As a flight attendant you will be working as a team with your fellow crewmembers. As a crew you will be the leaders on board the airplane. Relate that you are able to take control when necessary but also work very effectively as a team player.
Have you ever bent company rules at your current previous employer?
If you answer yes relate that bending the rules was necessary in order to please a customer.
What makes you frustrated or angry?
Avoid inferring that you anger easily. A good answer would be that it frustrates you when you observe others who have become complacent in their job. Or observing others that are not doing their best work. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker and how you handled it.
Whatever situation you relate be sure you state that you were able to resolve the disagreement with maturity and it ended with a speedy resolution that did not affect your work.
Name a strength you possess and tell me why you feel it is a strength.
Think of one of your best qualities. It could be honesty, commitment, dependability, self-motivation, etc.. Then relate to the recruiter the specific way your strength would be an asset to the airline.
Tell me a misconception others might have of you when meeting you for the first time.
It is important to avoid descriptions like arrogant, conceited or any other negative adjectives. Also avoid the word perfectionist.
Tell me about a time you made a decision at work and it backfired on you.
It is possible that this has never happened to you. If not, you could ask to relate an instance that happened outside of work. In this question the recruiter is looking for your ability to handle an imperfect scenario. When relating a situation that backfired be sure it had no negative impact on a customer and you were able to handle it effectively.
What does safety mean to you?
A good answer is that safety means feeling secure and comfortable while always being aware of your surroundings and always thinking of your responsibilities.
Are you adventurous or sensible?
You could relate that you feel you are a little of both but definitely more sensible, especially in a work environment.
What is your definition of working too hard?
Relate that you are by nature a hardworker. Working too hard would probably mean that you have stopped enjoying what you are doing. So relate that you try and keep your work life stimulating and of course interacting with people is a great stimulant.
In the past three years, what parts of your professional skills have you improved the most?
If you have been working in a field where you have been in contact with the public then definitely customer service is the skill most improved. If you have not been in a customer service field then you could relate that you have sharpened your personal skills of effectively handling people in a professional manner.
How do you manage stress?
Relate that you try to consistently prevent stress by taking care of your health and managing your time wisely and effectively separating your work and personal life so that you are able to give your full attention and commitment to both areas so that neither suffers.
What is customer service to you?
Customer service is utilizing skills, resources and personality to ensure that each customer is satisfied and happy. It is also going the extra mile to ensure that each customer has a pleasurable experience and becomes a repeat customer.
Tell me about a time you worked together with a supervisor or a coworker to complete a project. This again is another question about your ability to work effectively as part of an inflight crew. Whatever project you relate be sure to emphasize that you enjoyed working as a team and that you were able to learn from the other person.
If you knew a co-worker was stealing from the company what would you do?
Relate that you would follow company procedure. Tell me about a day when you worked the hardest and felt the greatest sense of achievement.
This is a personal answer but try and make it as interesting as you can. This can normally be an instance in either your personal or professional life. Tell me about a time you received excellent customer service.
As a consumer you are receiving customer service every day. Relate an instance that really made you aware that the other person was going out of his/her way to accommodate and satisfy you as a customer. Include that the exceptional service brought you back to the place of business again.
Give an example of a time that you did more than was required of you in your job.
As a flight attendant you will often find yourself going out of your way to assist a passenger for various reasons. Many times in my flying career I have walked a senior citizen to a gate or assisted a struggling parent by holding a baby while the parent carried luggage. Think of a time when you really went the extra mile. Also relate that you often go out of your way to be of assistance to other
s or go beyond what is required of you.
Have you ever had an experience working with a difficult customer or co-worker?
We all usually encounter a difficult person at some point in our professional life and as a flight attendant you will definitely come into contact with some less than friendly passengers. Relate that you always try to maintain communication and get along with those who might be difficult. Include that you always remain the positive factor in the situation and often find that your positive personality can alleviate the negativity of others.
Tell me something about yourself that would be a positive asset to our airline.
Think of one of your best personality traits, qualities or strengths. Relate how that quality would enhance the airline. Good examples: Adaptability, responsibility, flexibility, integrity, self-motivation, enthusiasm. What are some of your personal goals?
A good personal goal is to become a flight attendant for (airline name) and contribute to the future success of the airline by utilizing your strong customer service skills.
Describe how you work under a tough manager or boss.
Relate that you easily adapt to whatever type of manager you work under.
In a team environment, are you a motivator, a player, a leader or an enthusiast?
I mentioned way back in the chapter explaining in flight positions and the different responsibilities each requires that each of those positions will require that you take on a sort of different role depending on your assigned level of responsibility. This question is all about adaptability and flexibility. It is best to relate to the recruiter that you are a little of all them and that you can adapt to just about any role as the situation requires. If you must choose, pick team player. What is my name?