by Kiki Ward
A good response would be that you would assign the tasks after taking into consideration the individual strengths and abilities of each person, or assign them as teams. Each question or role play is asked to determine your level of professionalism, maturity and diplomacy. The recruiter isn’t necessarily going to expect you to know the exact policy of the airline regarding each scenario but instead is interested in watching you perform in an impromptu and sometimes uncomfortable situation.
Working flight attendants often joke that they are nurses, parents, psychologists, waiters, performers, bartenders, chefs and safety monitors all rolled into one!
Any questions?
Your individual or group interview is going to most likely conclude with your recruiter asking if you or anyone in the group has any questions for him/her. You should be prepared just as you were in the career overview, to ask an intelligent question. This is an important final moment for you to again bring to the attention of the recruiter your sincere interest in the airline. Many of my readers have told me they were the only ones in their group to have a question and they felt it reflected poorly on the other applicants who were not prepared with a question. Again, avoid any questions regarding benefits you will be receiving as a flight attendant or how long reserve is or where you might be based. Try and touch on areas that might not have been discussed, for example where training is conducted and how long the program is or how many flight attendants are being hired currently at the airline. Upon completion of the interview shake the recruiters hand and thank him/her for the opportunity to interview.
Thanks for flying with us today!
Your airline interview will conclude in one of several ways depending on the airline.
-Some airlines will give you a specified period of time in which to hear from them regarding whether or not you have been selected.
-Some airlines will make you a conditional offer of employment the same day you interview.
-Some airlines will invite you on to a second or third interview, depending on their process, at a later date. Airlines conducting an open house will generally have a second or third interview for those applicants selected from the open house. These later interviews will generally be held at the airline headquarters. These airlines will make eliminations throughout the interview and continually reduce the number of applicants from the initial starting amount until they have selected only a handful to go on to the second or third interview.
The physical and background check
Once you have been extended an offer of conditional employment as a flight attendant, you must undergo a complete physical or medical examination and a background check. Some airlines who select and offer employment the same day as the interview will also send you for your physical the same day you interview. Other airlines will schedule your physical at a later date once you have completed interviewing and been offered conditional employment. Most major airlines maintain their own professional medical departments staffed with physicians who work exclusively for the company. Other smaller airlines may outsource the physical exam to a specific physician.
An airline physical will normally include drug testing, hearing and vision testing and an in-depth test of your overall health. The physical will involve completion of paperwork listing any and all medications you use or have used in the past. Some airlines will ask for appropriate medical documentation from your personal physician to corroborate and verify the use of the medications you list. If you currently take or have taken medication in the recent past it is imperative that it be listed. It is very easy to be eliminated in this portion simply due to omission. I mentioned earlier that as an applicant undergoing an airline physical you will normally be given the opportunity to list and explain all medications and then have your eligibility judged by the physician. If you are asked to provide specific documentation from your personal physician it is imperative that you follow the exact procedure given to you as well as remind your doctor’s office to do the same. I have several readers who neglected to remit the information in the appropriate format and were eventually dropped from consideration and had to begin the interview process all over.
As mentioned earlier, the background check will usually be performed on a ten year basis. Most airlines outsource this task to a large company that exclusively performs background checks. Your personal references will normally be checked by the airline itself. Each and every reference you listed on your application or resume will be completely and thoroughly checked. The airline will generally ask you in the interview for permission to begin contacting your current employer so as not to jeopardize your current position prior to your being selected. You will also hear:
How soon can you be available for training?
This answer will give the recruiter an indication of your availability to the airline and will sometimes weigh in the decision making process. You are not necessarily required to be available immediately. A good response to the question is: I would be available to attend training upon giving adequate notice to my current employer. Airlines are generally very accommodating and understanding of your prior commitments. However, if the airline is trying to fill training slots, they need applicants who are available for those slots. Think about what your availability is going to be well before you begin the interview process.
Once you have successfully passed the company physical and cleared the background check, you will be notified of your training date. Training normally takes place in the city in which the airline is headquartered and lasts between three to seven weeks depending on the airline. This is the beginning of relocation! Airlines have begun to really speed up the relocation process. As an accepted applicant at most airlines you may be in training as soon as three weeks of being accepted, others may be several months. I have readers who have been hired and trained and are already flying at some airlines, while other readers were hired at a different airline around the same time and are still awaiting a training slot. It is dependent upon the number of training classes the airline you are hired with is putting through, the number of flight attendants being hired and the availability of slots within the training classes themselves.
You’re hired!
Airlines employ various methods of notifying you that you have successfully passed the physical and background check and are officially being invited to training.
A phone call from the airline is the most common method of notification. I still remember where I was what I was doing and even what I was wearing when that phone call came in. I knew it would alter my life and take me into a whole other world. It is exciting and memorable to get the call. Other airlines will notify you by letter. Once you have been notified, you will receive a training packet full of information. Often a video is enclosed allowing you to tour the training facility before you ever arrive! Most airlines will include homestudy material that you must learn prior to your arrival at training. This material will normally make up your first test upon arrival at training, so it is imperative to take the material seriously and study it diligently before arriving at training. A few airlines contract with learning centers around the country and require that you complete a pretest at a designated center in your area.
If at first you don’t succeed…
If you are not among the applicants selected or if you eventually receive a letter stating that you have not been selected, don’t become discouraged. Many flight attendants are not selected on their first attempt but they kept applying and interviewing until they found success. It is imperative that you not allow your confidence to be shaken and definitely try not to take it too personally. I interviewed with a major airline and was not selected just three weeks before being hired at American Airlines. One of my best friends was not selected by American but went on to be hired at Delta in the same month. I believe there is a airline home for each person. As I mentioned, I have worked with many flight attendants at American who were not hired either by another airline or even by American the first time they int
erviewed. One flight attendant who stands out in particular interviewed an incredible seven times before being hired. That is real perseverance! Each airline is unique, has a unique hiring process and definitely creates a unique atmosphere in their interviewing. You will definitely have a more fun, relaxed interview at some airlines than you will at others. The other important thing to remember is that airline recruiters are people. You simply may not have the same chemistry with one recruiter as you will with another or a recruiter may be having a bad day and not be as receptive to you as m
another might be. For these reasons it is important to be in top form during the interview, always trying to impress the interviewer and to stand out. Realizing a goal often requires you to take chances and to work a little harder than you normally might, but you will never regret a career you strive hard to obtain. Above all, don’t lose sight of your goal.
Most airlines will require an applicant to wait a specified period of time before reapplying if you are not selected on the first attempt. Normally you must wait six months to a year before submitting another application, resume or attending another open house at the airline.
Chapter six
Flight attendant training
Your initial flight attendant training will be the foundation of your flying career. Everything you learn during initial training will be the information you will refer to over and over again during the course of your flight attendant career. The training will be intense and sometimes daunting. It is definitely the first test of the flexibility I have referred to so many times in the guide. Flight attendants often affectionately refer to initial training as the “charm farm” or “Ken and Barbie boot camp” because of the amazing transformation we all go through while in training and the incredibly structured atmosphere that training is conducted in. Flight attendant training is also truly about survival of the fittest. By this I mean only those applicants who are able to conform to the set standard, pass and prove proficiency on all materials presented and attain the image and demeanor of a professional flight attendant will be successful in training.
Initial training can be a stressful period not only due to the fact that you are away from friends and family, but because the volume of material is large and the pace is fast. I can assure you that training will strengthen you as an individual in all areas of your life. You will leave training as a highly trained professional and will have gained confidence in your abilities to perform well in the role of flight attendant and also in other areas of your life. If you are not a structured person now, you will be once you graduate from flight attendant training. Your level of responsibility and dependability will increase as will your level of maturity. You’ll be amazed at the things you will become proficient in and it will certainly raise your confidence level to a new height. Airlines design their training programs to achieve with each trainee all of the things I just mentioned and certainly to eliminate those trainees who are unable or unwilling to rise to the challenge.
It is imperative that you enter training with a healthy respect for the material you will be presented with. Maintaining your positive attitude is going to be the key to successfully completing training. Flight attendant training can be likened to being on stage continually for up to six weeks. Constant evaluations of you, your appearance, your personality and your ability to pass each test is the challenge you will face in training. Again, you can do it! We all look back and wonder how we made it, and so many of my readers tell me that they have never experienced anything like it in their life! But they make it through and you will as well so long as you stay focused on your goal. The sheer exhilaration you feel when you receive your wings on graduation day makes it worth the training.
Length of training
Initial flight attendant training typical lasts between two to seven weeks depending on the airline. Commuter or regional airlines will have the shortest training period due to the limited inflight services they offer and limited range of aircraft they operate. Training at a commuter or regional airline will generally involve appearance, safety and evacuation proficiency, first aid and emergency equipment operation. Training at a major airline will normally last at least five to six weeks. The same areas mentioned before will be learned as well as food service and other inflight services that major airlines offer. Also, major airlines usually operate many types of aircraft and you must normally become proficient in working aboard each one as well as learn the emergency equipment operation and location on board each aircraft you become qualified on.
The training site
Flight attendant training is normally conducted at a facility located in the city in which the airline is headquartered. This is going to be the beginning of your relocation as you will have to leave your home and your responsibilities for up to six weeks. You will reside either in housing on the grounds of the facility or in a hotel. Most airlines are accommodating trainees in local hotels and providing shuttle service between the training facility and the hotel each day.
Training pay
Most airlines offer training, accommodations and meals but do not offer a salary while in training. There are airlines that pay a trainee a nominal salary in lieu of providing hotel accommodations. There are also a couple of airlines that charge an applicant for training and some airlines that provide paid training as well as accommodations and training. It is important that you be aware of what is required and what is offered by your airline. This information is normally given at your initial interview. A few of my readers who have been offered positions at several airlines based their selection on what was offered during training, for example, one of my readers was offered a job with three major airlines and when she realized one airline would charge a training tuition, she narrowed her choice to the two that did not offer paid training but offered fully paid accommodations, meals and training.
What to bring
As mentioned earlier, you will receive a very large information packet from the airline before you arrive at training. A complete overview of what you need to bring along will be included. A suggested cash amount is included as well. This amount is recommended so that you are prepared to immediately report to base if necessary and also for incidental expenses you incur while in training. Incidental expenses include, salon services, new makeup, outings you may choose to take, etc.
Airlines conduct training in a business setting. You will be expected to dress and act accordingly. You certainly do not need to go out and purchase a new wardrobe but be prepared to dress each day as you did in your interview. Select clothing that is conservative and tasteful. A good idea is to bring clothing that is basic and classic so you are able to interchange pieces throughout training. A long distance calling card or prepaid phone card is a must if you are going to be far from home and bring along paper and postage for correspondence. Casual clothing will be allowed on some days and of course in your time away from class. Bring along identification in the form of a drivers license, birth certificate, social security card, etc.. If you are a non-U.S. citizen, bring along your appropriate documentation. Most airlines provide accessible shopping either within the facility or nearby from which you can purchase grooming essentials, casual clothing, postcards and the ever popular T-shirts and sweatshirts with your airline logo. My advice is to also bring a camera! The photos you take in training are going to be priceless to you someday when you look back on them!
Prepare for arrival!
The airline will provide transportation to training. Upon your arrival at the training site you will be required to check in, complete necessary administrative paperwork, receive facility identification to wear daily, be given a tour of the facility and receive your books and materials. You will also be assigned a roommate and begin meeting your fellow trainees. It will be a very exciting and memorable day. Your time thereafter will be very structured with little free time. The free time you will have will normally be utilized by studying or practicing material.
Testing
As me
ntioned earlier within the training packet you receive from the airline will be curriculum material that you will be required to know upon your arrival at training. This material may include airline city identifier codes for the cities the airline serves, the twenty four hour clock, basic airline/aircraft terminology and the airline route system. This material will normally compose the first test you are given.
Airline trainees are required to maintain a specific grade average on each test and failure to do so normally results in dismissal from training. Most airlines require a 90% passing rate on written tests and a 100% passing rate on all safety related oral and written exercises including aircraft evacuation proficiency. Most airlines allow one retake on written exams but some do not. Most airlines also allow one retake on oral proficiency, for example evacuation drills. As mentioned earlier not only will you be evaluated academically but also continually evaluated on appearance and interaction with other trainees. Although the majority of trainees successfully graduate from training there are always some who are eliminated for various reasons. As you will be informed before beginning, you are not officially hired by the airline until you successfully complete training. It is the option of the airline to eliminate trainees from the program. You will invariably have trainees in your class that are asked to leave. As a trainee you must make the concerted effort to do well academically, willingly and enthusiastically comply with all standards and changes required of you and most importantly, maintain a positive attitude.
Appearance
As a flight attendant trainee you will almost certainly receive a make-over to some degree. This can be in the form of makeup that better complements you, a new hair color or the cutting and restyling of your hair by professional instructors. Within the first week of training you and your classmates will probably look quite different than you did the day you arrived at training. All appearance changes are usually for the best even though you personally may not be delighted with the new look. Remember, hair grows! This is another test of your willingness to conform. Most trainees though are happy with the updated look they receive and it allows the airline to send out a professional looking group of flight attendants to represent the airline. Although there are no longer specific weight standards you must still try to maintain the image you brought to the interview. In other words, if you dieted before the interview, training is not the place to begin gaining the weight back. Also, you will be fitted for your uniform almost immediately after beginning training.