Interview tips
Prepare for career take-off with tips on passing a cabin crew interview from Presentation Magazine’s readers.
QUESTION: How can I pass the first round for a cabin crew interview? Any tips? Cynthia
ANSWERS:
From DOCTOR:
Do you have to give a presentation? Have you been given a topic for the presentation? If so, make it visual and keep it reasonably short. Use pictures if you can. Preparing the presentation on pieces of card can be very effective. The key would be to appear very positive and very confident in your delivery. This will come from as much rehearsing as you can. Practise some of the answers for the interview questions that you are likely to be asked:
– What are your strengths?
– What are your weaknesses?
– Have you ever lost your temper?
– What is the best example of customer service that you have come across?
– What is the worst example of customer service that you have come across?
It may also be worth contacting any cabin crew people that you know – or can find on the Internet to see if they have any tips.
I would echo their thoughts that what you wear will be very important and that a smart jacket and skirt are essential, as well as having a polished pair of shoes. It may be best to dress in a similar way to cabin crew members – coordinating suit (ladies – jacket and skirt, gentlemen – jacket and trousers).
Shoes tend to be flat soled or flat heels. Make doubly sure that you have polished your shoes. Make sure that your nails are nicely clean and that your hair is tidy – getting it cut the day before would not do much harm. Also make sure that you come across as confident and don’t apologise about your appearance.
From HARRY RICHARDS:
I have been a flight attendant for 7 years so I don’t know how much it’s changed but I can give you one key piece of advice. They will ask you how many times you have called in sick in the last year – say “zero.” If you even say “once” you will absolutely not get hired. I have a friend in HR at our airline and I know this is true.
From CANON:
Somebody once told me that one main question at a cabin crew interview is “How would you handle a passenger who is terrified of flying?”
From JONNY:
In answer to the question about terrified passengers, reassure them that everything is fine, tell them that there is nothing to be terrified of and tell them what will happen (take-off process) as they will be scared of not knowing what will happen. Sit with the passenger and have a conversation to take their mind off their worries.
From SUVARNAGAYATR:
Here’s a few questions they may ask, try to prepare an answer for each one before the interview.
1. Can you tell us something about yourself?
2. Why do you wish to join our airline?
3. Why do you want to become cabin crew/flight attendant?
4. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
5. What are your hobbies?
From UNREGISTERED:
I’ve been on a cabin crew interview recently and I was expecting so much from it. But it didn’t work out the way I hoped. The recruiter told me that I had all the answers to their questions and I have the potential to become a cabin crew but I should be more fun and enthusiastic. He then advised me to come on another open day! So I’d advise you to try to be the most outgoing person in the room.
From SIMOGAGARINE:
I’ve studied to become a flight attendant and I will give some important notes on how to pass the interview.
Get more info about the company who invite you for the interview. Find out where they are based, who the management is, the name of the managing director. All this can be found on the Internet.
Be aware of the company’s good reputation and find out what its staff are known to do well.
If you have to give a presentation, make sure you practise it 3 times or more, in front of a friend.
Introduce yourself and give more details about your studies and about safety, customer service, anything you can find out about the aircraft itself, and safety announcements.
From UNREGISTERED:
C’mon everyone, these questions are common sense questions. I mean when you go into an interview you cannot have a script of how things go! It should be about you -100% no script. The best preparation is to think about your strengths and weaknesses in advance, and make sure you tell the interviewer why you want to be a flight attendant. Remember airlines do not want people who are just looking for free travel.
From UNREGISTERED:
Just be yourself, there is a lot to the cabin crew interview as I have done them myself. The key is to just take part in the group activities and not sit there with nothing to say, and in the personal interview make sure that you have examples of things you’ve done well – like when you gave good customer service. They look for confident people who can cope with different and difficult situations that might arise over many hours on a plane full of people. Anything and everything happens when you are in the air.
From UNREGISTERED:
To answer a question about why you want to become a cabin crew member, you could say something like this:
“An air hostess or cabin crew is an integral part of the hospitality industry. It’ll help me to be independent with a rewarding career and it’ll also help me to develop my personality and become self-reliant. It’s a prestigious job with great responsibility. The qualities I possess will make me a good air hostess or cabin crew who’ll be able to give passengers on board satisfaction to the best of my abilities.”
From SHRISTY CHANDRAN:
A lot of questions have been asked in this forum thread regarding cabin crew interview questions. I have listed a few below:
General Questions:
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What are the main responsibilities in your current role?
What do you most enjoy about your current role?
What do you enjoy most about working as part of a team?
Can you describe a time when you’ve faced a difficult challenge and how you overcame it?
What interested you in this position?
What skills could you bring to this position?
Why do you want to change your current company and role?
Cabin Crew Job Specific Questions:
Why do you want to be a flight attendant? Or: Why did you come to this interview?
A passenger needs to go to the restroom while you serve from the meal cart. It is a single aisle airplane and you are between the passenger and the restroom. What will you do?
What are the disadvantages of being a flight attendant?
What qualities do you like in your friends or co-workers and why?
What would you say to a first-time passenger or a passenger who is afraid to fly?
What would you do if you spilled a drink on a passenger while you are serving him/her?
What do you notice first when you see a flight attendant?
Are you a day or night person? or can you work nights, weekends and holidays?
Hope this list helps. Be careful when you answer these questions, it can make the difference between success and failure in the interview