How to apply for a Flight Attendant Job

Flight attendant training and job comes after the rigorous selection procedure of the airline. Gone are the days when applicants would go to the local ticket counter to get an application, to mail it in and wait for an interview. It is much simpler now, but the competition is even stiffer.

The process may begin by mailing a resume directly to the airline, but there are several other resourceful ways to apply for a flight attendant position after training. In the age of technology, job application has been streamlined for the convenience of both the applicant and human resource departments.

The newest of these advances is screening the flight attendant job aspirants through the Internet. Online flight attendant job applications have become commonplace now, due to the convenience and accuracy it affords. Most airlines now have their own websites announcing various flight attendant trainingvacancies, and interested job seekers can easily apply via online application or email.

Another advance in the technology of interviewing flight attendant aspirants is the telephonic interview. Some airlines offer a phone number that is either given out by the airline’s reservations department or listed in a local newspaper ad. Upon calling this number, the applicant is given a comprehensive job summary and some information about the airline, then asked to electronically submit name, address, phone number and to answer a number of questions including the main one as to why one want to be a airhostess or flight attendant basically to determine the suitability of the applicant and also how he can cope with flight attendant training.

These questions are usually of the behavioral type, and involve customer service scenarios. Recruiters or human resource people then examine the answers to conclude whether or not they are interested in the further pursuit of the applicant for an interview or even to understand whether the individual has the capability to withstand the pressures of the rigorous airhostess training.

Most frequently, the application process for a flight attendant job aspirant begins with attendance at an open house interview. Airlines place newspaper ads in cities from which they wish to hire, and hold open house interviews a few days later.

These sessions are held all over the airline’s system, usually at hotels close tothe airport or sometimes even at the airlines flight attendant training facility. They can be conducted at various times of the day - morning, afternoon or evening - in order to facilitate adequate attendance of airhostess aspirants.

The open house is, by far, the quickest way to meet and talk with the recruiters face-to-face. This type of screening is usually conducted as a group interview.Resumes will be collected at the door, and after everyone is seated, the recruiter will give a short presentation about what it is like to work as a flight attendant or as airhostess for that company and how the flight attendant training will be like once they are selected.

Then each applicant is asked to come to the front of the room and give a brief statement describing his or her background and work history. The statement should be interesting but kept to a minimum - no longer than 2 minutes - and should contain information as it relates to the flight attendant job, including any previous customer service experience and how they will be coping with the flight attendant training.

Sometimes applicants will be provided with scenarios relating to job situations, followed by a quiz. This is to determine the applicants’ problem solving and/or test taking skills. Some airlines also conduct a brief psychological testing of the airhostess / flight attendant aspirants.  All these test are to assimilate the capabilities of an individual vis-a-vis a distressing scenario in-flight and how they can handle the rigorous flight attendant training of the airline.

After all applicants have given their presentation to the group, the airline may discreetly ask selected individuals to stay or come back at a later time for a second interview; this interview may be conducted at the same place where initial interview was held, or the flight attendant applicant may be sent a ticket to fly to the airline’s home base and interviewed there.

The second interview usually consists of individual questioning, sometimes in front of a panel; it can even include more group interviews, as the airline may want to see how applicants work with others to solve problems, and to see which applicants emerge as leaders a situation normally any airline flight attendant orcabin crew confronts in his or her aviation career.

Smaller airlines may skip the open house interview and simply interview flight attendant aspirants individually and many of these airlines even do not have their own flight attendant training facilities. A recruiter or member of in-flight may come to the applicant’s city or fly the applicant to the airline’s home base. These airlines also use behavioral- type questions, and can be even choosier in the selection process because they employ fewer people.

The timing of the airline’s response to flight attendant applicants after interviews can depend on when they need people and how great the demand. The airline will inform those airhostess applicants whom they are interested in pursuing, and it is not advisable for applicants to try to call the airline for an update on their hiring status.  Even once you have been intimated that you are hired wait for the airline to declare the flight attendant training schedule and do not ask them the same. Be patient and professional. You may have to wait 6 months or a year before reapplying to an airline, but if you are still interested after that time, don’t hesitate to apply again.