Never ever in my life did I see myself becoming a Flight Attendant. Yet here we are and I get paid to fly to Paris and wear a red dress and heels. Not too shabby 😉 While not for everyone, this is most definitely the most perfectly suited job for me that I could have EVER imagined.

The question I get asked most often is how did you become a Flight Attendant and what was the interview process like? Did you wear panty hose? So in an effort to answer all those questions here is my very biased guide on how to become a paid world traveller.

The Application

My resume wasn’t anything special to be honest. I spent time ensuring it was professional and organized but unfortunately because you submit it online I wasn’t able to go full “Elle Woods” and print it on pink paper and spritz with Chanel. I highlighted my customer service experience and my cover letter explained my love of people and why my resume proved what a great flight attendant I would make. (Haha)

The Video Interview

Shortly after submitting my online application I was contacted to do a video interview. I was in the middle of finishing up my 2 degrees so I googled some example questions and was introduced to the “S.T.A.R.” method. S: Situation T: Task or Target A: Action R: Result. You basically can answer any question with that formula. You’re asked 5 questions, have 30 seconds to prepare and then you have 2 minutes to reply to those questions. While the questions I’m sure change and vary, I was asked to tell about a time I messed up in my job and what I did to fix it, about a time I went above and beyond for a customer and why, and about a time I saw a colleague breaking the rules and my response. Those were the three that I remember having to think quickly to respond and the other two were fairly easy.

I wore pajama pants and a blazer. Haha but seriously. It’s a video interview so I propped my laptop on the toilet and sat in front of the only plain white, well-lit wall and QUIET space I could find. Right in the middle of the video my cat wandered in and started singing what I’m sure she thought was the most beautiful song so make sure you lock Mr. and Mrs. Fluffy very far away.

The Phone Interview

Easiest part of the process. Make sure you’re smiling while speaking because that will ALWAYS show. They ask whether or not you have visible tattoos, and some other easy questions like address and birthdate and you’re done. I did this part hiding in the handicap stall of my work bathroom on my lunch break.

Face to Face Interview

First, what did I wear? (This is my favorite part) I wore some gorg black heels with a bow, nude pantyhose, a tailored black pencil skirt, maroon silk long sleeve shirt with a (try to guess) big silk bow, and a fitted black blazer. Below are some examples.

 

I completed the look with a conservative pearl necklace, muted nail polish, a classic makeup look and french twist hair do. My goal was to not “look like a Flight Attendant” like all the forums said but to look classic, professional but most importantly show my personality in subtle ways. So if you love bows, add bows in a chic way. Adore red, get a red manicure.

The interview itself began with a period of maybe 45 minutes of socializing in a big group (30-50 people). There are senior Flight Attendants, random people dressed in suits and your fellow interviewees. Don’t you dare look at your phone the whole day. Plaster the biggest smile on your face and talk to every single person. My job now is literally to talk ALL day… every day so this is just their way to see if you’re comfortable talking. Take a shot of expresso and go for it 🙂

Then you have to be interviewed in a small room by two people. They asked me the exact same questions from my video interview and I answered the exact same way. There was one question I faltered on several times and I asked if I could come back to it. I felt it was better to formulate an articulated answer than to mumble through something. They are so wonderful and truly do work with you. So don’t worry.

My biggest piece of advice is quite different than what any other person will tell you but I found it crucial. Do not tell anyone that you’re going to the interview. Exceptions are one or two people like your parents or your boss so people don’t worry. The biggest thing I hear every day is that nerves got the best of people in the interview and they didn’t make it. I know I would have so appreciated people encouraging me but it would have made me SO excited which would have translated into EXCESSIVE nerves. As it was, my roommate and parents knew and that was it. I was able to focus without distractions and irregardless of the result I was able to tell people the good or bad news when I was ready.

The Result

Out of the 50 people they called three names at the very end and asked everyone else to leave. I hear this might have changed recently but in my interview this last year I was one of the 3 names. The other two gentleman were the exact guys I had instantly connected with when I arrived and we were all dressed in fun but chic clothes. A huge contrast to the other interviewees who were a sea of black and white. They called us into a room and told us we were being offered a conditional job offer. 🙂 🙂 We now just had to make it through training.

So with that very very very long post (is it the longest post I’ve written?) I’ve given you all the things I found helpful for landing the job of a Flight Attendant. Unfortunately there’s no magic formula for who gets the job and who doesn’t but these are the things I’ve personally learned and heard from hundreds of my colleagues. So best of luck… you’re going to KILL it and please comment if you have any questions I didn’t cover OR if you want to hear Part II… what training is like! 🙂

XOXO,

Christena