A Guide to the Flight Attendant Interview Process

Are you thinking of becoming a flight attendant? People often wonder about the application and interview process that is involved in becoming a flight attendant. I can give you a firsthand account of the process that I went through so you will know what to expect when it comes time for you to interview with an airline.

The Application: The application process involved in becoming a flight attendant is extremely straightforward and somewhat formal. Be as detailed as you can when you fill out the application because if you are hired on with the airline, a background check going back at least ten years will be conducted. If you fib in any way, you might get caught. Emphasize your customer service experience and any experience that you've had working with the public. Good customer service is crucial to an airline's success, so they want to know that you're capable of handling customer complaints and are a good communicator. Once you apply to an airline it can take weeks, if not months, to get invited to a group interview session. If you're application is declined, many airlines will ask you to wait for at least six months before re-applying. If this happens, don't be discouraged! One thing that will help your chances of getting an interview is a positive letter of recommendation from a person who works for the airline. Airlines like to hire the friends and family members of their employees, so if you have a connection, by all means use it!

The Interview: Many people in the airline industry refer to the flight attendant interview process as a "cattle call." This is for a good reason. If asked to interview for the airline, expect to see 20-50 people interviewing for the flight attendant position. The interview for my former airline took place right in the Newark, NJ airport in the airline's training center. Candidates will be taken into a large room and will be asked to give a brief introduction to the rest of the group. I think the key here is keeping the introduction short. During my interview session, the candidates who more or less told the group their life story were not hired in the end. When the introductions have been made, a recruiter will call candidates individually for their initial interview. Several interviews may be going on in the same room that you're interviewing in, so be prepared to tune out any distractions. The specific interview questions were based on my actions in previous work situations. For example, one of the questions was, "Name a time that you helped a coworker in need." The interviewer then asked more specific questions about that event, such as, "How did you feel after you helped him?" or "What would you have done differently?"

If your first interview went well, you will be asked to interview again. If it didn't go so well, you will be told that the airline will call you back in 1-2 weeks. The candidates at my interview that were told that they would be called back were ultimately turned down for the job. I know this because I exchanged e-mail addresses with several of the other candidates so we could keep each other informed. The bottom line is that if you're not asked for a second interview on the same day, chances are you didn't get the job.

The second interview is similar to the first, but this time the recruiters ask more questions about how comfortable you are with being away from home for long periods of time and possibly relocating to a new city. By all means, even if you aren't one hundred percent sure that you want to basically give up your life as you know it to live in a crash pad with complete strangers and be on reserve for five years, tell the recruiter that your plans are flexible and that relocating wouldn't be a problem. The airline doesn't want to spend money training you only to have you get homesick and quit a month later. This is one of those times that a little white lie will help you.

If the second interview is a success, you'll be asked to come to a final third interview a few hours later. By this time the recruiters have had time to discuss your credentials and have probably made some sort of decision as to whether or not they would like to invite you to training. You'll be asked not to tell any of the other candidates that you were asked back for a third interview. Even if your best friend is interviewing with you, please wait until you're home before you discuss any details. While I don't know this for sure, the rumor at my interview session was that keeping your mouth shut will work in your favor.

My third interview was with two senior level recruiters. During the interview, I was asked what my long term goals were and how long I envisioned myself being a flight attendant. I feel as though being as honest as possible with the recruiters, even if you don't intend to stay with the airlines for a life time, won't hurt your chances for candidacy. I told the recruiters that if hired I would plan to work as a flight attendant for two years and then head to grad school. I think they appreciated my honesty and my ambitions. After ten minutes or so, the recruiters finally made an offer. They handed me a packet of information and asked me to join the upcoming flight attendant training session in a month.

While the interview process lasted all day and was somewhat intense, it was nice to get an offer on the same day of my interview! Plus, being able to fly to Newark at the company's expense was a great mini-adventure! That night after the interview, my mom and I (she came along for moral support) took the train to Manhattan and celebrated my newfound lifestyle. I was on my way to becoming a flight attendant and now had to prepare for the four week training.