A guide to flight attendent interviewing PART III

Company Research

In the Choosing an Airline section, we discuss how important it is for you to thoroughly research every airline that interests you. Not only will this help you decide which airline you would most like to work for, but it will help you immensely during the interview process. The more you know about a specific company, the more prepared you will be to not only answer the interviewer's questions, but you will be able to ask your own, equally intelligent, questions.
The pull-down menu provides a corporate snapshot of each airline, giving you basic answers to the following questions. Knowing the answers to these questions will give you a competitive advantage over fellow applicants.

• What is the airline's category?
• How large is the airline relative to its competitors within the category?
• What are the names of the senior management team?
• What was the airline's total annual operating revenue for the previous year?
• What is the airline's growth rate with respect to revenue?
• What is the airline's employee growth rate?
• How many employees does the airline have?
• How many flight attendants does the airline have?
• What equipment does the airline fly?
• What is the primary route structure?
• How many destinations does the airline fly to?

Interview Survival Kit

Long before you attend any airline interview, you must arm yourself with the tools you will need to make the entire process run as smoothly as possible. The following recommended items should be included as part of your "interview survival kit" and be brought with you to every interview. Some are mandatory for your success, while others are optional, depending on their affordability and size.
Quite often, you will fly to a distant city for an interview and spend the night in a hotel. There, you will be able to use your "interview survival kit" as a portable office so you can prepare yourself as effectively as possible for the next day's interview.


Mandatory Items:

• The job portfolio: the job portfolio serves as a quick reference for all of your application-related materials (see Creating a Job Portfolio).

• Writing utensils: you need general writing utensils (the cheap hotel type), as well as a high quality pen for taking notes during the interview, preferably a gold, silver or black "Cross" pen for a more professional appearance. Also a marker or highlighter for reviewing your notes is essential.

• Note pad: a small legal pad for taking notes.

• Watch: it seems simple, but many people miss interviews because they do not have a watch! A dress watch should always be worn to the interview.

• Alarm clock: if you are spending the night in a hotel room the night before your interview, it is important to have an alarm clock so you won't oversleep. A wind-up type is best because it is not vulnerable to power failure. Back up your alarm clock with a wake-up call.

• Cash: if you are driving to an interview, you will usually be required to park in a parking garage; it might cost you up to $20 or more to park.

• Extra shirt or blouse: if you hit a bump in the road and coffee spills all over your shirt or blouse, a coffee stain won't make a good impression at the interview.

• Spot remover: just in case.

• Shoeshine kit: shoe polish and a shining cloth are needed for last minute touch-ups.

• Lint-roller: to remove last-minute lint and pet hairs.

• Extra panty-hose: women know how easy it is to run panty hose; have extras in your briefcase just in case.

• Toiletry and makeup kit: brushes, combs, mirrors, tissue, makeup, toothpaste and toothbrush, breath mints, and anything else you can think of that will help you freshen up just before the interview.

• A good roll-aboard suitcase: if you need to fly to your interview destination, make sure you own a good suitcase, preferably the roll-aboard type that can be stowed in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you. You do not want to be checking luggage if you are running late to an interview. You are allowed 2 carry-on bags; your suitcase and a briefcase. NOTE: A woman's pocketbook does not count as a carry-on item.

• Invest in a lint roller (especially if you own pets) and carry it with you in your briefcase. Just before the interview, visit the restroom, and de-lint yourself. Also, be sure to double-check your wardrobe, teeth, makeup, panty hose (women) and hair, and pop a breath mint into your mouth.

Optional Items:

• Personal Organizer: a Palm Pilot or other type of electronic organizer is preferable, but a spiral notebook-type organizer, such as a Day Runner or Franklin Planner will be sufficient for keeping your contacts and appointments organized.

• Laptop or notebook computer: a computer is valuable for keeping electronic versions of your notes, for logging onto the Internet (to visit AirlineCareer.com), and for checking email.

• Portable phone: portable telephones are helpful if you are caught in traffic and running late to an interview, or if your flight is delayed.

• Cassette recorder or memo recorder: these are useful for taking quick notes and for interview practice.