After graduating from college with a BA in Sociology I had full intentions of getting my masters in Social Work, but once I graduated I either wanted to take some time off or hopefully find a job where I could bypass the whole going back to school thing. My family has a history in the airline industry. My great grandfather owned his own airline in Alaska, grandmother worked for said airline, great aunt worked for Alaska Airlines and had just recently retired.

After a month of two of actively applying for jobs my sister finally mentioned that maybe I should apply at an airline. After researching airlines I applied to two airlines. One rejected me within two days (haha) and the other took weeks to send a reply. I eventually got an email stating I was moving forward in the interview process. I had to fill out a questionnaire/personality test. After passing that, a video interview. Finally an onsite interview which lasted the entire day! Then after passing the onsite process I had to pass my physical.

After 4 months of this application/hiring process I finally received a training date for flight attendant training. An 8.5 week program. This training is seriously no joke. It’s extremely fast pace. Did I mention that my training was unpaid also? Yeah that was a challenge in itself but it was totally worth it. I now have a job that I enjoy.

I now have been with my airline for almost 6 years now. I’ve had a few job title changes. I went into a management role right before I became pregnant (more on this in a future post) but I ended up back in the friendly skies because I feel like that’s where I’m meant to be. Though each flight has it’s challenges, at the end of the day I still very much love my job.

If you’re thinking of becoming a flight attendant, here are some tips during the interview process:

1. A flight attendant is categorized as a customer service position. If you have customer service experience be sure to highlight that in your resume! I also wrote a cover letter further illustrating my customer service experience and why I’d be a great fit for the airline I was applying to.
2. The personality assessment: be consistent throughout the questionnaire. From my understanding they’re looking for someone who is compassionate, consistent, and is a good judge of character. There are a lot of hypothetical questions so they want to see how you respond to certain situations (this is where you’re customer service skills come into play).
3. If you get a video interview be sure to look the part! I’ve heard that some people only dress up from the waist up but I highly suggest getting fully dressed just to get you in the proper mindset. I did my hair in a bun and I kept my make up very natural.
4. Onsite interview: really dress the part! I wore a pencil skirt, white blouse, and blazer. For women wear hosiery! This is very important. Hosiery is a requirement (at least my for company) in uniform so you should wear them for the interview. Hair should be tied back (I always suggest a bun) and a shade of red lipstick. You want to look the part as much as possible. For men, a suggest a nice suite, facial hair neatly groomed (no long beards) and hair either freshly cut or for those with longer hair make sure it’s tied back.
5. Onsite: Make eye contact, smile, and speak with as many people as you come in contact with. They want to see that you’re approachable and kind.
6. Be yourself! You don’t want to go into the interview putting on a different personality because if you do, the job will only be harder for you because you aren’t being yourself.

I hope these tips are helpful. These are my suggestions based on my interview process 6 years ago. I’m sure a lot has changed since than so please only take these as help suggestions and not rules to follow. I cannot guarantee anyone gets hired with an airline based on my helpful tips.

All the best for those going through the interview process!

Stay tuned for more information about my life as a flight attendant!