HOW TO TO P PASS ASS THE EMI EMIRA RATES TES CABI CABIN N CREW INTER INT ERVIEW VIEW An Inside Look at the Emirates Interview Process, and what it Takes to Succeed
R. J. Hogan
Published by V1 Consulting Anchorage, AK
All right r ightss reserve res erved. d. No part of this this book bo ok may may be reproduced repr oduced or transm tra nsmitted itted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotation quotationss in i n a review. revie w.
Unattrib nattribut uted ed quotations attributed to R. J. Hogan. Hogan.
©Copyright ©Copyright 2014 201 4
First Edition Library of Congress Cataloguing-in Publication Data has been applied for
INTRODUCTION PART I: INTERVIEW INTERVIEW BASICS THE BIG PICTURE: WHAT IS EXPECTED
FROM CABIN CREWMEMBERS?
THE ONLINE APPLICATION MAKING FIRST IMPRESSIONS DRESS FOR SUCCESS GROOMING PHYSIQUE SELLING YOURSELF: ACTIONS SPEAK (MUCH!) LOUDER THAN WORDS
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS PART II: THE EMIRATES INTERVIEW INTERVIEW VIDEO AND QA
THE RESUME HANDOVER FIRST GROUP
DYNAMIC
YEAS OR NAYS OR NAYS E NGLISH NGLISH COMPREHENSION AND ADVANCED GROUP
DYNAMIC
O NE ON ONE INTERVIEW CLOSING THE INTERVIEW PHYSICALS CONCLUSION
APTITUDE TESTS
Introduction Congratulations! Congratulations! By starting this this book, you are taking taking the the fir first st step toward towa rd an exciting, lifechanging changing (for the better!) career, care er, one of the the most most unique unique you’l you’lll ever eve r experience. experi ence. This book and the the path you you are about to take will wi ll help lead you to to Emirates Emirates as an international international flight flight attendant attendant..
In the the
airli air line ne industry industry,, we refer re fer to the the “new “new you” as cabin cabi n crew. cre w. Like all paths p aths that that take you you somew somewhere here new, it can be long, long, and will wi ll at a t times times require eff e ffort ort on your your part. par t. This book will be your your companion companion on this journey, and like any good travel partner, it will help you arrive at your goal. Getting this job is important to you; the fact that you are reading this book is a testament to that. And And it should be. A cabin crew cre w job jo b at Emir Emirates ates is truly a great and unique unique opportunity. opportunity. Because this is such a tremendous opportunity, you might be asking yourself, “Can I trust what’s ritten ri tten here here?? Why should I believ bel ievee any a nyth thing ing this this book has to say?” I have have been involved involved in i n airline airl ine indust industry ry interviews interviews for quite a while. while.
I have have intervie interviewed wed
(successfully) and been been interviewed many times, more than enough to have intimate knowledge o how to pass an interv interview. iew. Beyond Beyond my my personal pers onal experiences, experi ences, the inform information ation you you will wi ll read r ead shortly is LL based LL based on the the actual actual individual experiences of applicant appli cantss who have successfully successfully completed completed the the exact process process you are attempting. There is one other other reaso re ason n I wrote wr ote this this book boo k (and several sever al others like li ke it): my utter utter frustration at atching quality candidates lose their chance at their dream job because of the most basic mistakes. The job of hum human an resources res ources (HR) is to hir hire, e, not not to to bid farewell farewe ll to quali qualified fied applica appl icant nts. s. But i someone comm commits a gaffe gaffe in an interv interview iew,, HR has no other other alternative a lternative but to to not hir hire. e. I cannot cannot tell you the number of times I have personally sat there and screamed internally at applicants that just disqualified themselves for simple mistakes, “Why, oh why, did you just do that?” Reading this book and sticking to the rules outlined herein will put you ahead of the competition. competi tion. Way ahead. ahead . This book is not not meant to be shiny, shiny, glo gloss ssy y, or full full of meaning ea ningle less ss fluff.
This book covers all the subjects that are critical components for your preparation and ultimate success. All that being said, let us begin: Would you like a career that flies you to major cities all over the world, setting up reservations for you in four and five star sta r hotels? hotels ? When When you you check in to your your hotel, hotel , do you want wa nt som so meone to hand you an envelope full of local currency for dinner, drinks, gifts, etc.? What if that same career paid for your living accommodations, utilities, and then shuttled you to and from work, all while you’re living right in the middle of one of the world’s most iconic cities-famous famous beaches, nightclubs, nightclubs, shopping, restaurants, restaurants, and more more?? Free medical medica l coverage, cove rage, thir thirty ty days o paid vacation, travel benefits benefits around around the the world, worl d, retirement retirement fund, fund, end of service servi ce bonus, bonus, and the the list goes on. Does all al l that that sounds sounds too good to to be true?
It may, ay, but believ bel ievee it or not, not, it’s also totally totall y
attainable. attainable . Traveli rave ling ng all over ov er the the world worl d and staying in worldwor ld-cla class ss hotels (and getting getting paid pai d to do it!) is like l ike an example example from fro m “Lifestyles “Lifestyles of the the Rich and Famous.” Famous.” Living ivi ng a life li fe like this is unimaginable unimaginable unless you’re a movie star or the next hot pop-music sensation, right? So how do you get it? Everything Everything I have have just j ust describ desc ribed ed is part p art of the the benefits package for for all al l entry-l entry-level evel cabin cabi n crew cre w at the the United United Arab EMIRA EMIRATES’ prem pre mier airli air line. ne. And And Emir Emirates ates is hiring a lot of cabin crew members, which is great for you. I’m not exaggera exaggerating ting;; being bei ng a cabin ca bin crewmem cr ewmember ber with wi th Emira Emirates, tes, and a nd the the opportun op portunitie itiess it it provides, provide s, are absolutely fantastic. fantastic. Here’s a very importan importantt point to remem remember ber about fantastic fantastic jobs: everyone wants one. Emir Emirates ates knows knows that. These cabin crew jobs jo bs are very ver y competitive, very hard hard to get, and there there is i s no shortage shortage of applicants. appli cants. A cabin cabi n crew cre w position pos ition at Emir Emirates ates is a once o nce in a lifetime lifetime opportunity, and can be either a lifelong career or purely a three-year free world tour, depending on your your long l ong-term -term goal goals. s. The majo majority rity of applicants appli cants that that turn turn out for recruiting re cruiting events events (Open (Ope n Days) Days) for
cabin cabi n crew cre w interview intervi ewss are not successfu success ful. l. Typically ypical ly,, only only around around 5% (and in some case cas e only 2-3%!) 2-3% !) of attendees attendees are ar e hir hired. ed. That means that that if 1000 appli app licants cants turn turn out for an Open Day Day,, at most around around fifty will wi ll head to Dubai for employment. employment. After reading that number, some of you may be put off. “Only fif “Only fifty ty get get hired? Those aren’t are n’t good good odds,” od ds,” you may may be thinkin thinking. g. That is where this book comes in handy. Why Why are so many many applica appl icant ntss unsucces unsuccessful? sful? For one simple simple reason: re ason: they show up to the Open Day totally totall y unprepared. unprepare d. Think about the very brief list of benefits I mentioned above (which is only a fraction of the total package). package). This This is truly truly a unique unique and enviable e nviable career with one of the the top companies companies in the the world. worl d. Emirates interviews candidates from countries all around the world, and they can be as picky as they ant.
Can you walk wal k into a competitiv competitivee interview setting s etting like li ke this this withou w ithoutt prepari pre paring ng,, and and be
successful? succes sful? Such a scenario scenari o is very, very ver y unli unlikely. kely. Which is great! “Why is that great?” you may ask. If the majority of applicants are unprepared, and you are thoroughly prepared, it’s easy to stand out for all the right right reasons. And your your prepar pre paration ation begins begins now. Competing for a job like this, and being successful, requires you to be completely prepared for the the screening scr eening process proc ess.. You need need to prese pr esent nt yourse yourself lf in the the best bes t possible possi ble way, and and you don’t have have a lot of time time or chances to do it.
In the the very ver y short short period per iod of time time you have availab avai lable, le, you must must
demonstrate the qualities HR wants to see in its cabin crew. You will now have an advantage over the other 999 applicants showing up at your recruiting
event. You will understand how how to give give the best possible possi ble performan pe rformance ce and show show your intervi interviewe ewers rs hat they they want to see. This book describes descri bes in i n detail what you you need need to do We will cover what to bring, your personal presentation, what interviewers are looking for, and how to show it to them. This is the most important concept to keep in mind: this book is not a cheat ! The title is not “How to fool your your interviewe intervi ewers rs and trick them them into hir hiring ing you.” you.” There is no way to “beat” “bea t” the the process, process , there there is i s only a way to to prepare prepar e for the the process. proces s. With the the inside inside knowledge this this book covers, you will wi ll be better prepar pre pared ed than than any of your your peers. Prepara Prep aration tion for the the interv interview iew takes time time and effort, but but it is time and and effort well we ll spent. s pent. Put the the work wor k in now. now. The The results res ults will wil l be worth w orth the the sacrifice. This book covers many many aspects aspe cts of good good interview intervi ew techniques. You will learn lea rn the the importance importance of making a good fir first st impre impressi ssion on and and how to do it. We will wi ll cover co ver speci s pecific fic stages of the the cabin cabi n crew cre w interview interview,, to inclu i nclude: de: -Depending on the location of the open day event you are attending, it may require an invitation through through the the online appli app licatio cation. n. You will wil l under understand stand how how to fill fil l out onli online ne forms forms correctly corr ectly and the the importance of doing so.
-What human resource representatives are looking for during the “Question time” following the company company promotion video. video .
-How to handle the all-important “resume handover,” a twenty second opportunity for HR to start the YES or NO process.
-How to behave during group dynamic exercises when applicants are divided into smaller groups and observed during during their their discussions.
-How to prepare for the English comprehension test.
-How to prepare for the aptitude test.
-Finally, we will discuss how to effectively present yourself and formulate great answers to the airline-specific interview questions.
Part I: Interview Basics
The big picture: what is expected from cabin cab in crewmembers? Before we get into into the the meat meat of the the “Insid “Insidee Scoop,” it’s i t’s important important to to cover the basics. basi cs. These basic intervie interview w concepts will wi ll get you you over the the first hurdle hurdle and to to the the second day, day, which is covered cover ed in detail detai l later.
Some Some of these these concepts may may be obvious, obvi ous, but but their their im i mportance should should never be
undere underestimated. stimated. A thorough thorough review rev iew is essent esse ntial ial.. Before we w e start on how how to apply appl y, you need to understand understand the the role rol e you’re you’re tryin tr ying g to to fill. fill . What What exactly exactly are cabin crew supposed supposed to do? Serve drinks? drinks? Fluff Fluff pillows? pill ows? As you you probably gu guessed, there there’s ’s a lot l ot more more to it than than that. that. We will wil l begin there there.. You’re trying to become become cabin cabi n crew cre w for one of the the world’s wor ld’s most most prestigious presti gious airlines. airl ines. The first step is having a clear cl ear understanding of what that that job require r equiress and what will wil l be expected e xpected of you. you. After After all, you can’t show HR what they want to see if you don’t understand what they’re looking for. Emirates has built its reputation on uncompromising luxury, service, and presentation to its customers customers.. The company company relies rel ies on you you to to provide provi de the the extremely extremely high high level lev el of servic ser vicee its customers customers are accustom a ccustomed ed to. A cabin cabi n crew cre w position pos ition includes great benefits, there there’s ’s no no doubt, but but with those those benefits benefits come come strict standards standards and high expectations expectations for its employees. employees. What What does the the company company expect from you, as cabin crew, in particular? You are THE face of front line customer service, and from that standpoint you are the most important part par t of the the airli air line. ne. When When passengers think think back on their their travel tra vel experience, exper ience, especi es peciall ally y when they’re deciding which company to book their insanely expensive first class ticket to Paris with, who ill il l they they think think about? It won’t be the the pilots. pil ots. They sit in their their tiny ti ny room in the the front of the the aircra air craft ft pushing pushing butt buttons ons and makin making g the the occasional occasi onal PA PA annou announ ncement cement.. Who Who really reall y knows knows what they’re they’re doin doi ng up there? there? It also als o won’t be the the gate or ticket agents. agents. Passeng Pass engers ers have a very ve ry brief brie f exchang exchangee with wi th them them,,
checking in and and boarding boardi ng,, and and that’s that’s it.
The face your your passengers associa asso ciate te with their their travel tra vel
experience experi ence will wi ll be yours yours and and your your fellow fello w cabin cabi n crew. cre w. When When passengers pas sengers book and re-book re- book tickets, it ill il l be based base d mainly mainly on your your interaction interactio n with wi th them them.. Emir Emirates ates relies rel ies on you, you, personall per sonally y, to insure their their revenu reve nuee stream strea m. Studie Studiess show the single biggest negative negative memory memory passeng pass engers ers retain retai n from from a fli fligh ghtt is an unf unfri riendly endly exper experience ience with wi th cabin cabi n crew. cre w. People Peopl e forget about long delays, del ays, bad food, and cram cra mped seats, but never bad service. You will be expected to provide outstanding customer service on long flights all around the orld, regardless of the time of day or how you personally feel at any given moment. Simultaneously, you are responsible for providing for the safety of each and every passenger on board your your flight. flight. That That may may not not sound sound challenging challenging right right now, now, but but it can be. There There will wil l be long nigh nights hen you can barely keep your eyes open, but you still have to go get champagne for the passenger is 33C with wi th a smil smilee on your your face. You will wi ll have to happily deal with w ith unple unpleasa asant nt passeng pass engers ers who’ve w ho’ve drunk too much, are just flat-out rude, or don’t use enough (if any) toothpaste. You will have to be ready for any emergency situation, all while maintaining your composure and professionalism. A drunken drunken man man just threw threw up on a screamin scr eaming g baby. baby. You’ll have to deal with wi th that, that, as well w ell as clean cle an up up the the mess mess.. Situations like this this are ar e unple unpleasant, asant, but but they they can and and will wi ll happen. happe n. You’ll have to smile while you mop up the vomit. The flight crew (pilots) call back to inform you the aircraft is on fire and you’re landing in the ocean. ocea n. Whil Whilee this may may alarm alar m you personall per sonally y, the the passengers pas sengers are ar e looking lo oking at you and judging judging your your composure. If you panic, they they panic.
If you can’t control control your your outwa outward rd composure, on top of the the
emergency emergency water landing, you you will have mass mass hysteria. composure at all times, times, no no matter what.
As cabin cabi n crew, cre w, you you must must keep your your
Particularl Partic ularly y in emergencie emergencies, s, people peopl e will wi ll look to you for
guida guidance, nce, and you must must provide provi de it. These are some of the the qualities qualitie s your your assess ass essors ors and interviewe intervie wers rs are ar e looking for. You must convince them that you are capable of all this and more.
Think about the billboards, TV commercials, and magazine ads that you see advertising for Emir Emirates. ates. There is alm al most always alw ays a smil smiling ing,, vibrant vibr ant member ember of the the cabin cabi n crew cre w featured prominently prominently in these these ads. This is the the image image the the company company promotes around around the the world. worl d. As you you prepare pre pare for your your Open Day, Day, pictu pic ture re yourself yoursel f in one one of these ads. ads . This is the the fundamen fundamental tal im i mage you need to present pre sent to your your interviewe intervi ewers. rs. They need to be able to picture you in the the company company’s ’s uniform uniform on a billboard billb oard in in Paris or New York, York, as a visual represent repr esentation ation of the the high high level of service ser vice Emirates provides. provides . The qualities cabin crew are specifically expected to exhibit are: professional, empathetic, progressive, visionary visi onary,, and cosmopolitan. cosmopolitan. Everythin Everything g you say and do during during your your assessm assess ments ents must reinforce the embodiment of these qualities. Points to t o remember -Cabin crew members have two primary functions: provide exceptional customer service, no matter hat, and ensure the safety of every passenger on board the aircraft.
-Picture the image of cabin crew members you see in advertisements for Emirates; this is the image you must portray to the assessment team.
The online applicati ap plication on First things first: you really want this job if you’re taking the time to read this book, so I’m assum ass uming ing you’ve you’ve filled fil led out o ut the the online applica appl ication. tion. I’m going to say this, this, however, because bec ause there there are a re always people who show up to Open Days off the cuff and haven’t done any preparation beforehand. If you have filled out the application in advance, and done it correctly, it makes a much better case for your your int i nterest erest level l evel for this this job. You may may think think fil filli ling ng out an online appli app lication cation is a no-brainer, no-br ainer, but you you are wrong. w rong. The majority of applicants that fill out online applications make some kind of error; whether it’s a misspelling, typographica typographicall error, err or, miss missed ed data field, or incorre i ncorrect ct data. Take some some time time filling filli ng out the the applica appl ication. tion. Don’t try and do it i t all on your your fift fi fteen een minut minutee lun l unch ch break brea k at your your current c urrent job. Once you complete the online application, have someone else proofread proo fread it.
It’s It’s almost
impossible impossi ble to proofrea pr oofread d your your own ow n work. Anyt Anytime ime you you write wri te anyth anything, ing, whether it’s a book or just a paragraph on why you want to to work for Emirates, Emirates, you k you know now exactly exactl y what you’re trying to say. If you are proofreading your your own work, your your brain br ain will wi ll autom automatically atically fill in missi missin ng or misspelled words to complete your your though thoughts. ts. You really real ly must must have have som s omeone eone else els e proofrea pr oofread d what you’ve you’ve wri w ritten tten or you’ll miss mistakes. Another tip is to look at what you have written by reading it backwards – your brain ill catch any words that are missing or out of place. One section of the online application asks for a letter of application where you give the reasons you want wa nt to work wo rk for Emir Emirates ates.. To that that end, honesty honesty is the best bes t polic pol icy y. To a point! poi nt! You don’t necessarily need to fill them in on the fact that the bank is sending you nasty letters (it’s okay, we’ve all been b een there there once or twi twice) ce) or that your your abusive ex-partner ex-pa rtner is stalking you. you. Stick to to safe subjects and nothing too extreme; focus on the points that have inspired you to seek this exciting life of new people and destinations. destinations. Remem Remember ber this this going forwa forward rd from this this point: point: avoid personal drama drama in i n any any
ay during the the interv interview iew/ap /appli plicatio cation n process proc ess.. The less les s drama you you convey to Emir Emirates, ates, the the safer you are for them to invest in. The remaining sections of the application ask for contact information, education history, and ork his history tory.. Most of the the paperw pape rwork ork correspondence corre spondence is done through through email email,, but but occasionally occasi onally by phone phone call. call . Make Make sure you you fill out every applicable applicabl e field, and th the inform information ation is correct. cor rect. Some Some Open Day events, depending on the the country country,, will wi ll all a llow ow walk-i w alk-in n applica appl icant nts. s. Can you walk wal k in off the the street stree t and and be successful succes sful in the the process pro cess?? Yes, you can. All things things being bei ng equal, who w ho do you you think think will wi ll have the the better chan c hance ce at getting getting hir hired? ed? The person perso n that that sim si mply strolls strol ls in i n off off the the street stree t or the the one that has taken the time to apply online, brings a professional resume, works on their personal performance performance and present pre sentation, ation, etc? You can walk wal k in and maybe maybe thing thingss will wil l work out. You You are much more likely to be successful, however, if you take the time to prepare beforehand and apply online.
Dress up your contact co ntact information nformation
You’re ready r eady to start the the proces pro cess, s, or maybe you you already alre ady have. have. Take a mom moment ent and consider your contact contac t information. informatio n.
The company can ca n and will wil l be commun communic icating ating with wi th you via vi a phone, phone,
voicemail, voi cemail, email, and possibly possi bly snail snail mail. Make Make sure the the contact information information you you provide prov ide is i s accurate, and that you can, in fact, be contacted using them. Case in i n point: a young young gentlem gentleman an I know know had a great opportun opp ortunity ity at a worldwor ld-cla class ss com c ompany pany.. He submitted submitted an online appli app lication, cation, but provided provi ded a contact num number that that he didn’t check very often. A few eeks later, when he did get around to checking the voicemail for that number, there were a series of messa es sages ges from the company company trying trying to to call cal l him in for an intervi inter view. ew. By the time time he he returned re turned the the call, cal l, there were no more interview slots available, and they were clearly annoyed by the tardiness of his response. res ponse. It was wa s an expensive lesson les son for for him. him. Make Make sure you you provide prov ide a good good num number and a good
address that you’re actively using. One One word on email email addresses: addr esses: just because your your address has has been
[email protected] for the last several years does not mean mean it’s a good good choice for a job applica appl ication. tion. I know know it’s inconven i nconvenient ient to have to check yet another email address, but come up with something professional you can include in your application packet. The most important contact Emirates will initiate with you is known as the “Golden Call,” that life-c li fe-chang hanging ing moment moment when a member member of the HR team gets gets to deli de liver ver the good good news. new s. You can’t get the the “Golden “Gold en Call” if i f your your contact information information isn’t curre current nt.. Ensure Ensure that it is, and when it chang changes, es, then update it.
CV (Resume)
You will be asked to provide a curriculum vitae during vitae during Open Day, also referred to as a CV or resum res ume. e. That’s That’s not not a big deal, deal , unless unless you’ve never never had to provide provi de a resume resume in a professio profes sional nal setting before. Here’s what w hat you need to to know know about good good resumes: resumes: A resume is not a cover letter, nor a rambling narrative describing why you want to be emplo employed yed by Emir Emirates, ates, have a flat in Dubai Dubai,, and genera generall lly y live li ve like li ke a rock roc k star. It should not be multiple pages stapled staple d togeth together. er. It should not be be written on anything except white paper. Reviewe Revie wers rs spend sp end no no more more than an average of six seconds scann sc anning ing your your resum res ume. e. They don’t ant to spend any more or e time than than that, that, and if they have to, it i t will wil l annoy them them.. Knowing Knowi ng that, your your resum re sumee must must show them everything eve rything they need to see in that that six si x second sec ond window wi ndow.. An effective resume should be a clear, concise document that summarizes your skills and qualifications. qualifi cations. A reviewe revie werr should be able to easily easi ly scan your your resume resume and find find all the information information they they need clearl clea rly y presented pre sented without having to dig too deep.
A resum res umee should should only be one one page.
Reviewe Revie wers rs don’t want to to flip through through a packet. The resume resume should only only contain contain bullet-point bullet-p oint items items pertinent pertinent to the the position for which you are applying. applying. The The following followi ng is a good example example of a clear, concise cabin cabi n crew resum r esume: e:
As with wi th everyt ever ything hing in this this process proc ess,, pay attention attention to detail when formulating formulating your your resum res ume. e. Make Make sure the spelli spel ling ng and syntax syntax are all al l correc cor rect. t. Don’t try try to add too much much fluff, fluff, just a general general synopsi synopsiss of education and and work experience. experie nce. Include Include any relevant rel evant trai trainin ning g or experience experi ence specific speci fic to being a cabin crew member, member, if you have any any. Resumes Resumes are usuall usually y print pri nted ed on paper pape r stock between betwe en 20lb 20l b and 24lb. 24lb . What does that that mean? The plain white paper they stock in the copying machine at the local Kinko’s looks cheap, feels cheap, is cheap. cheap. It tears and creases crease s easily easil y. Use a heavier weigh wei ghtt paper for for resumes resumes because it has has more of a quality quali ty feel to it. i t. Generally Generall y, the high higher er the the compensation of the the job j ob you’re applying ap plying for, for, the the better the the paper. Don’t Don’t use any a nyth thing ing over 24lb. 24 lb. Paper that that thick thick and heavy is considered card stock and not not appropriate appropr iate for a resume. resume. Don’t use anyt anything hing that’s that’s not not white or slightly slightly off off white. Colors, Color s, designs, packets, glitter, pictures, and anything else you think of that isn’t a one-page resume on white paper is i s not acceptable. Points to t o remember -Create -Cre ate a clear, cl ear, concise concis e resum res ume. e. It should be no more more than one one page in length length,, on a quali quality ty white paper.
aking first impressions Studie Studiess show that first impressions impress ions of an individual indivi dual are form for med in less than than four four seconds. You can’t really ask or answer many questions in four seconds, so what does that tell you about first impressions? impress ions? They are formed formed almost entirely entirel y from visual, vis ual, non-verb non-verbal al cues. How you you look, the the way you’re dressed, the way you walk, how you smell (easy on the fragrance), and how you greet someone after an introduction are all major contributors to forming a positive first impression. Studies also show that once that first impression has been formed, it is almost impossible to revers rev erse. e. Meaning: Meaning: if you start out on the the wrong wro ng foot, your your interv interview iew is i s basical basi cally ly done. done. If they they don’t like what they see in the first four seconds, nothing you say or do after that will change their minds. It’s just human nature. I’m asked with some frequency what is the most important aspect of interviewing effectively. The The answer is makin making g a solid soli d first impressi impression. on. I cannot cannot overstate how how critical cri tical this this is. is . I’ve personally interviewed many people that make bad first impressions, whether it’s a weak handshake, chewing gum gum in the the interview, intervie w, or sloppy slop py paperwork paperw ork (just to name name a few). few) . It absolutely abso lutely does not matter how ell the the interview intervie w goes after that. that. Once Once that opinion opinio n has formed formed in the the mind mind of your your interv interview iewer, er, hich happens in a matter of seconds, the result is basically carved in stone. There isn’t one singular component to making a good first impression; it’s a combination of everyt ever ything hing you present. pre sent. How you are dress dr essed, ed, how you speak, spea k, how you you gree greet, t, if you’ve you’ve filled fil led out online forms forms correc cor rectly tly.. Everything Everything,, every single aspect of how you look and act, act, contribute to the all-important first impression. Think about this from the interviewer’s perspective: they must screen literally literally hundreds o applica appl icant ntss in a day. day. If someone someone slouches sl ouches up up to their their table and a nd give givess a weak we ak hell hello o and limp handshak handshake, e, they they don’t have have the time time to dig di g any any deeper. They can’t find out out that that deep down dow n inside this perso pe rson n is
reall rea lly y a unique unique snowflake. They just don’t don’t have have the time time to invest. One One quick initial look, l ook, and and i someone doesn’t fit the mold, it’s on to the next one. The sections that follow provide guidance on not just the first impression, but ensuring the overall over all impression impressi on you leave lea ve is a great one.
Each aspect asp ect is important. important.
Don’t skip over the the
paperwork paperw ork section because because you’re you’re more interested interested in what to to wear. wea r. Remem Remember, ber, it’s it’s the the total package package they they are looking loo king at. There are no parts par ts that that are less l ess im i mportant than than the the others. Points to t o remember -Making a positive first impression is one of the most important aspects of interviewing successfully.
-There is i s no one one point poi nt that that is more more or less les s important than than the the others others.. You will wil l be evaluated ev aluated on everyt ever ything hing taken togeth together er as a whole. w hole.
ress for success You are trying to secure a highly competitive, professional, career-level position at a company that that is extrem extremely ely conscious conscious of cabin crew appearance. appear ance. Every aspect of what cabin crew wear while on duty is strictly controlled: from how to apply makeup to what jewelry can and can’t be visible. Fully half half of this this job j ob is about visual presentation. pr esentation. You absolutely must must look loo k the the part. You can’t wear the the party par ty dress dre ss you use use for going out to to clubs. cl ubs. You can’t wear the the suit from your your secondary sec ondary school graduation that that doesn’t does n’t quite fit. You must must wear wea r professi pro fessional onal business attire. attire . It should be somethin something g sim si milar il ar in i n style style to the cabin crew cre w uniforms uniforms the company company uses, and conservative conserv ative in i n nature. nature. You need need the assessment team to be able to picture you dressed in their uniform. The point of your your interv interview iew attire is not to to be trendy, trendy, flashy, flashy, or otherw otherwis isee remarkable.
It
shouldn’t glow in the the dark. There shouldn’t shouldn’t be neon neon logos all over it. Emir Emirates ates are very strict stri ct on cabin cabi n crew uniform requirem requir ements; ents; every ever y crew member member must must look the the same. This is not the the time to to express your individuality and uniqueness through your dress.
omen’s dress standards
The standard cabin cabi n crew cre w uniform uniform for ladies ladi es is a suit and and skirt ensemble. ensemble. This is what you should wear for Open and Assessmen Asses smentt Days. Days. The crew uniform uniform is a light tan. Showing up in a suit that that is nearly nearl y ident ide ntica icall in color col or to the the cabin cabi n crew cre w uniform is a little l ittle corny cor ny.. A suit and skir skirtt ensemble ensemble in black, grey, grey, or navy blue is a good conservative conser vative choice. c hoice. You can’t can’t go go wrong wr ong with wi th those those color co lors. s. You can go wrong wro ng with wi th som so mething else el se.. That red pantsuit your mom mom wore wo re back ba ck in the 90s is not a good choice (but (b ut it’s free!). You need need your assessor asse ssorss to picture you in the the cabin cabi n crew uniform, uniform, and the the easiest eas iest way w ay to do that that is with a conservative colored c olored suit. suit. Your blouse blo use should be white or cre c ream am in color, col or, nothing nothing flamboyant or flashy fla shy
It should not
reflect refle ct light, light, sparkle, or show s how what’s what’s under underneath neath.. It should be made made of cotton or a cotton-blend. The shirt should completely cover your bra, and should be buttoned one button above the cleavage line. You may be thinking, “I’m only going to wear this suit one time for my assessment, so I don’t ant to spend a lot of money on it.” This should not be the cheapest set of clothes you’ve ever purchased. You nee need d to look loo k at this suit like li ke an investment. investment. Spending Spendi ng some time and money money getting getting a nic nicee suit is the first step in getting getting a job jo b thousands thousands and thousands thousands of people peopl e would wo uld love to have. have. Don’t go go cheap. The ensemble ensemble should be made made from wool woo l or a wool blend. bl end. Do not not buy buy a polyester suit. It will wi ll rinkly easily, and over the course of the day will look cheap and worn; a cheap, worn applicant is not the the im i mpressio pres sion n you you want to give. The suit suit absolutely abso lutely must must be tailored. tailor ed. You can buy something something off a rack, which will wil l be less l ess expensive, but make make sure sure you have it tail tailored ored.. Remem Remember, ber, your your assessor asses sorss literal li terally ly see thousands thousands of applica appl icant ntss trying trying to become become cabin cabi n crew cre w mem member bers. s. Cabin crew uniforms uniforms are carefully ca refully fitted, fitted, and they they are trying trying to to picture pi cture you weari wea ring ng the the uniform uniform in their their head. It will be im i mmediately edi ately obvious obvi ous to them them i your suit is fitted or not. You’re ou’r e not going to be wear we aring ing this suit to nightclubs nightclubs or out o ut on dates. You’re ou’r e going to be earing ear ing this this suit to intervi interview ew for a very ver y conservative conserv ative,, image image conscious company company. The skir skirtt should should fall to the the midd middle le of o f the the knee, knee, no long lo nger er and a nd definitely no no shorter. The shorter the skirt, the the faster the the exit--rem exit--r emem ember ber that. that. Shoes should should be conservative conser vative in i n color col or and have have a medi medium um heel. By conservative conserv ative in i n color, col or, think think black or brown. Not red, not sequined, sequined, and not not with bling all over ove r them them.. How high a heel should should your your shoes have? Think Think of heel heel-height -height like li ke Goldiloc Goldi lock’ k’ss bed: they
shouldn’t be too high high or too low. They should be just right, right, which is somew somewhere here between betwe en the the two. two. Flat shoes look like sandals. Stiletto Stile tto heels look lo ok slut sl utty ty.. Just to put put it into into perspecti pers pective, ve, female female cabin ca bin crew members change into their red leather company-issued flat shoes during the flight and then back into the the medi medium um heels for boardi boa rding ng and disem dise mbarkin bar king. g. This should should give som so me insight into how how Emirates wants female crewmembers to look to the public eye. Similar to the the skirt, s kirt, think think “the “the higher higher the heel, the the quicker the the exit.” Wear a medium heel, black bl ack or brown. br own. I know know I mentioned mentioned this this before, b efore, but it happe happens ns a lot, so I’ll say s ay it again: again: DO NOT NOT wear wea r red stiletto stil etto heel heels, s, no matter matter how good you think think they they look. DO NOT NOT wear wea r white w hite shoes, and DO NOT NOT ear calf-hig cal f-high h leath lea ther er boots. Think Think about the the images images of cabin cabi n crew cre w ladies lad ies on the the billboar bill board. d. Are they they earing ear ing shoes with wi th sparkly spar kly jewels jew els all a ll over o ver them? them? I assure you that that they they are not. You should should wear we ar stocking s tockingss and they they should should be b e nude. nude. This matches matches the the cabin cab in crew uniform. uniform. White White stocking stoc king ARE NOT nude. nude. Neither Nei ther are black bl ack stockings. Nude stockings match your your skin tone, so make sure to buy an appropriate set.
Men’s dress standards
Since you you probabl prob ably y skipped over ove r the the section for for women, I’ll reitera re iterate te a few points. The EK male cabin crew uniform is a dark brown suit, but you don’t want to try to copy the uniform ident ide ntica icall lly y, as this this com co mes off a bit cheesy. cheesy. Black, Blac k, navy blue, or charcoalcharcoa l-grey grey are all al l good interv interview iew suit colors. colors . Quali Quality ty and fit fit of a suit are very ver y important, important, especiall especi ally y for men. men. Pick somethin something g made from wool or a wool w ool blend. bl end. I know know polyester is considerably considerabl y cheaper, cheaper, and and while you’re comparing comparing it to a wool wo ol suit s uit on the rack they may look loo k the same, but they are ar e not. At the the end of a long lo ng asse as sess ssm ment day, a polyester suit will look like a wrinkly mess that you may or may not have slept in last night. Think Think of your your suit as an investment investment that that will wi ll pay p ay dividends divid ends for years down do wn the the road. roa d. Spend some
money up front on a good one. Make Make sure you you have your your suit suit tailored. tailor ed. Suits are produced to generic generic dimen d imensi sions, ons, initially initiall y, and if you you don’t have have it fit specific spe cificall ally y for you, you, it will wi ll be appar ap parent. ent. Don’t wear wea r your your brother’s brother ’s suit, suit, or try to pick the best one you can find at the local thrift shop. The shirt and tie tie that go go under under the the suit are equally e qually important parts par ts of your your attire. Your shirt should be white or possibly possi bly light blue. You can’t go go wrong wr ong with wi th those those color co lors. s. You can go go wrong wr ong ith something something else. els e. “But wait! I have a really nice purple shirt and tie that look great with my suit. Can’t I wear that?” Read the previous prev ious paragraph. para graph. You can’t go go wrong wro ng with wi th a white or (LIGHT! (LIGHT!)) blue shirt. You can go can go wrong w rong with something something else. else . Your tie should have have a conserva c onservative tive pattern. pa ttern. You can read a lot lo t of opinions on what the the best bes t tie tie color col or is. is . Some Some experts say to stay away awa y from red or other brigh bri ghtt colors col ors.. My personal pers onal experience experie nce has has been that that a brightly brightly colored colore d (CONSER (CONSERV VATIVE! TIVE!)) tie looks great with a navy suit and generally produces good results. Whatever hatever you do, don’t wear a tie that that has anyth anything ing other than than a standard standard pattern on it. Don’t Don’t wear w ear one with w ith Looney Looney Tun Tunes es characters, airplanes, airpl anes, or Sponge Sponge Bob on it. Only Only ear a tie with wi th a conservative pattern. Shoes should should be dress, black bla ck or brown, brow n, and made from the the skin of a cow.
They should should be
appropri appr opriately ately shined and not scuffed scuffed or worn-looking worn-loo king.. Boots are not shoes. Black cowboy boots are especi esp eciall ally y not shoes. Sketchers Sketchers-style -style sneaker sneaker crossovers crosso vers are not not dress dres s shoes. If you’re you’re not exactly sure what I mean by a dress dre ss shoe, take a look at the the previous previ ous example example of o f business business attire. Think Think o something something your your grandfather grandfather would be com c omfortable fortable weari wea ring ng to church. Socks should should likewis li kewisee be dark in color col or and match match your your shoes. White White or ligh li ghtt colore col ored d socks are
a guaranteed one-way ticket home. When wearing the navy blue, black, or charcoal gray suit, you cannot go wrong with black socks.
Briefcase
There will wi ll be a list li st of documents, documents, photos, photos, etc. that you’ll you’ll be b e required req uired to bring bri ng with wi th you. you. Nothing Nothing says, “I’m not prepared” more than showing up on Open Day clutching a bunch of paperwork and photograph photographss to your your chest in a loose bundle. bundle. Put Put everyt ever ythin hing g you need need in a professional-looking case or folder. Anyt Anythin hing g leath lea therer-boun bound d will wil l suffice. suffice.
Do not carry car ry your your documents documents in a Hell Hello o Kitty Kitty
backpack, backpack, or any backpack backpack for for that matter. atter. Do not not stuff stuff all your your paperwork paper work into into your your pocket and and hand hand it to your your assessors in a crumpled crumpled heap. For men, men, a briefcase is a great professi professional-lookin onal-looking g choice, choice, and for women women a leather-boun leather-bo und d binder or satchel are ar e good options. Ladies, adi es, stu s tuff ffing ing everyt ever ything hing into your tiny, stylish, Dolce & Gabanna purse is not the same thing.
Leave your electronic devices at home
We live in an age of continual connectivity, almost instantaneous information exchange, and huge huge social networks. Carrying Carr ying a smart smart phone phone on your your person per son at all times times is the the new normal. normal. We all get that. that. Nothing Nothing will bring bri ng your your int i ntervi erview, ew, and this this oppor o pportu tunity nity,, to a scree sc reeching ching halt faster than a cell cel l phone phone ringing ringing at th the wron wro ng tim time. e. I recom reco mmend leavi le aving ng your phone phone at home. home. I know know that means means you won’t be able ab le to tweet tw eet your friends the second your assessment if over, but believe me when I say you can live can live without it for a few hours. Here is why you you should should not even bring bri ng it: You You can have every eve ry good intention intention of shutting shutting if off for the the interview. intervi ew. You can ca n rem re mind yours yoursel elff again that again that you need to shut if off as you walk in the building. building.
Then Then thing thingss start happening happening fast. fast. You’re meeting meeting people; you’re you’re going going here, you’re you’re going
there, and the next thing you know, your ringer is playing “Shine bright like a diamond” for your interviewe intervi ewers. rs. I’ve seen it happe happen n many, any, many many times. times. Don’t let it happe happen n to you. you. It’s It’s much much easier eas ier to ust leave it. If you don’t have a place to leave it, or there’s information on it you absolutely need for the intervi inter view, ew, make make sure you shut shut the the phone phone off. Tie a string stri ng around ar ound your your finger, put put your your watch wa tch on the other arm, tape the phone to your head, whatever it takes to remind yourself to shut it off. Setting our phone to vibrate is not the same as shutting it off. A phone vibrating in a small room with three or four people sitting around a table is just the same as ringing, except that you sit there and pretend it’s not really ringing, even though everyone in the room knows it is. Headphones are also al so a big bi g issue. iss ue. I know know it’s hard hard to spend spe nd any any period peri od of downtime downtime not plugged plugged in to something, something, but but it looks bad. bad . Listening is tening to music music with w ith hea headphones dphones on in the the mid middl dlee of a gro group up o others makes makes you you look loo k diseng dis engaged aged and and anti-s anti-soci ocial. al. Remem Remember, ber, this this is a people peopl e business business.. Leave your your headphones at home. home. That way wa y you you won’t even ev en be tempted. tempted. Dealing with electronic devices is easy: Don’t bring them. Points to t o remember -Women’s -Women’s attire a ttire -Dark colored colore d knee knee length length skirt suit, wool blend, tailored. -White -White or cream cre am blouse, blo use, appropri appr opriately ately buttoned. buttoned. -Dark colored colore d medium heel dress shoes. -Stocking -Stoc king should be “nude” and match your skin tone. -Hair should should be worn neatly, neatly, in a bun if possible. possibl e. -Jewelry should be limited to one small earring per ear, a watch, and a wedding ring if married. -Light -Light makeup.
-Very li -Very ligh ghtt fragrance.
-Men’s attire -Dark colored colore d suit, wool blend, tailored. -White -White or ligh li ghtt blue shirt. -Conservative tie with a pattern. pattern. -Dark colored colore d dress shoes, appropriately appropr iately shined. shined. -No facial hair. -No piercin pierci ngs. -Carry all required document documentss in a professional professi onal case or folder
Grooming Similar to the strict dress code, personal grooming is an area of considerable focus for cabin crew. cre w. You will want w ant to emulate emulate what a typic typical al cabin ca bin crew looks l ooks like in terms terms of hairsty hairs tyle, le, facial faci al hair (for men, men, not women), etc. Take a conservative conserv ative rout r outee for everyth eve rything ing from makeup akeup applica appl ication tion to to fragrance fragra nce to fingernail fingernai l leng le ngth. th. You may may have been bee n cultivati culti vating ng a set of nails nail s so long that you’ve effectively excluded yourself from the manual labor pool, but if you want to have a shot at this job, you’l you’lll need to trim tri m them them back to to a manageabl manageablee leng le ngth th.. Let’s look at the standard expectations expectatio ns for men men and women:
M ale ale grooming grooming standards sta ndards
Grooming for men men is an extremely extremely important aspect. You want to to present pr esent yourse yourself lf as a clean cle an cut, healthy, healthy, and hyg hygienic ienic professi pr ofessional. onal.
Look at the the pictu pic tures res of o f the the male male cabi c abin n crew cre w in the the
promotion promotional al videos and print ads. They They look like safe bets for your mother-i other-in-law. n-law. They They look steady, reliab rel iable, le, positive, posi tive, fit, energetic, and clean. cle an. This is how how you want to present pre sent yourse yourself, lf, and and hat you must become on Open Day. Hair should should be short on the the back and sides. si des. No color, col or, highligh highlights, ts, lowli low ligh ghts, ts, etc. Sideburns Side burns should not not extend extend past pas t the the midmid-lev level el of your your ear. Eyebrows, Eyebrow s, nose, and ears should all be trimmed trimmed if necessary. necess ary. If you’ve you’ve been be en wearing wear ing your your hair with wi th purple-high purple- highli ligh ghted ted spikes for the the past few years and you’re struggling with which way to go, print out a picture from the Emirates Web site, take it to a hairdress hairdr esser, er, and tell tell them them that that is the look you need. For men, men, sometimes sometimes it’s i t’s easier easi er to just ask your your buddy to to cut your your hair with a pair of clippers cli ppers in his bathroom bathroom before you go out on Friday night night,, but keep in mind mind how how im i mportant a clean, finished look is in this this proces pr ocess. s. You will want to give some money to a professional hairstylist to ensure you have the look you’re going for.
Lastly, I know know you’ve you’ve been cultivating that that goatee for quite a while whil e now. I’m sure everyon ever yonee loves lov es it, i t, but you must show show up to the the Open Day with absolut absol utely ely no facial hair. Not even that that scruf scr uffy fy 5’oclo 5’o clock-shadow ck-shadow-bea -beard rd that that looks so sharp. Spend some some time time in front front of the the mirror ir ror saying s aying your your goodbyes, then shave iitt off. If you are a fragrance fragrance wearer, wear er, repeat the the phrase, “less is more.” People can be extrem extremely ely sensitive to strong fragrances, and just because you like a particular brand, your assessors may not. Interviewing someone with an overpowering level of fragrance is uncomfortable for the interviewer, and as you can imagine, they don’t want someone walking around the back of an airplane for twelve hours hours that smell smellss like li ke a bottle of cologne explod exploded ed on them them.. If you’re you’re going to wear some, only wear a little.
Femal Fe malee grooming grooming standards sta ndards
For ladies, ladi es, hair should should be worn w orn up. up. The The standard standard for female female cabin cabi n crew is hair worn w orn in a bun ith a cap. You should should wear we ar your hair hair sim si milarl il arly y. You don’t don’t want it long and flowing flowi ng.. A professio profes sional nal interview intervi ew appear ap pearance ance is not the the same same one you’d you’d use for for a date. If you have streaks of color in i n your your hair, or your hair color overall is something not found in nature, this is a good time to go back to normal. normal. Braided Brai ded feathers, beads, bea ds, anything anything that that doesn’t naturall naturally y grow out of your your head should should be removed. Imagine Imagine how how your grandmoth grandmother er would w ould wear we ar her hair if she were we re going to to church, and and you’l you’lll ant somethin something g along those those lines. li nes. Not very exciting, I know, know, but you you can easily easi ly see the the standard just by looking looking on the the Emirates Emirates Web site. That That is the the look you you are going going for. Makeup Makeup applicatio appli cation n at the the company company is carefully ca refully control controlled led.. There is actually actuall y a class clas s on how to properly properl y apply makeup akeup while in uniform uniform.. Again, Again, if you look at images images of cabin crew at Emirates, Emirates, they’re they’re makeup makeup applica appl ication tion is essentiall es sentially y part of the the uniform uniform.. Try to emulate emulate what you you see online:
skin colore col ored d foun foundation, dation, vibrant vibra nt red lipstic li pstick. k. There is not not a lot of heavy eye shadow shadow or blush bl ush.. Think Think in terms terms of less is i s more more when w hen applyin appl ying g makeup for your your assess ass essm ment. Fake lashes can ca n reach rea ch ridiculous ridi culous lengths fairly quickly; if you are a fake eyelash wearer, make sure you stick with something short and non-dramatic. Just like makeup, makeup, less is more when applying fragrance. You will be interacting interacti ng with wi th your your assess ass essm ment team in close clo se quarters.
An overpow over poweri ering ng amoun amountt of fragrance will be considered conside red
negative. negative. No one wants to be stuck on an airpla air plane ne for for a long l ong period per iod of o f time time with w ith someone someone that that takes takes a bath in perfum perfume.
Jewelry
Jewelry is carefully controlled in uniform for both men and women. Women should only wear very ver y conservative conserv ative earri ear ring ngs, s, nothin nothing g dangly dangly.. One One small small pearl pe arl in each ear is a good good example example.. Men should absolutely not wear any earrings. If you have visibl vis iblee pierci pie rcing ngss aside asi de from your your ears, ear s, you will wi ll have to rem re move them. them. You may may think that eyebrow stud that’s connected by a chain to your nose ring looks nice with your interview suit, but it will wil l im i mmediately edi ately disqualify dis qualify you. you. You may may also think think that that no no one will wi ll notice that barbell barbel l in in your your tongu tongue, e, but believ bel ievee me, me, your your assessors assess ors will wi ll.. Just to be clear, clea r, because beca use I know know people peop le get emotionally attached to their piercings and removing them has ramifications: if you have a piece o metal stuck through a hole in your body that is visible in your interview attire (aside from ears for ladies), ladi es), take take it i t out. out. One One ring for men men and and women is acceptabl ac ceptablee if you you are marr married ied.. Also, a conservative conser vative watch w atch is fine. For wom wo men, that that means a feminine feminine sized watch wa tch made out of metal. For men, men, also a normal sized atch made made of metal, metal, preferab pr eferably ly with hands. hands. Do not not wear your your copy-M cop y-Movad ovado o watch wa tch that’s that’s the the size si ze of a small small cloc c lock. k. Somethin Something g conservative conserv ative like l ike you you would see se e a banker banker weari we aring ng is the best choice.
Tattoos
This may be a case where that dragon tattoo that stretches from your neck down to the index finger of your left hand can come come back ba ck to haunt haunt you. Emir Emirates ates’’ polic pol icy y on tattoos is i s that they they cannot be visibl vis iblee in any way wa y while in i n uniform. uniform. Covering Coveri ng a tattoo tattoo with wi th makeup akeup or a bandage does not count count.. By
not visibl visi ble, e, they mean ea n non-existent. non-exis tent. You may may be able abl e to hide a tattoo suff s uffic icie iently ntly to get through the Open Day and even the Assessment Day, but eventually you will have not one but two medical evaluations. eval uations. One One will wi ll be in i n the the country country of assessm asses sment; ent; the the other other wil w illl be upon your your arrival arri val in i n Dubai Dubai.. If you have a tattoo, no matter how well you’ve hidden it before, they will find it, eventually. If you have a tattoo that you’re not sure will be acceptable, it’s best to disclose it right away. Don’t think you can hide that tribal design inside your wrist and make it to Dubai, and then the company company will wil l give you the the OK. If they they find out about an unacceptabl unacceptablee tattoo after you arrive arriv e in i n Dubai, Dubai, they they will wil l send se nd you you hom home. e. Be honest honest up front front and and it will wi ll save everyon ever yonee a lot lo t of time time and frustratio frustration. n. There is no no wiggle-room wiggle-ro om with wi th this this policy, pol icy, and they they will wi ll not make any any specia spe ciall allowa all owances. nces. The only other option for visible visib le tattoos tattoos is removal removal.. Whil Whilee possible, possib le, tattoo tattoo removal removal takes time. time. Depending on the the type type of tattoo and its location, loca tion, the the rem re moval process proc ess can take take over a year. If this this is i s something something you are considering, it’s imperative that you act on it now rather than later.
Fingernails
You’re going to be offering your hand to a lot of people over the course of the next few days. Your hands hands should look presentable. pres entable. If your your nails look loo k like somethin something g straight straight out out of a vampir vampiree movie, or like you’ve been running them over a cheese grater, it doesn’t send a good first impression. I did a coaching session for an important interview of my own a while back, and this was one o the major feedback points: “You’ve got to do something about those nails,” was the general idea. So I took the the coach’s advice advic e and actuall actually y got a manicure. manicure. And And you you know know what? w hat? It actually makes a big bi g differe di fference. nce. Most guys guys think think tri trim mming their nails nai ls dow d own n with wi th a pocketkn poc ketknife ife anytime anytime they they have three minutes of downtime is good enough, but when you’re trying to look as professional as
possible, possib le, a manicu manicure re makes makes a difference. difference. For ladie la dies, s, short length length nails are ar e important. important. There is no specific speci fic length, length, but if your your saying to yourse yourself, lf, “I wonder wo nder if my nails are too long?” then then they they probably proba bly are. are . Trim them them to to a leng l ength th so they don’t impede normal work duties. Color is i s also important.
If you’r you’ree wondering wonderi ng what color col or is righ ri ght, t, you don’t want your your
interview interviewers ers to notice notice any nail color at a t all. A gloss or French tips are the best conservative conservative choices for an interview. intervie w. Bright colors col ors are ar e NOT NOT OK. Design Desi gns, s, jewels jew els,, and and anyt anything hing that’s that’s not gloss or a French tip are NOT OK.
Points to t o remember -Grooming -Gr ooming is an a n important importa nt aspec as pectt of presentation. pres entation. Spend Spe nd some some time time looking lo oking though though the Emir Emirates ates Web Web site to get an idea of what the male and female grooming standards are.
-If you have large visible tattoos, just be honest about them. Your assessors will let you know if they’re they’re acceptable accep table or not. not. The only option may may be havi having ng it removed removed.. Hiding Hidi ng a tattoo tattoo while whil e in uniform is not considered acceptable.
-Consider -Conside r getting getting a manicure manicure for you you interview. intervie w. Ladies adi es nails should be glos glosss or French tip, no colors col ors,, designs, or excessive lengths.
hysique There is a physical standard the assessors are looking for. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. Look at the cabin crew pictures on the Web site and you will get an idea of the average physique for this this position. posi tion. If your your height/we height/weigh ightt ratio is i s sign si gnifica ificant ntly ly different than than what you you see there, it’s i t’s not not the the end of the world, but it is something you will have to change before you can seriously compete for this this job. jo b. The physic physical al reach rea ch requiremen req uirementt is 212cm 212c m. An important distinction dis tinction to make make is this this is not a a height height requirem requir ement: ent: it’s a reach re ach requisite. requis ite. You may may be on the the shorter side, si de, but if you have long lo ng arms and can touch a marker at 212cm on your tippy toes, then you meet the minimum standard for Emir Emirates. ates. There is no point going going down this this road r oad if i f you you cannot, cannot, as the company company will not budge budge on this this due to regu r egulator latory y requirem requir ements. ents. If you have several weeks before Open Day, you can actually make significant progress toward this standard by changing your diet and exercise level, probably more than you would consider possible possib le right right now. now. There There is no better better motivation for improving improving your health and fitness fitness level than than having having a clear goal to work toward. Gettin Getting g a cabin crew position posi tion is as good a goal goal as any. any. Before you make a major change in your life and modify your diet and exercise level, consult ith a physici physician. an. Then, Then, if you you really reall y want wa nt to see sign si gnifica ificant nt results res ults in a short period peri od of time, time, set up a program with a personal trainer. trainer. Give them them a clear idea of your your goal, and your your timefram timeframe, e, and they they ill il l help you reach rea ch that that goal by the the assessmen asses smentt date. Paying professi profes sionals onals to help you isn’t cheap, but as with w ith your your intervi inter view ew suit, s uit, think think of this as an a n investmen inve stmentt in your your future. future. You can’t get the job without w ithout a nice suit, and you can’t get this job if you don’t fit down the aisle. Body shaping underw underwear ear has been gaining popularity popular ity recently rec ently..
It’s It’s basical basi cally ly tigh tightt spandex that that
fits under your clothes and helps put curves in the right places, while taking them out of the wrong ones. Wait ai t a minute! minute! Can I just buy some spandex spa ndex under underwe wear ar and a nd then then lace lac e up a corset cors et so tightly I
start seeing see ing stars? stars ? You could, could, but keep keep in i n mind that that you you will under undergo go two two physicals physical s (see (s ee chapter 12): 12) : one in your your home home country country and one when you arrive arr ive in Dubai Dubai.. If you you look like a com c omple pletely tely different person when you strip these these garment armentss off, off, there there may be an issue. is sue. It’s It’s bett b etter er (and healthier) healthier) to make make the change through diet and exercise than trying to pull one over on them. Points to t o remember -You -You will wil l be evaluated eval uated on whether whether you physic physicall ally y match match the the standard the the company is looking l ooking for. If you have enough time, then you can make significant progress toward meeting this standard.
elling yourself: actions speak (MUCH!) louder than words Body language
I hope I’ve driven home the importance of making a solid first impression, and the way you are dresse dre ssed d is a huge huge component component to that that equation. Your assessor asse ssorss on Open Day Day will wil l see se e you walking wal king up to their their table in i n your your smart and and professio profes sional nal business attire. attire . They will wi ll begin b egin to to form an opinion in the the few steps it takes you to prese pr esent nt yoursel yourselff in front of them them.. If you are diligent about the issues we’ve covered so far, that first opinion when they see you ill be, “this looks promising.” promising.” And And that that is perfect. per fect. If that that is your starting point poi nt,, you are exactly e xactly where where you want to be. Here is a secre se crett about intervi interviewe ewers: rs: they either work wor k for you you or against you. you. There’s no no middl middlee ground. ground. If they they like what they they see initiall i nitially y, then then they they will wi ll build b uild a case ca se to hire you. If they they don’t like li ke hat they they see, se e, then they look lo ok for for a reas re ason on to to dism dis miss is s you. It’s hum human an nature, nature, and it’s that simple. simple. This is why your first impression is so important. You can’t get the the job sole s olely ly based on o n a strong first firs t impre impressi ssion. on. On the the outside, you can look like the most perfect cabin crew candidate ever, but if you fail to demonstrate any measurable social tact, all your your first impression impressi on effort has has been wasted. wasted . There has has to be some some substance under under the the appearance. The remaining component to being successful, equally important to how you look, is how you act. Visual pres p resentat entation ion is cri c ritical tically ly impor important tant,, but so is i s how you talk, how how you walk, how you meet someone, etc. All of these these qualities quali ties and more more are ar e comm communica unicated ted non-verb non-verball ally y (wheth (w hether er you know know it it or not, and now you do!) through through body languag language. e. Body languag languagee is i s the second majo majorr cont co ntri ribut butor or to the first and lasting impression you will make.
If I asked you how human beings communicate, chances are that you would say with words, hich is true to a certain degree. Whil Whilee we do com co mmunica unicate te with one one another another verbal ver bally ly,, there there is i s an incredible amount of information that in conveyed non-verbally, and this is what we refer to as body lang la nguage. uage. Some experts estimate es timate that that up to 93% of hum human comm communic unicatio ation n happens happe ns thro throug ugh h body bod y language. language. If we put p ut that that together together with how how long l ong we have to make make a positive posi tive first fir st impres impressio sion n in an interview, which is around four seconds, that tells that you that how you look, how you act, and how you carry car ry yoursel yourselff are sign si gnifica ificant nt factors in i n how how you will wil l be judg j udged. ed. And that that judgm judgment ent happe happens ns very quickly. While the evaluation is continuous, there are three critical times where you body language will be scrutinized scrutinized the the closest: -Walking toward (and away) from your evaluators, such as during the approach for the CV handover, or the one-on-one interview.
-When you meet for the first time and you introduce yourself, then again at the end of a meeting when the mee meeting ting comes to a clos cl ose. e. This can ca n happ happen en very ver y quickly quic kly,, when you meet to hand over your CV, or there there can c an be a long lo ng time time in between. betwe en. Don’t forget forget the the closi cl osing ng is just j ust as important as the opening. opening.
-The actual interaction with your assessors, both seated and standing.
At each of these junctures, your assessors will be (both consciously and sub-consciously) paying very ver y clos cl osee attentio attention n to the non-verbal non-ver bal signals s ignals that you are ar e sending out.
You may be saying how
friendly, confident, and professional you are, but if the signals you send don’t agree with the words coming out of your mouth, then what you’re saying won’t matter. There are five critical components to body language that you must master if you want to send the
righ ri ghtt impression impressi on and get the the job. They are not ranked in order of importance in the following list. Each one one is just j ust as important as the the other. other. The five critical cri tical com c omponent ponentss are: are : 1. Eye Contact Contact 2. Smile 3. Handshake 4. Personal Space 5. General General bearing
At the end of this section, we’ll talk about how to practice these components so that when Open Day comes comes around, a round, you you have have them down dow n pat. For now, I’d like li ke you you to start by just just being bei ng conscious consci ous of these components and how how you implem imple ment them in your your day-to-day day-to- day interactions interac tions with wi th other. Pay attention attention to your your eye contact when talking talking with your your friends versus ve rsus talking with a stranger. stranger. Make Make a note of whether whether you smil smilee to the barista bari sta behind the counter counter when w hen you order orde r a coffee. Take a snapshot of how how you are carrying car rying yourse yourself lf when you enter a room full full of strangers strangers.. This self-eval sel f-evaluation uation period per iod is very v ery important: important: you need to have have an a n idea ide a of what you you are doing doi ng well, wel l, and what you you need need to work wo rk on to perform per form at your your peak pe ak on Open Day. Day. You cannot fix your performance per formance if you don’t know know what’s broken, broken, so s o really real ly devote some some time time to introspection of these these componen components. ts. With that that bein bei ng said, let’s expand on them. them.
Eye Eye contact
Eye contact is where peopl pe oplee new new to interv interview iewing ing have the the most trouble trouble.. Failing Fail ing to maintain maintain good eye contact can result in looking insecure, and won’t allow you to establish any type o relationship rel ationship with wi th your your assess ass essors ors.. If you ever take the the time time to to watch friendly, outgoing outgoing people int i ntera eract, ct, they they maintain maintain a high level lev el of o f eye contact contact through throughout out their their conversations. convers ations. It help helpss them establish establ ish a
rapport rap port with wi th others. That is exactly what you you want to do during the the assess ass essm ment, and as cabin cabi n crew cre w in in genera general. l. The handshake handshake sends sends a nearly nearl y instantaneous instantaneous firs firstt impre impressi ssion, on, and and we’re we’ re going to say a few few (much (much mor moree than a few, actually) actuall y) words wor ds on that that shortly shortl y. For now, I’d like li ke you you to to think think of eye contact as a handshake that that occurs over a much much longer period peri od of time. time. If a handshake handshake is like l ike a sprint spr int that that takes takes a few seconds, then eye contact is a marathon and lasts the duration of your interview experience. You must must maintain maintain the pace of your your eye e ye for the entire interview. intervie w. Eye contact in an interview is a good thing, but like with almost anything in life it is possible to over-do over -do eye contact and and have too much much of a good good thing. thing. The tric trick k is doing do ing it just right. right. Looking a person in the the eyes acknowle acknowledges dges your your interest interest and involvement involvement in the the conversation. conversation. Prolonged, Prolonged, uninterrupted uninterrupted eye contact, contact, howe however, ver, can be construed construed as a sign si gn of aggressi aggression. on. This is why, why, in a normal conversation, the participants break eye contact momentarily every few seconds and then reestablish establ ish it. A good technique technique to give a detailed detai led answer a nswer withou w ithoutt being too intense intense is i s to shift your your eye contact between each eye and and the the center of the the eyebro eyebrows ws.. This prevents prev ents the the death stare effect e ffect that that many serial ser ial killers kille rs are a re fond of. If you you notice notice that that you have a tendency to to stare star e at people peo ple unbli unblink nking ing for for long periods peri ods of time, time, correc cor rectt it. You may be coming coming off a bit like a creepy lunatic. lunatic. Being insecure about performance will really come out in an applicant’s eye contact. Specifically, if they are unsure of how they’re going to perform, you will typically see them talking to their their hands, hands, the floor, or even eve n to to no one one in particular parti cular off o ff to the the side si de of the the room roo m. This is what w hat you must absolutely, positively avoid. Maintaining eye contact with someone during conversation is a standard common courtesy, and you probabl prob ably y do it without without even notici noticing ng you are. are . conversation, conversation, however. however.
The interview intervie w process proc ess isn’t is n’t your your standard
There There are some some specific aspects to consider while while intervie interviewing wing::
Maintaining eye contact with someone that asks you pointed questions can be difficult. If the person asking you these questions isn’t particularly friendly (and there’s no guarantee they will be), it can be even more more difficult. There will be times that you need to pause and think through your answers.
These are just a couple of examples of time you’ll need to be aware of what’s going on with your eye contact, contac t, because beca use you may want to to look loo k down dow n or away aw ay duri during ng an uncomf uncomfor ortabl tablee situation. si tuation. You have have to resist that urge and maintain normal level of eye contact at all times. I personally personall y experienced experi enced a challeng challe nging ing eye contact contact situation duri during ng a panel interview. intervie w. We were wer e all sitting around around a table, tabl e, with w ith each person pers on on the the panel looking lo oking at me me intently intently.. They went around the the table and took turns turns asking their their respecti res pective ve questions. In a panel interview intervi ew setting s etting there there is i s a tendency tendency for the interv interview iewee ee to only look at and answer the the interviewe intervi ewerr askin as king g the the questio question. n. You need need to make make sure to include include everyon ever yonee in the the room in all of your your answ answers ers.. In a panel interview setting, setting, and and specifically in the group dynamic exercises we’ll discuss later, you’ll need to make an effort to include incl ude each eac h member in attendance. Shift your your eye contact from one perso per son n to the the next each eac h time you you make a statement statement or ask as k a questio question. n. Even if the the people peopl e in the the group around around you aren’t are n’t looking at you, you, they may be looking down or writing something, keep attempting to establish eye contact with everyon ever yone. e. The only exception to to this this rule is for short, one or two two word wo rd answers. answer s. If you are asked as ked a question and the answer only consists of a few words, it’s acceptable to just maintain eye contact ith the individual posing the question. As you’re answering questions and maintaining eye contact, at some point you’ll be asked a question that that requires require s some contem contempla plation. tion. Where Where shou s hould ld you look loo k while whil e you’re you’re thinking? thinking? Anyt Anytime ime there’s a pause pa use and you you have have to think, think, try to look loo k up. Looking ooki ng up giv gives es the impr impres essi sion on that that you’re being genuin genuinee and truth truthfu ful. l.
Looking ooking down gives the the impressi impression on that that you’re you’re being evasive and
deceitfu dece itful. l. In the the vast vas t majo majori rity ty of interv interview iewss I’ve done, do ne, I eventuall eventually y ask a question about somethin something g in the applicant’s past they weren’t proud of: a goal they hadn’t achieved, a time they’d gotten in trouble at school, a bad grade they’re they’re receiv rec eived, ed, etc. Every time time someone answered answe red a question along alo ng these these lines and they had a hard time maintaining eye contact, I got the impression that they were not being completely honest. honest. Constantly Constantly shifting shifting your your eyes aroun ar ound d the the room sends an impres impressi sion on of being bei ng nervous nervous and evasive. evasi ve.
Here’s another another example example.. Have you ever seen s een a child get in trouble trouble for misb misbehaving? ehaving? The next next time you have the opportunity to witness it, or if you just want to run out and start yelling at some random kid in the street, pay careful attention to their eyes. I walked into the bathroom not too long ago and found my son giving the dog a bath in the toilet. -SIGH- This This was wa s a recurring recurri ng issue. is sue. I know know that that he knows he knows that dogs don’t go in toilets (unless maybe they’re they’re on o n fir fire, e, but that’s that’s another another story s tory,, altog al together). ether). I told him, him, “No,” and a nd asked him why he he was w as giving the the dog a bath in the the toil toilet. et. Again. Again. He then then produced a long and extremely extremely detailed detail ed narrative, narra tive, hich you had to to be a writer wri ter to really reall y appreci appr eciate. ate. There were wer e a lot of complex aspects to the the story, story, but the main point was that that the the dog actually actually “told” my son she needed a bath in the the toilet. Guess Guess here he looked the entire entire time he he told the story? He looked down dow n at the the floor, then then over at the corner, cor ner, then then back at the the floor. He looked everywhere ev erywhere he could to not not meet meet my my eyes. eyes.
Grownu Grow nups ps can ca n have have a tendency tendency to do the the exact same thing thing.. Being nerv nervous ous can also als o make make you revert rev ert to this this behavior. Believe Beli eve me when when I say that that if you’re you’re interviewi intervi ewing ng for a job you reall rea lly y want, the the butterfli butterflies es wil w illl be flutteri fluttering ng in your your stomach stomach and you’ll you’ll be b e nervous. If you haven’t worked on maintaining good eye contact before the interview, being nervous can cause you to shift your gaze around without knowing it, and that’s not the impression you want to leave on your assessors. Practice, practice, practice. Points to t o remember -It’s imper imperative ative to maintain maintain good good eye contact with everyone you you are interacting interacti ng with wi th.. DO NOT NOT look down while speaking, talk to your hands, or fail to establish eye contact with everyone person you interact with.
Smile
Look at those billboards, magazine ads, and Web sites for Emirates…if you can find a member of the cabin crew that is NOT is NOT smil smiling, ing, let me me know know and I will wi ll (li ( literal terally) ly) eat my my own shoe. All the cabin cabi n crew cre w mem members bers in i n those those pictu pic tures res have a vibrant vibr ant smile. This is a clear cle ar example example of the the image image cabin cabi n crew cre w are ar e expected to present. Since this this is i s the the job you want wa nt,, it’s the the image image you you are are expected to present. Smile, Smile , smil smile, e, and smile. smile . You should be smiling smili ng throughout throughout the entirety entir ety of your asse as sess ssm ment. A little li ttle personali per sonality ty goes a long l ong way, and and nothing nothing sends the the message better than a grea greatt smil smile. e. You need need your assessors to remember you as a smiling, upbeat applicant. Here’s a test: look l ook in a mir mirror ror and a nd act like you’re you’re meeting yourse yourself lf for the the first firs t time. time. Do it first ithout ithout smil smiling, ing, and see how how it i t looks. Now introduce yourse yourself lf to yoursel yourselff again, again, only this this time do it
ith a big, beaming smil smilee on your your face. Which Which one looks better? Which Which person pers on would you you be more more inclined to hire? Here’s another test you can do: the next time you’re ordering a coffee or a meal in a restaurant, give the the server ser ver a great grea t big smile and ask how how they’re they’re doing d oing before placi pl acing ng your your order. ord er. I bet they they will wi ll respond res pond in kind. kind. Later, make make an order orde r to another another server ser ver but with a serious, seri ous, intense intense look loo k on your your face. I bet their their response resp onse will be much much different. Everyone enjoys dealing deal ing with wi th a fri friendly endly person. pers on. Show your your asses as sessor sorss how friendly and outg outgoing oing you you are with wi th your your bril br illi liant ant smile. If you find yoursel yourselff at any time during the assessment process NOT process NOT smil smiling ing,, corr co rrect ect the situ si tuation ation immedi immediately. ately. Combining a winning smile with good eye contact is a critical aspect of successfully attaining a cabin cabi n crew cre w positio pos ition. n. You will be judged on how you you look, how how you carry car ry yoursel yourself, f, and and how you you interac inter actt with other others. s. If that fact makes makes you uncomf uncomfor ortabl table, e, then you need to come to ter term ms with wi th it or this this may not be the position positio n for for you. Remem Remember, ber, once you are hired, you are a walking, w alking, talking talking repres rep resentat entation ion of Emira Emirates. tes.
The company company has very high high standards and you you will wi ll be expected to
maintain ai ntain them. them. You will wi ll continuall c ontinually y be judged throughout throughout your asse as sess ssm ment on how you pres pr esent ent yourself.
Handshake
A good handshak handshakee is an incredibl incred ibly y important part par t of the the overall over all im i mpressi pre ssion. on.
It sends an
instantaneous impression, and many times is the only physical interaction you will have with your assess ass essors ors.. A good, solid sol id handshak handshakee can work wor k considerab conside rably ly to your your advantage. advantage. A weak wea k one can almost single-handedly (Ha! Single-handed, get it?) derail your entire interview. A weak we ak handshak handshakee is one of my my personal per sonal pet peeves. peev es. There is nothing nothing that that sends a worse wor se impression impress ion than than a cold, limp l imp handshak handshake. e. It feels like l ike someone someone is off o fferi ering ng you a dead fish to grab grab hold
of. I’ve spoken to to many many people peop le in hiring, inside insid e and outside outside aviatio av iation, n, and and there there is i s a unanim unanimous ous consensus: anyone that can’t muster the enthusiasm to give a good handshake is not an employment risk ri sk worth wo rth taking taking.. What What constitutes constitutes a good good handshake? handshake? First, Firs t, let’s talk talk about position: posi tion: square your your shoulde shoulders rs to the person you’re meeting and hold your hand out straight in front of you with your thumb pointed at the the ceili cei ling ng.. DO NOT NOT twist twis t your your body as you offer offer your your hand, resulting in one shoulde shoulderr being be ing ahead o the other. That implies impli es informality informali ty.. DO NOT turn your hand sidew si deways. ays. Offering Offeri ng a handshake with wi th the the back bac k of your your hand hand toward towa rd the ceili cei ling ng implies dominance. dominance. Offeri Offering ng your your hand with wi th the the palm pa lm up up implies subm s ubmis issiv siveness. eness. Square shoulders, shoulders , open hand, hand, thu thum mb up is the goal goal.. Three grip levels leve ls are ar e availab avai lable le to you: you: limp, bone bone crusher, and normal. normal. My recom rec omm mendation is to apply the the normal normal grip level l evel.. A lim li mp handshake handshake is one where th thee hand hand dangles dangles lifele l ifelessl ssly y and no no pressure is applied appli ed during the the handshak handshakee process. pr ocess. A limp limp handshake handshake implies implies submissi submissiveness, veness, lack lac k of confidence, or both. Being the the recipi rec ipient ent of a limp handshak handshakee leaves lea ves me with a general general dir d irty ty feeling feeli ng,, followe follo wed d by the the need need to take a hot hot shower and a nd wash the the entire experience experi ence away awa y. A bone crusher, on the other hand, is when the applicant tries to quantify his/her desire for the job through the strength o their their grip. grip .
This can signify either dominance dominance or insec insecurity urity,, and and in extreme extreme cases can ca n be
uncomf uncomfortabl ortablee for the the interview intervi ewer. er. Again, Again, not the the impression impress ion you’re you’re going for. for. A normal normal handshake handshake grip is similar s imilar to what w hat you use to carry an umbre umbrell llaa or your briefcase. briefca se. The eb of your hand, the area between your thumb and forefinger, should meet the web of your interviewe intervi ewerr ’s. Apply your your gri grip p to the the interv interview iewers ers hand itself, itsel f, don’t just just grab grab their their fingers or use use only your your thum thumb b to apply pressure. press ure. Release Rele ase the handshak handshakee before the end end of your your interv interview iewer er’s ’s introduction; usually about one to three pumps, if you need a number. If your hands tend to be cold, put them in your pocket to warm them up prior to the introduction. If you have clammy hands, casually wipe your palm again your pant leg or skirt as you raise your hand so you can offer a dry, warm hand for the shaking.
Grab a friend fri end or famil family y mem member ber and a nd practice practic e your your handshake handshake a couple of times. times. If you see them incing in pain, or they snatch their hand back and cradle it in terror, then you’ll want to adjust your technique. technique. Eventuall Eventually y, you’ll you’ll get to the the point poi nt where you’re com co mfortable giving a consistent consis tently ly good good handshake, and you can move on to bigger and better things.
Points to t o remember -Handshakes are critica cr iticall lly y important to sending positive posi tive impressions. impress ions. If you are not used used to shaking shaking hands or not comfortable doing so, start practicing.
Personal space
Here’s a big scientific sci entific word: proxem p roxemics ics.. That’s That’s a fancy fancy word wor d for for the the study study of measurable easurab le distances dis tances between betwee n people peopl e when they they meet. meet. I like to to simplify thing thingss whenever possib pos sible, le, so s o I just call it it the the personal perso nal space bubble. Everyone maintains maintains a certain cer tain bubble of space spac e around around their their person pers on that that they they consider conside r their theirs. s.
Your cultural cultural upbringing, upbringing, the the setting you’re you’re in, i n, and the the partici par ticipants pants involved involv ed
genera generall lly y dictate dic tate the the size of that that bubbl bubble. e. In North Ameri America ca and Europe Europe,, a person’ pers on’ss personal pers onal space spac e bubble is about two feet around around them them.. People raised ra ised in i n these these cultu cultures res reserve re serve anyth anything ing inside that that two two foot bubble for intimate acquaintances. Continually encroaching into what someone considers their personal space bubble can give an impression impress ion of being too famil familiar iar or pushy. pushy. Standing too far from someone’s someone’s bubble can c an give give the the impression impress ion of being cool or standoffish. Neither of these these im i mpressi pre ssions ons is the one one you want wa nt to give give.. In the the interview intervie w setting, setting, when w hen you’re you’re meeting and greeting, greeting, you want to be between betwe en two and four feet from the the person per son or peopl pe oplee that you’re you’re int i ntera eracting cting with wi th.. Anyt Anythin hing g inside that two two foot bubble bubbl e and you’l you’lll run the the risk ris k of making making your your interviewe intervie werr uncomf uncomfortabl ortable. e. Violating iol ating their their cultural culturally ly allotted allo tted personal space bubble isn’t is n’t a good way to start the the day. If you’re having a hard time consistently judging the distance to stand from someone, especially hen it’s a departure from how you’ve grown up, try this: Use a piec p iecee of tape to make make a mark mark on the the floo floorr two feet from a mirr mirror. or. Practice Prac tice walking w alking up up to
the the mir mirror ror and saying hello. Do this this several sever al times over a couple of days. You’ll get a good good feel for the right distance to stand without invading someone’s personal space or acting like you’re being introduced introduced to a plagu pl aguee carrier car rier.. The position you’re interviewing for involves dealing directly with the public in close confines and lim li mited space. space .
Some Some cultures cultures have have developed devel oped a norm norm of weari we aring ng hygiene hygiene masks while
surrounded by large lar ge groups groups of people. people . This is definitely not not the the impression impress ion you you want to to give give.. Hygiene masks are not part of the product Emirates is selling, so if this is something you typically do, leave lea ve the mask mask home home for the entire entire proc p rocess ess.. This includes checkin c hecking g into into the the hotel. Points to t o remember -Different cultures cultures have different standards for personal per sonal space. spac e. Maintain Maintain a two two to four four foot foot personal perso nal space bubble in the assessment setting.
General bearing
Just to re-emphasize: your interview begins from the time you walk into the building for the Open Day event. eve nt. Whil Whilee walking wal king or standing standi ng,, make make sure that that you you are ar e standing straight stra ight with wi th your shoulders sligh sli ghtly tly back. Avoid fidgeting, fidgeting, playing pla ying with wi th your your hands, twirli twi rling ng your your hair, and any other other exaggera exaggerated ted or nervous nervo us movemen movements ts while you’r you’ree waiting. wa iting. One One common common reaction reactio n many many people peop le have to stressful stres sful environments environments are boun b ouncing cing their their legs l egs or moving them them constantly constantly in some way. way. Be conscious consci ous of this and refrain from doing so during the entire process. When you meet and are introduced to people, square your shoulders to them and stand up straigh strai ght. t. If you ever have the the opportun oppo rtunity ity to to observ obs ervee screening scr eening events like li ke this, this, you can instantly instantly pick out applica appl icant ntss that are going to do well we ll just j ust by how they they stand. stand. They personify pers onify confidence and selfsel fassurance, ass urance, and this this is exactly e xactly what the the HR representatives repre sentatives are a re looking l ooking for. You can’t look loo k confident
and self-assured if you’re subconsciously shrinking away from people every time you meet with them. I know know what you’re thinking: thinking: “I would w ould never do that.” As I sit here and write this, I am telling you that people who are insecure about their performance performance do exactly that. that. When you are practicing pr acticing your your interaction interaction before the the Open Day, Day, and then then hen you get to Open Day, make sure your shoulders are square with whomever you’re interacting ith, and that you’re you’re standing up up strai s traigh ghtt at all al l times. times. As you advance through the process, you’ll eventually interact with people while seated at a table. table . This occurs both during the the group group dynam dynamic ic exercises exercis es and personal pers onal intervi interviews ews.. Make Make sure sure you you sit like you stand, straight up, with shoulders slightly back, squarely facing the people with whom you’re you’re interacting interac ting.. Do not lean lea n forward forwa rd in your your chair or slouch back. Both of these these actions have have negative negative associ as sociations. ations. Keep your your feet flat on the the floor and a nd avoid fidgeting, fidgeting, bouncing bouncing a leg, swinging your your knees knees back ba ck and and forth, forth, or any other repetitive repeti tive movemen movements. ts. Crossing Cross ing your your legs le gs and and placing plac ing an ankle ankle on your your knee knee while seated s eated is consider consi dered ed a very defensiv defensivee and guard guarded ed position. posi tion. If this this is a position you typical typically ly sit in and find comfortable, comfortable, you’ll you’ll want to avoid avoi d it. Keep both feet flat on the floor at all times, except when walking. Be conscious consci ous of what is going on with your your head. I don’t mean mean inside it (but that’s that’s important, important, too!), but be aware aw are of o f how how you’re holding holdi ng it during interactions. interactio ns. Your head should should be kept level any time that you are ar e talking with wi th anyone during duri ng the asse as sess ssm ment proce pr ocess ss.. When When you you are ar e listening li stening to someone, particularly if involved in an individual conversation, tilting your head sli head slightly ghtly indicates being receptive and attent attentive. ive. Aside from that, that, keep keep your your head in a level position Some Some people peop le have a tendency tendency to talk talk with wi th their their hands. hands. Gesturing with wi th your your hands slig hands slightly htly while while you speak isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and can be effective when you want to emphasize a point. Don’t get too too animated, animated, however, howeve r, or it starts to detract from your your perform per formance. ance. Imagine Imagine there there is a
one-foot one-foot by one-foot box bo x in fro front nt of you. you. If you you use use your hands when w hen you you talk, keep them in this this box. Any Any hand hand movemen movements ts outside the the 1x1 1 x1 box and it can c an affect your your credibi cre dibili lity ty.. You’ll genera generall lly y want to to fold your hands hands and a nd put them them in your your lap. l ap. In an interv interview iew setting, setting, I keep my hands in my lap because if I place them on the table, then I have a tendency to clench them together together and hun hunch ch forw forward ard,, which can send an overly over ly aggressi aggressive ve impression. impress ion. If you do place pla ce your your hands on the table, fold them in front of you and continue sitting straight. One unconscious mannerism that can signal deception is when a person touches their face, ear, or nose while speaking spe aking.. Adhere to the the 1x1 box rule, and you you won’t have have a problem probl em.. Under no no circumstances should you raise your hands above shoulder level at any point during during the interview, unless your hair has actually caught on fire. A hand hand gesture that that conveys openn ope nness ess and honesty honesty is showing s howing your your palm pal ms while w hile speaking. s peaking. If you you gesture gesture with wi th your your hands, hands, position pos ition your your palms up whenever possib pos sible. le. Avoid voi d pointing directly dir ectly at someone, and avoid clenching your hands in fists while speaking or listening. Points to t o remember -Postu -Pos ture re and the the way you carry car ry yourse yourself lf are important important presentation pre sentation aspects. aspe cts. Sit professionally professi onally at tables at all times, and don’t make large or fast gestures with your hands while speaking.
Mind your surroundings
This This is i s a critical cri tical concept to to understand: understand: Your face-to-face face-to-face intervie interview w does NOT begin begin when you finally get to to meet meet with w ith the the asses as sessm sment ent team. team. Your interview intervie w beings b eings when you you walk wal k throug through h the the door! I have have condu co nducted cted a lot lo t of interviews intervi ews for aviation avia tion companies. companies. I can’t even count count the the num number ber o applicants that have lost jobs because they acted inappropriately when they thought no one was
looking loo king.. The entire Open and and Assessm Asses sment ent Days are your your interviews intervie ws.. Do you you think think no one one is looking lo oking hile you’re milling mill ing around around in line, li ne, waiting wai ting for your your turn? turn? Could a mem member ber from the the HR team be using the restroom at the same time you and your friends are? They are most definitely looking at you. you. I guara guarant ntee ee it. That’s That’s what this this whole w hole process proce ss is all al l about: you being looked at and evaluated. ev aluated. Don’t make make the the mistake of think thinking ing it’s not happening every ever y second of each day. That stranger that walks up to you and starts a conversation: are they an applicant or part of the assess ass essm ment team? team? Could be either one. It’s It’s not unusu unusual al for companies to circulate som so meone in the the crowd cro wd to interac interactt with wi th applica appl icant nts. s. Treat rea t every ever y sing si ngle le person per son you you meet like they they are interview intervi ewing ing you. you. If you act like li ke you you are being bei ng interviewe intervie wed d at all times, even when you you step into into the the restroom, res troom, then then you will never be caught unawares. Two quick examples to illustrate my point: 1.
Applicants Appli cants were we re waiting wai ting in a lobby for their their turn turn to be called call ed back for a one-o one-on-one n-one interview. intervie w. While they were waiting, two applicants (who apparently knew each other beforehand) started having a casual conversati co nversation. on. Whil Whilee they they waited, the conver conversatio sation n continued, continued, grew louder, l ouder, and and soon they they were telli tel ling ng jokes, using profanity profanity,, and basical basi cally ly acting unprofes unprofessi sionally. onally. Member Memberss of the interview team, who the applicants didn’t realize were watching them, noted this behavior. Their Their intervie interviews ws were extrem extremely ely short and ended ended with w ith th the predictable pr edictable result.
2. I was walking wa lking into a buil building ding to interview intervi ew a group group of applica appl icant nts. s. It was raining ra ining and I was carrying an armload of paperwork for the day’s interviews (not taking my own advice and carrying car rying a briefcase bri efcase,, apparently appar ently). ). A gentleman gentleman hurri hurried ed past pas t me me on the the sidew sid ewalk, alk, weari wea ring ng a suit, also als o trying to get get out of the the rain. ra in. Judging Judging from from his his attire, a ttire, he was one of the the applicants appli cants I would be interviewi intervi ewing ng that that day. day. He pulled open o pen the the door and ran inside to get out out of the the rain, letting the the door slam sl am in my my face with wi thout out even looking back. Not a grea greatt first firs t impression. impress ion. If he had simply simply been more conscious and courteous, courteous, and held the the door for one second, my impressi impression on of him
would have been totally different.
You never know with whom you’re meeting, or who is watching at any given time. Don’t let your guard guard down, d own, even eve n for for a second. s econd. Maybe Maybe you’re staying in the the same hotel hotel as the the HR team, team, so don’t do n’t forget to consider that group of people sitting next to you in the bar may be doing your interview the next morning. Mind your your surroundings surroundings at all al l times. Remem Remember ber,, every eve ry second of the day, from the the time you you walk wal k through the door until you walk out again, is your interview. Points to t o remember -Keep in mind mind where you are and what you you are doing do ing.. If you you think think you you are not being observed observ ed and evaluated at all times, you are wrong.
-Your interview begins from the time you walk through the door of the building until you walk out again.
Practice makes perfect
A significant number of applicants at Open Days are screened out based on this initial first impression. impress ion. If you don’t actively activel y practice prac tice the the many many aspects aspe cts of good fir first st impre impressi ssions ons we’ve gone over so far, you you performance performance on Open Open Day will wi ll suf s uffer. fer. Talking (or readi r eading ng in this this case) ca se) and a nd doing are two very ver y differe different nt thing things. s. One One of the the most most important secrets secr ets to making making a good first impression impress ion is ractice. ractice. I could could wri w rite te a list of 1000 points to remem remember ber to make make a good good first firs t impre impressi ssion, on, but but if you don’t go out there and actually put these points into practice in your daily activities, they won’t help. Think Think about a professi pro fessional onal tennis tennis player. p layer. Do you suppose he just wakes wa kes up one one morning morning and
competes at Wimbledon? Absolut Absol utely ely not. not. He practices practic es and practice pra cticess so that that when when he does compete in the the big match, match, he is prepar pre pared. ed.
Intervi Interview ewing ing effectively effectivel y is no differe different nt,, and and this this interview intervi ew is
equival equi valent ent to winn wi nning ing at Wimble Wimbledon. don. If you never physi never physicall callyy practice the the techn techniques we talk about, about, and just assum ass umee it will wil l all com c omee together together on Open Day, Day, you you will wi ll be disapp di sappointed. ointed. Going over an answer answe r to an interview intervi ew question questi on in your your head is not the the same as speakin spea king g it. You’ll be b e surprised surpri sed how difficult it can be translating thou though ghts ts into words when you’re you’re answeri answ ering ng questions. The more more you practice, the easier it will wil l become. How do you practice pra ctice for an interview intervie w with wi thout out doing one? one? It can be as easy eas y as sittin si tting g down dow n in a chair and a nd verbally verbal ly introducing introducing yoursel yourselff while you’r you’ree alone alo ne in a room roo m. You can get a friend and practice walkin wal king g into into a room and and shaking shaking their their hand, or you can practice sim si mply sitting sitting at a table in a professional manner anner (more (more on that that later).
Each of these these examples examples sounds sounds basic and easy, easy, but I
absolutely 100% guarantee that it’s not so easy when someone is staring at you trying to decide if you should have one of the most sought-after jobs in the world. Here’s a personal example: I had an interview scheduled with one of the top airlines in the orld. orl d. I thoug thought ht I would just j ust go in…have a casual chat…and walk wa lk out out with the the job. What What I didn’t did n’t realize was that when I sat down in front of the three people interviewing me, I was really, really nervous. I also didn’t di dn’t realize reali ze (until (until halfway halfwa y throug through h my my intervi interview ew)) that I was swing sw inging ing my legs back and forth on the the swivel swi vel chair I was wa s sittin si tting g on. on. I noticed noticed that that I was stutteri stuttering ng and saying, saying, “uh” “uh” a lot. l ot. An awful lot. All those those proble pr oblem ms manifested manifested them themsel selves ves because bec ause I hadn’t prepar pre pared ed or practiced prac ticed for this this int i nterv erview iew that that was hugely hugely competitiv competitive. e. I didn’t get get the the job, job , but I learned a lot l ot of thing thingss about hat not to do in an interview. intervie w. It was wa s a very ver y expensive less l esson, on, as I never never got another another opportun opp ortunity ity at that that job. Don’t make the the same mistake is take I did. Practice. Prac tice.
It is vitally important for you to be able to see yourself from a third-person perspective in your practice sessions. sessi ons.
You may be surprised how you perform when observed by someone someone else,
compared to how you think you are perform perfor ming. ing. You’ll notice notice a nervous habit you didn’t did n’t know know you had, or the fact fact that that every ever y third third word wo rd you say is “um “ um”. ”. It’s It’s easy eas y to to correc cor rectt nerv nervous ous behavior if you’re you’re aware of it, and that’s why you need to take a look at yourself. Grab a video recorder, have someone record you with your phone, or at the very least find a fulllength length mir mirror. ror. You need need to practic pr acticee walking wa lking into a room, gree greeting ting people peopl e (just (j ust gree greett yoursel yourselff in the the mirror ir ror), ), and smiling smili ng.. Study Study how how you look and how you’re you’re conducting conducting yoursel yourselff from someone someone else’s el se’s perspective. perspec tive. What can you you improve improve on? Are you presenting presenting yourself yourself the the way a cabin crew cr ew member ember at a premier premier air a irli line ne would? would ? You won’t know know unt until il you can observe observ e yoursel yourselff fir firsthan sthand. d. Put on your your interview intervi ew suit or dress. dre ss. See how you look loo k in it when you enter the the room. Make Make sure it’s comfortable comfortable and you don’t mind mind weari wea ring ng it for a long l ong period per iod of o f time. time. If you simply take take some time time and practice pra ctice presenting presenting yoursel yourself, f, you’ll be far ahead of the the majority ajori ty of applicant appli cantss on both Open and Assessm Assess ment Days. Points to t o remember -Practice -Pra ctice,, practice, practic e, practice. prac tice. In order orde r to perform your your best, you have to to work wor k on perfecting per fecting your your skills.
-Find a way to record and view yourself in an interview setting, work getting rid of nervous habits or unconfident unconfident behavior. behavio r.
hysical requirements Unfortunately, you can’t just plop down in a first class seat with the passengers while you’re flying between betwe en Dubai Dubai and a nd Sydney Sydney,, order orde r a drink, dr ink, and and watch wa tch the the world wo rld fly by. by. You will wil l have to actually work, and there are physical requirements associated with the duties that you’ll have to perform. perform. You will be pushing pushing heavy food food and beverage carts up up and down th the aisles. aisl es. You will need to place and a nd reach items items in overhead bins. bi ns. On occasi occa sion, on, you’ll you’ll be helping help ing that that little old ol d lady hois hoistt her her bag (that (that weighs more more than than she she does!) into into the the overhead compartm compartment ent.. You will need to access and use emergency equipment such as defibrillators, oxygen bottles, fire extingu extinguis ishers, hers, etc. You will wil l be b e trained trai ned in the the use of all al l this equipm e quipment ent and and more, and you must must be able abl e to physical physically ly manage manage using it. You’ll recei r eceive ve open water training tra ining where you will wi ll simu s imulate late a ater landing and have to get yourself, your fellow crew members, and conscious or unconscious passengers passengers into a life raft. raft. For all these reasons, while you are being evaluated on how professionally you meet, greet, and interact with others, you are also being evaluated on your physical capabilities. There is i s a reach rea ch requiremen req uirementt of 212cm with wi thout out heels. The HR team will wi ll bring br ing a calibra cali brated ted devic dev icee and you WI WILL LL be given giv en a reach reac h test. Whil Whilee you can’t can’ t nec necess essar aril ily y fake it if you you don’t make make the the height requir re quirement ement,, you can ca n stand on your your tippy tipp y toes during d uring the the assess asse ssm ment. If you are ar e righ ri ghtt on the line, give yourself of boost and it may be enough to get you to the limit.
Part II: The Emirates Interview Everything we’ve talked about up to this point has been more or less general, meaning that it’s good technique technique to use use in any business professio profes sional, nal, competitiv competitivee intervi interview. ew. Now we’ll we’ ll look lo ok at how how the the specific speci fic process proce ss for becoming a cabin crewm crew member ember in the the United United Arab Emir Emirates ates works. wor ks. The order of events changes slightly depending on geographic location, venue, and that number o attendees, and the the event may occur all on one day or over severa sev eral. l. The screening scr eening process proc ess,, regardless regardle ss of leng le ngth th,, consists co nsists of the the follow fol lowing ing elements: elements: -Fill -Fi ll out the the onli online ne application. applic ation. Even if you’ll you’ll be attending an Open Open Day that’s that’s availabl avail ablee to walk-ins walk-i ns off the street, it’s best to fill out the application online before the event.
-Attend -Attend an Open Open Day event. This event varies var ies depending d epending by country country.. Sometimes Sometimes it’s open to walkwal kins, other tim ti mes you must must register regis ter in i n advance adv ance to attend. Check the the Web site si te for Open Day information informatio n at a location near you. By the way, this is also a punctuali punc tuality ty test te st : if i f you’r you’ree not in the ballroo ball room m by the the published start start time, time, you’re you’re out for for good.
-You’ll be issued a sticker upon check-in for the Open Day, which you’ll wear for the duration of the event
-Once everyone has been assembled for the day, you’ll view a promotional video about Emirates.
-A representative from Human Resources will give a briefing on what to expect from a career at Emirates and life in Dubai.
-The floor will w ill be opened ope ned for questions questions from the the applicant applic ants. s.
-Following applicant questions, the first major screening event occurs: the Resume Handover. Several tables will be set up at the head of the room and you will submit your resume to the appropriate location based on the number you’ve been issued.
-There will be a break for lunch, and only applicants that have passed the resume handover screening ill return for further events. Note: Note : You will have limited to no interaction with the HR people for the resume handover--the entire screening event is based on your personal presentation and that of the resume you hand in. It’s It’ s all about abo ut first fi rst impressions i mpressions here!
-The fir first st group group dynam dynamic ic exercise exerci se takes place. place . Applicants Appli cants are split spl it into into groups groups of approximately approximately 2025. Followi Foll owing ng this this event eve nt,, applicants appli cants are informed informed whether whether they will wi ll cont co ntinue inue on with wi th the the process. proce ss.
-Applica -Appl icant ntss particip parti cipate ate in the the second seco nd group dynam dynamic ic in small smaller er groups of aroun aro und d 8-10. A more complex complex scenario scenario is present pre sented. ed.
Following Follow ing this this event, event, applicants are inform informed ed who will wil l be
continuing.
-Engli -English sh comprehension test.
-Aptitude test. Applicants Appli cants are informed informed who will wi ll continue. continue.
-One-on-one int i nterv erview iew with wi th a mem member ber from the the hum human resource res ource staff.
-Generally -General ly a minimu minimum m of fourteen fourteen day waiting wai ting period per iod for notification to come in the the mail. Many Many have have aited up to six weeks for notification and being accepted.
That is a general summ summary of the the process. proces s. Think Think of each step along al ong the the way wa y as a gate. You have have to pass through each gate in succession to secure the cabin crew job waiting for you at the end. Failing Fail ing to to give your top perform perfor mance in any given phase phase is all a ll it takes to mis misss the opportunity opportunity.. That is hy it’s so important to get everything right the first time, and why it’s a good idea that your reading this book and preparing beforehand. This will wi ll sound harsh, but it is true, and it’s important that that you under understand stand the the reali rea lity ty:: Emir Emirates ates has has absolutely abso lutely nothing nothing invested in you. you. There are literall liter ally y hundreds hundreds of people peop le standing in line li ne behind you you trying trying to get get this this job. j ob. That’s just at the Open Day you’re attending attendi ng.. If you look lo ok at all al l the Open Days around the world, you’re competing with thousands of similarly qualified applicants. Attention to detail during this entire process is paramount. If your interviewers see one thing they don’t like, just like, just one, one, their view is, “why take the risk?” ri sk?” and they they move move on o n to the the next next applic appl icant. ant. That may sound sound discour dis couraging, aging, initial initi ally, ly, but now that fact will wi ll work w ork to to your your advantage. advantage. This is why: why: because you are readi re ading ng this this book. The majori ajo rity ty o applica appl icant ntss that show up to Open Day are unpre unprepare pared, d, the vast majo majori rity ty.. They don’t understand understand how competitive this this proces pr ocesss is. They don’t know know how how important it is to have have the applica appl ication tion comple completed ted correc cor rectly tly,, or even to have it comple completed, ted, at all. They will wi ll show s how up up thinkin thinking g they they will improvise, improvis e, wing wi ng it, and everyt ever ythin hing g will work wor k out. out. But they they won’t be dressed dres sed righ r ight, t, they they won’t act right, right, they they won’t present right, right, and that that is why the the majority ajori ty of applicant applic antss are rejected. rejec ted. You will wil l understand understand the the importance of every small detail in this process (or I haven’t done a very good job of emphasizing it!!!), and thus you will stand out for the right reasons.
Video and QA When you enter the hotel for your interview, you will be added to the list of attendees and issued is sued a sticker with wi th a num number ber to be worn wor n at all times. This num number ber is i s how you you will wi ll be identified i dentified through throughout out the the process, proce ss, so make make sure you know know it and listen li sten for for it. i t. Nothing Nothing annoy annoyss interviewe intervi ewers rs like l ike calling out, “Number 24!” repeatedly, only to have you stare blankly at them for several minutes before realizin reali zing g you, you, in fact, fact, are num number 24. You will wi ll view vie w a promotional video vid eo put together together by Emir Emirates ates giving a synopsi synopsiss on what you can expect expect from a position posi tion as a cabin cabi n crew cre w mem member. ber. Next, Next, an HR represe repr esent ntative ative wil w illl come forward forwa rd and give give you a briefing bri efing,, elabora elab orating ting more on the the points made made in i n the the video. vide o. This whole proces pr ocesss is partly inform informational, ational, partly sales sale s pitch pi tch.. This This is a good job, j ob, don’t get me me wrong w rong,, but after after you see the the view vie w and listen li sten to to HR, they they will wil l have you convinced it’s the best job in the the worl wo rld. d. And And maybe maybe it is. If you were lukewarm on whether this was the right thing or not, you will now desperately want to be successful. succes sful. Which Which is exactly what they they want. want. After After the the video vide o and presentation, pre sentation, they they will wi ll open up the the floor for “Question time.” time.” Sounds Sounds harmles harmless. s. Is this this a friendly no harm, harm, no no foul, free question session sess ion where you can ask anyt anything hing that that spri sp ring ngss to your your mind? mind? What What do you you think? think? The evaluation eval uation began the second se cond you walked wa lked through the door. This This is part of the the process. Those who ask questions will wi ll be noted by HR. That’s not necessari necess arily ly a bad thing, thing, but it is something something to to be awa a ware re of. If you have a legitim le gitimate, ate, well we ll-thou -though ghtt out out question that that wasn’t answered answer ed by either of the the previo pre vious us present prese ntations, ations, this is a good time time to ask. Just be smart about what you ask. You may have heard the the term, term, “There are no stupid questions.” That is not entirely entirel y accurate.
Let’s say the the video vide o talks about, about, for example, example, what your your
compensatio compensation n will wil l be if i f you you get get the the job. job . Then the the HR rep talks tal ks about what your your compensatio compensation n will be
during their their prese pr esent ntation. ation. If you you raise rais e your hand hand and ask what your your compensatio compensation n is going to be, that is a stupid question. They have already alre ady covered that twice. twic e. Odds are, they will wi ll make make a note note next next to your your number number on their their list. li st. Seems overly over ly simplistic, simplis tic, right? right? Who Who would ask a question that’s that’s already alr eady been covered cove red?? It happens like this: In the days leadi le ading ng up to your Open Day, Day, you’re trying to come up with wi th an intelli intel ligent gent,, well we ll-spoken question that you can ask so you’ll be noticed right away. Then it pops into your head, “I know, I can ask how much we’re going to be paid!” All through the video and the HR rep’s speech, all you’re doing is going over and over that question in your your head. How you’re you’re going to raise rais e your your hand, hand, intell intelligent igently ly phras phrasee it, etc. You’re so fixated on your question that you don’t really notice that it gets answered, maybe even a couple o times. times. Finally Finall y, it’s your your chance chance and you raise rai se your hand hand and ask (because (be cause you’ve you’ve been b een saving savi ng this this great question up all this time), and the HR people wonder why you didn’t understand this when they covered compensation earlier. The moral of the story is: if you have a legitimate question, then by all means ask it, but don’t ask a question just just to ask a question. Everyone in the the room will be looked loo ked at and and evaluated eval uated at some point. point. Don’t Don’t be in a rush rush to to have the the spotligh spotlightt shine shine on you. you. You’ll You’ll have plenty of tim timee for that that later. If you do have a legitimate question (and it hasn’t been covered!), remember what we talked about with first impressions, impressi ons, because you are making making yours. yours. Practice Prac tice verbal ver balizing izing your your question--there is no substitute. substitute. The firs firstt time time that that I had to stand stand in front of a room full full of people peopl e and speak, spea k, it felt felt like li ke I was wa s talking with wi th a mouth mouth full of peanut butter. Nothing would wo uld come out out right. right. Speaking Spea king in front of a large gathering of people, where they are all focused on you, is very different than speaking to a small num number of people. peopl e. Make Make sure you’ve you’ve practiced prac ticed saying sa ying your your question beforehand beforehand or it won’t
come out out quite quite as neatly as it i t sounds sounds in i n your your head. Never forget for get the the Golden Golde n Rule Rule to public speaking: s peaking: SLOW MOTION. MOTION. Its sounds silly, sil ly, but belie bel ieve ve me, me, I have have watched w atched stumbl stumbles es many times, and the the common common denominator denominator is too much much speed. spee d. Practice Practi ce speaking spe aking slowl slo wly y to your your peers as Open Ope n Day approaches. appr oaches. You will wi ll be more articulate with wi th a slower slow er pace pac e because your your mind mind is now working at a manageable level le vel.. You will wi ll com co me across acro ss as more more conf co nfide ident nt and controll controlled; ed; in effect, you will wi ll own ow n the the mom moment. ent. You will wi ll be surpri s urprised sed how quickly (no pun pun intended) intended) you will wi ll see s ee results. res ults. This is one of the gems to advancement, as it will assist you at every stage onwards in the process, and life in general. Points to t o remember -You can and should ask a question if you have one, but don’t ask a question just to ask a question.
-Make sure you speak spea k clear cl early ly and intelligently intell igently if you you ask something. something. You are now making your fir first st impression.
-Don’t forget forget – slow it down. dow n. You’re not an auctioneer, speak spe ak clearly clear ly and take take your your time. time.
The resume handover Follow Foll owing ing the the Q and and A session, sessi on, there there will wi ll be b e a short coffee coffee break. bre ak. Duri During ng this this pause, pa use, the the HR team will wi ll set s et up up several seve ral tables at a t the the head head of the the meeting meeting room. Each tabl tablee will wi ll be manned manned by one member of the HR team, and applicants will be invited to line up at the applicable table based on the num number you were issued i ssued at the the beginning beginning of the the day. day. Table abl e 1 will wi ll serv s ervice ice number numberss 100-200, 100- 200, table tabl e 2 200-300, so on and so forth. This is the the first firs t majo majorr scree sc reening ning event of the the day. You can see from the the num numbers ber s involved i nvolved (one person screening at least 100 applicants) appl icants) that that they they must must move quickly throug through h th the crowd. crow d. The The HR rep at your table will wi ll give you a quick greeting, take your your resum re sume, e, and a nd then then mark mark it i t yes or no based base d on that brief twenty twenty second second exchang exchange. e. You can’t say a whole lot in twenty seconds, so what do you think that majority of this particular screen is based on? This This is all al l about first impressi impressions. ons. Does this this applicant appli cant have the the potential potential to fit fit into the the Emir Emirates ates mold? mold? That’s That’s all the the HR reps are ar e looking for. Anyon Anyonee that that is outside the acceptable acceptabl e norm is weede w eeded d out. out. They will wi ll be b e screening scr eening out more than they they will wil l be accepting acc epting at this this stage. If you have taken taken to to heart all the previous previ ous sections, sectio ns, you you will wi ll fall within w ithin the the acceptable accep table norm. norm.
Just
remember: each part of the first impression i mpression is equally as important important as the others. others. Attire, Attire , grooming, smiling, handshake, eye contact, general bearing--this is the point you need to bring it all into focus. You have to present pr esent the the total package in twent twe nty y seconds, and giving a great first fi rst im i mpressi pre ssion on by putting putting everything together is the only way to do that. Following the resume handover, there will be a break, and applicants will be notified whether they will be continuing on to the Group Dynamic.
Remember names
This small but important point applies not only to the resume handover, but all the remaining events of the the intervi interview ew proces pr ocess. s. Using si ng names names in an interview intervie w settin se tting g is a valuable val uable tool, and one that that is undervalued underval ued and underutili underutilized zed by most applica appl icant nts. s. You need need to try to to establis establ ish h some kind kind of connection/rapport with your interviewers, and there is no better way than by using their name. I’d like you to take a moment, and mentally put yourself in the position of an HR representative orking at this this Open Day event.
They are litera l iterall lly y meeting hundreds hundreds of people peopl e at a typical typical
screening scr eening.. It is a welco we lcom me departu depar ture re from the the norm norm when an applica appl icant nt actually says hell hello o and goodbye, taking taking the the time time and interest to use use your nam name. e. HR reps are ar e people peop le just j ust like you, you, and and they they like it when someone shows some actual interest in them, instead of just viewing them as an obstacle that that must must be overcome ove rcome to achiev achievee a cabin cabi n crew cre w position. pos ition. They will wi ll have a nametag nametag on, on, so when you you say hello, hell o, thank you, you, and good-bye, good- bye, make make sure s ure you use use their their name name clea c learl rly. y. You don’t don’t have have a whole w hole lot of time time to intera interact. ct. A statement statement to establish establi sh a minim minimal al conn c onnectio ection n can ca n be as sim si mple pl e as, as , “Sam “Sa mantha, thank thank you for taking the the time time to look lo ok at my my resum re sume. e. I hope hope you get some time in your busy schedule to see our beautiful city.” There is i s no better way w ay to engage engage someone in a conversation convers ation that that by using using their their name. name. Duri During ng the the group dynamic exercises and when closing your interview are great times to interject people’s names and show that that you’ve you’ve taken the the time time to learn lea rn their theirs. s. I’m personall per sonally y terr terribl iblee at remember remembering ing names, names, so so I will typically try to come up with some kind of reminder when I’m introduced to someone: Leslie has long hair. Mr. Brown has brown brow n shoes. shoes. Caitlyn’s parents couldn’t decide between Kate and Lynn. You get get the idea. idea . It doesn’t doesn’ t have have to make sense; sense ; it can even be a rhy r hym me that’s nothing nothing more or e than
gibberish: Mr. Kattenbower took the whole hour. You may may be a great grea t name name person, pers on, and if you are, ar e, then that’s that’s perfec pe rfect. t. If you’r you’ree not, and you don’t make a point of remembering, by the time you get to the end of your interview, you’re going to try to remember you interviewer’s name and there will be a great big blank spot there. It’s nice to be able to close your interview with something like, “thanks for taking the time to meet with me, Ms. James (James, like Jessie James the outlaw). I appreciate the opportunity to come here today.” If you don’t commit names to memory, then you won’t be able to establish that momentary connection that says that you care enough about this process to remember who you’re meeting. Points to t o remember -The Resume Resume Handover is where all a ll this prepar pre paration ation needs needs to come come together. together. You have have as little li ttle as twenty seconds to make an impression; it needs to be a good one.
-Nam -Na mes are ar e impor important. tant. appropriate.
Make a point of rem re membering emberi ng them and inter interje ject ct them them anytime anytime it’s
irst group dynamic After the Resume Handover, there will be a break and applicants continuing in the process ill il l be divided divi ded into large groups groups of anywhere anywhere between betwee n ten to twe twent nty y applica appl icant nts. s. Your fir first st group group exercise will wil l then begin. begin. Before we talk about the the specifics spec ifics of this this group dynam dynamic ic in particular, parti cular, what is a group dynam dynamic? ic? What What is the the point of the the whole exercise exerc ise?? A group exercise exerci se like li ke this this puts puts a bunch bunch of strangers together together and forces them them to work wor k collec col lectivel tively y toward towar d a solution to a problem proble m. The problem, prob lem, and and the the solution, intere interestingly stingly,, are mostly mostly irrel ir relevant. evant. What What is important, important, and and what the the observers obser vers are ar e taking taking notes notes on, is how the how the group works through the problem. How How it arrive arr ivess at its solution. The solut sol ution ion is usuall usually y a very subjective subjec tive one, meaning it’s based on opinions, and there is no right or wrong answer. It’s a commonly accepted theory that groups formed for this purpose go through four stages of evolut evol ution: ion: forming, forming, storming, storming, norming, norming, and and perform per forming. ing. Typically ypical ly these these stages take place plac e over ove r a long l ong period of time time with work and professional groups, groups, but since this this exercise is time-com time-compresse pressed, d, they they happen happe n fairly fair ly quickly. quickly. The names names of the stages are a ren’t n’t important; impor tant; you’re not going to be quizzed quizzed on those those later. l ater. What What is important is what w hat happens duri during ng each of these these stages of group group formation. formation. It’s It’s helpful to have an understanding of how a group works to be an effective member and show you can ork well with strangers. strangers. Stages of group dynamics are: -Forming : The group group meets, meets, and no no one is sure exactly what their their role rol e is. A tremendous tremendous amoun amountt of body langu language and non-verbal non-verbal com c omm munication occurs occurs during during this this stage, stage, which w hich is easy for the the HR reps to observe. obse rve. Group member emberss will wil l begin establis establ ishin hing g their their roles ro les as leader lea ders, s, contri contribut buting ing member embers, s, or followers.
-Storming :
The hier hierarc archy hy of group group mem members bers forms forms as verbal ver bal com c omm munica unication tion between mem members bers
begins. begins. Leaders step forward, wallflowers wall flowers step back, and mem members bers begin to to add their their contribution contributions. s. In groups without without strong leaders lea dership, hip, medi mediocri ocrity ty in discussions discussi ons is supported. Keep in mind mind that that this this isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing, we’re still talking about what happens in general terms.
-Norming : As mem members bers sett s ettle le int i nto o their their respective roles, roles , progress being bei ngss toward finding finding a solu sol ution to the problem. Strong (possibly overbearing) leaders will drive the group toward their solution i input from other other member memberss is lacking l acking.. Member Memberss who contribute little or nothing nothing toward towar d the the solut sol ution ion ill il l become apparent appare nt.. If a group group has has good chemistry chemistry and works well wel l together together,, it will be b e obvious. obvio us. Similarly, if a group is dysfunctional or not working together effectively, that friction will present itself at this stage.
-Performing: The group achieves achieve s the the goal goal of generating generating a solution and presenting pre senting it. In groups operating in the professional work environment, this is the most important phase because it is the culmination culmination of the the group’s group’s efforts.
In the the group dynam dynamic ic evaluation, ev aluation, the the solut sol ution ion is essentiall es sentially y
irrel ir relevant. evant. The important important thing thing to the the evaluators eva luators is i s how the group group worked wo rked together together in reaching reac hing the the solution, and what role each individual member played.
Now that that you have a brief overview overvie w of how a group group typical typically ly forms forms and funct functions, ions, the the question is what role rol e should should you you play? pla y? Should Should you be the the strong leader? lea der? The meek wallflow wal lflower? er? Somewhere in the middle? Unfortun nfortunately ately,, there there’s ’s not always alw ays a clearcle ar-cut cut answer to that. that. A lot of it depends depe nds on what’s happening happe ning with wi th your gro group. up. In general terms, you must must be a contributing contri buting member of the group, and you must be fri friendl endly y and polite pol ite while w hile doi d oing ng it. You need need a good com co mbination bi nation of commun communic icatio ation, n,
timing, timing, and tac tact. t. Remember Remember the names names of the the peopl peo plee in your your group and use them. them. Listen is ten when other otherss speak spe ak and and look interested. Be an active activ e mem member ber of the the group, while maintaining maintaining a high high level lev el o courtesy at all times.
Be very carefu care full about abo ut interrupting members embers of the the group when they they are
speaking, and by “be careful” I mean don’t do it. Courtesy is easy ea sy,, right? right? You’re a polite pol ite person, per son, why is this even worth mentionin mentioning? g? Let’s give it a dry run and I’l I’lll show you how how I’ve seen s een applicants appli cants have have an issue iss ue with this. this. Try to to mentally mentally put yourself in the the group dynam dynamic ic setting, setting, and your your problem proble m is i s to nominate nominate a role model. You’ve though about this a lot (because that question is listed at the end of this section) and you really, really ant to to nominate nominate Ronald McDonald McDonald (picked (pi cked at random, random, he’s not not really real ly my my role model). model) . You like Ronald McDonald not just because of his snappy yellow jumpsuit, but because you think grown men that that dress like l ike clowns clow ns to to promote questionabl questionably y healthy food to chil children dren are great role rol e model models. s. Your group is going around the circle voicing their opinions, and it seems like it’s taking an eternity to get to you you (there (there are a re over ove r twenty people peop le in i n your your group, after after all) al l).. Now the gir girll across acr oss from you you in the the group is going goi ng on and on about abo ut Lady Gaga. You notic noticee one of the the HR observ obse rver erss is standing standi ng righ ri ghtt next next to you making notes notes,, only you haven’t said sa id any a nything thing yet. You can feel the tension tensi on starting star ting to to rise ri se and a nd butterflies butterflies start flapping flapping around around in the the pit of your your stom stomach. ach. You’re worried that you won’t be able to get your well-thought-out opinion about Ronald out there there,, and it seems like your your group is running running out of time. time. Now the butterflies butterflies have been replaced repl aced by a hot and prickly feeling all over your body because the opportunity for the HR reps to notice you is slippi sl ipping ng away aw ay.. The hot hot prickly pric kly feeling feeli ng starts giving givi ng way to panic, and then then,, almost without without you you reali rea lizing zing it, som s omethin ething g happe happens: ns: While the previously mentioned girl is describing Lady Gaga’s merits, you blurt out, “I think Ronald McDonald is a great role model because of everything he does for children!” You talk right over the the girl that that was speakin spea king. g. This would be a fail. You’ve gotten gotten your your opinion out there and contributed to the group, but it didn’t come out in a very courteous or polite
ay. ay. All this, this , despi des pite te the the fact that that you are ar e fundamentall fundamentally y a courteous courte ous person. per son. Don’t succumb succumb to the the pressure. It may not not seem like it right right now now while w hile you’re you’re sittin s itting g here here reading r eading this, this, but you you will feel the the pressure on Open Day. Day. Don’t Don’t under any circum circ umstan stances ces interrupt interrupt or override overri de other other group members. members. Be patient, wait wai t for for a lull l ull in the the discussio dis cussion, n, or for for your turn turn as they work wor k aroun aro und d the the group. Don’t force your opinion on the group at an inappropriate time. Then there there’s ’s the the obvious obvi ous question of, “should I just try to lead lea d the the group?” It’s an easy way to to get get notic noticed, ed, there’s there ’s no no doubt. Being Bei ng out in front leadi le ading ng the group can be a good or bad thing, thing, and there’s there’s not not really reall y much in-between. in-betw een. Stepping immedi immediately ately into into a leadership leade rship role of the group can easily give the impression of being pushy or bossy, which is not what you want to do. Likewise, ikewi se, if i f you’re you’re pushing your your opinion opi nion too too much much and and not allowing allow ing others to effectively effectivel y voice theirs, theirs, it sends an overbearing over bearing impressi impression. on. In an interview setting, there’s a general sense of tension, as everyone wants to be noticed for the the right reasons. rea sons. This can lead lea d to problems. prob lems. If you have two people peopl e in a group, each wanting to make an impres impressio sion n and and lead lea d the the group, you you have have a reci r ecipe pe for conf co nfrontation. rontation. Confrontation Confrontation in the the group dynam dynamic ic is i s som so mething ething you you absolut absol utely ely want wa nt to avoid. avoi d. I have have seen see n group group dynamic dynamic members members get drawn into heated discussions, each pushing their own agenda, and all they ultimately accomplished as ensuring e nsuring that that neither one of them moved ove d on. You’ve got a short timefra timefram me to come up with an opinion-based opi nion-based answer answe r to a questio question. n. Getting Getting drawn draw n into a confrontation confrontation over whether Pepsi is a bigger bigger brand that that Coke Coke will wil l not look good, good, nor nor will wi ll it i t help help you accomplis accomplish h your your goal of gettin getting g hired. There’s a flip side si de to that that coin, coi n, however. howeve r. There can be a case where NO ONE steps up to provide any direction to the the group, and it i t just flounders flounders around around accomplishing accomplishing nothin nothing. g. A situation situation like li ke this this doesn’t does n’t reflect well we ll on anyon anyonee in the the group, and everyone runs runs the risk of being cut. cut. Think Think o it like being on a sinking ship, with everyone sitting around staring at one another as the deck dips below the the waves. waves .
All it takes is one person pers on to say, say, “Hey, “Hey, maybe we better get on the the lifeboats li feboats before we all die!” Then, Then, suddenly, suddenly, the the group springs spr ings to action. actio n. Sometimes Sometimes it requires req uires one person pers on get the the ball bal l rolli rol ling ng,, and a simple statement statement can be enou e nough gh.. If your your group is going nowhere, you may have to be that that person. pers on. Here’s the the secret sec ret to group dynamics that most people don’t realize: being a good group leader doesn’t mean forcing the group to accept your opinion. opinion. Being a good group leader leade r means means guidi guiding ng the the group to effectivel effectively y form form its own ow n opinions, opi nions, which w hich may may or may may not not be the the same as yours. If you find yours yoursel elff in this situation, si tuation, make make a few statemen sta tements ts to put put your your group on the righ ri ghtt path, and then then let other members members contrib c ontribute. ute. Don’t force your agenda, and be open to what other members have to contribute. The polar pol ar opposite oppos ite of the the group leader lea der is the the wall wa llflowe flower. r. Wall Wallflow flowers ers don’t make any meaning eani ngful ful contributions contrib utions to the the dynamic dynamic,, and end up looking uneng unengaged aged and dull. dull . You can’t fade into i nto the background and not hel help p the the group achieve achie ve the solution. sol ution. By contribute, contri bute, I mean that that you must do more than just voting voting “yea” “yea” or o r “nay” for the the solution so lution your your group puts puts forward. forwa rd. At some some point poi nt,, you ill il l have to make make an intell intelligent igent statement statement with wi th supporting reasons reaso ns about your your opinion. opi nion. Be ready rea dy for for it, and make make it mor moree than a one-wor one-w ord d statem state ment. Try to engage engage other member memberss of the the group, use their names, names, smile at a t them them,, and maintain maintain eye contact. contact. Incor Incorpora porate te all the presentat pres entation ion aspects aspe cts we’ve we’ ve talked about with wi th the the mem members bers of your your group. group.
Pretend that that they they are your interviewe intervie wers, rs, because bec ause in a way
they they are. HR reps are obser o bserving ving every ever y aspect asp ect of your your intera interaction ction with one one another, another, and it’s it’s all al l part par t of the the interview interview.. If you’re you’re not leading lea ding the the group, group, you will wi ll have a chance to voice your opinion. Be patient, and don’t force it. i t. Your turn turn will wil l come, and and when it does, be ready r eady with a good good idea id ea and a wellwel lspoken point to win your your group mem member berss over. ove r. Even the the most most belli bel ligerent gerent leader is going goi ng to go around around the the table to solici sol icitt opinions at some some point poi nt.. Don’t let someone else’s else’ s actions actio ns affect affect your your game game plan. pla n.
Followi Foll owing ng is a list li st of example example questions from group dynam dynamic ic exercises exerci ses.. Your group dynamic dynamic questio q uestion n may come fro from m this list, li st, but it also MAY MAY NOT! Use this lis l istt to practi pr actice ce form for ming and presentin pres enting g your your opinion, but also be ready rea dy to to answer answe r a question q uestion that that is not listed li sted here. You may may already know what I’m going to say, but here it is, anyway: speak your answers and reasons out loud hen you practice pra ctice.. Thinkin Thinking g your your answer and saying your your answer answ er are a re two different things. things. -Pick a famous role model. -What is the world’s most iconic brand? -Pick one luxury brand that stands above the rest. -Apart from computers, PEDS/cell phones, what device changed the world? -Who was the world’s greatest leader? -What was the greatest scientific invention? -If you had to choose one medicine, what would it be? -What’s more important, sports or the arts? -What’s the greatest movie ever made? -What -What famous famous perso pe rson n inspires inspir es you the the most? most?
Points to t o remember -Interact with your group members the same way you would with your interviewers: be friendly, use your your sm s mile, il e, maintain eye contact, rem re member ember and use other’s other’ s names, names,
-Communicate effectively with your group using timing, tact, and well formulated statements.
-Be an active participant without being too pushy.
Yeas or nays As you may have gleaned from the topics leading up to this point, the yea or nay actually happens continually during the process. After the group dynamic, there will be another short break, after which all applicants will be given a white strip of paper indicating indica ting “Yes” “Yes” or “No.” All applica appl icant ntss are asked not to have have an emotional outburst in front of your peers after learning the result. I know know it seems se ems painfu pai nfull lly y obvio obv ious us righ ri ghtt now, but I’m just going to mention this because bec ause it has happened. Do NOT NOT leap into the the air and scream “Yes, “Yes, I knew knew it!” That seem see ms like li ke a no-brainer, no-brai ner, but you will be surprised at how emotionally invested you are in what is written on that tiny strip o hite paper. An outbu outburst rst seem se emss unli unlikely kely now, now, but it can happe happen n (and has has happened, happe ned, and I’m sure wil w illl happen again in the the future). future). Focus on staying in control and a nd not not showing showi ng a lot l ot of emotion emotion one way wa y or the the other. other. Similarly Similar ly,, if your your best friend from grade school sc hool also als o gets gets a “yea,” don’t do n’t engage engage in a frolicking celebration with them while you are in a public place. Enjoy the moment quietly quie tly if and when you are ar e success succe ssful. ful. Congratulate those you have shared the the day with wi th who have progresse pro gressed, d, even eve n if you you have have not. You just never never knowknow--that -that same same girl you bonded with w ith may may be interview intervi ewing ing you you when you you go go back bac k again again in a couple of years. The bottom line: act professi professionally onally at all times. times. Points to t o remember -Act magnan magnanimou imouss in i n victory, victor y, and gracious gracio us in defeat. defea t.
nglish comprehension and aptitude tests tests Engli English comprehe c omprehensi nsion on
If you’ve read this far, and understood most of it, your English comprehension is pretty good. Like it or not, English English is the univers universal al lang l anguag uagee of aviation. aviati on. You need need to have a high level lev el of proficiency reading readi ng,, writin wri ting, g, and speaking speaking Eng English. lis h.
The The HR reps will wil l be monitoring onitoring use and
comprehensi comprehension on of Engli English sh continu continuously ously duri during ng the the exercises exerci ses.. Engli English sh comprehension comprehension will wi ll be tested tes ted academicall aca demically y using the the TOEFL-TOEFL--Test Test of Engli English sh as a Foreign Forei gn Lang Languag uage. e. TOEFL was wa s originally ori ginally design desi gned ed as a means of ensuring Engli English sh language language proficie profi ciency ncy of nonnonnative students students trying to attend attend a unive universi rsity ty in the the U.S. U.S. In addition addi tion to univers universitie ities, s, the test has has since s ince been adopted by many businesses businesses and governm government agencies agencies to evaluate how well wel l a person comprehends comprehends the Engli English sh languag language. e. It was crea c reated ted in 1962 by a council council of representatives, repre sentatives, blah-bla bl ah-blahh blah… That’s That’s all great, but what does it mean to you? you? The test was wa s created cre ated to screen scr een people peopl e for hether hether or not they they could attend a unive universi rsity ty in English. English.
It was wa s created crea ted by academ acad emics ics,, for an
academic aca demic setting, setting, and is divided divid ed into four four sections. sectio ns. Emir Emirates ates typic typicall ally y only address addr esses es three three in their their screening: 1. Reading Typically ypical ly involves involv es reading rea ding several seve ral passages pass ages that that total aroun aro und d 700 words wor ds in length. length. The passages are academic-based topics sim s imilar ilar to what you would read in i n a text textbook. book. The The subject of the the passage is irrelevant; irre levant; you don’t have have to have any prior knowle knowledge dge of how how the the North Americ American an Shrew Shrew Lives in the Wild (for example). The answers to the questions that follow the passage are all contained in the the text text provide prov ided. d. After After readi r eading ng the the text, text, you will wi ll be b e asked questions about abo ut main ideas, ide as, details, detai ls, vocabular voc abulary y, infere inferences, nces, etc.
You will wi ll be given approximately approximately sixty to 100 minut minutes es to
complete this section. 2. Speaking There are two types types of tasks in the the speaking spe aking section: sec tion: independent and integrated. integrated. For independent tasks, speakers are evaluated on their ability to answer opinion questions on topics they are famil familiar iar with. w ith. In the the integrated integrated tasks, you will wi ll read re ad a short short passage, passa ge, listen li sten to an academ acad emic ic conversation on the same topic, then answer a question that requires you to combine the information from the the text and the the talk. Test es t taker takerss may may take take notes and then refer re fer back ba ck to those notes before be fore giving giv ing their their responses. res ponses. A test over this section secti on takes takes aroun aro und d twenty minutes. inutes. However, Howe ver, because beca use of the the large numbers involved on each Open Day, Emirates incorporates this along the way at all stages: question time, resume handover, group dynamics, one-on-one interview 3. Writing The writing wr iting section sec tion also als o contains independent and integrated integrated tasks. For the the independent task, you will wi ll wri w rite te an essay ess ay that that explains explai ns and and supports your your opinion opi nion on an issue. iss ue. The integrated integrated task will wi ll require you to read and then write a summary about the important points from the text and how they relate rel ate to the the passage. This section sectio n will wi ll take around fifty minutes. inutes. The bottom line li ne to all this this is that that you have to be proficie profi cient nt in reading, rea ding, writing, wr iting, under understanding standing,, and speaking Engli English. sh. This book is probably proba bly not not the the easiest easie st one for a non-native non-native English English speaker to read, rea d, but there there’s ’s a reason for that. that. If you run across acr oss passa pa ssages ges or concepts in here here that you don’t understand, don’t simply skip over them. This book is written w ritten in a conversational conversa tional tone tone for just that that reason. rea son. Look up words wor ds or phrases that you don’t unders understand. tand. You need to to be able to grasp the the meaning behind what is being written, just as you’ll need to communicate with the other members o your your groups in Engli English. sh.
If you can’t keep keep up with what’s what’s being bei ng said, sai d, it’s imposs impossibl iblee to be a
contributing member to the group. Watch Engli English sh language language televisio televi sion, n, listen li sten to Engli English sh talk-radio, talk-rad io, and read rea d some Engli English sh
newspapers newspa pers online. Most importantly importantly,, if English English is not the the primary languag languagee in your your area, area , use it as much as possi pos sibl ble. e.
Watching TV in Engli English sh is not the sam sa me as speaking spe aking it.
I know know trying to
communicate in a second language is not as much fun as simply listening to the new Rihanna song, or keeping up with Prince William and the royal family, but you’ve got to be up to speed on your English, there’s no simpler way to say it.
Points to t o remember -Your -Your English English proficiency profici ency will wi ll be evaluated ev aluated in multiple multiple ways w ays duri during ng the the screening scr eening process proc ess.. If you feel like there are areas that you need to work on, spend the time leading up to Open Day immersing yourse yourself lf in as much much Engli English sh language language media edi a as possible. possib le. And And practice! practic e! (I know know you’re you’re sick si ck of hearing me say that by now)
Aptitude and personality tests
Think of a general aptitude test (GAT) as a high school level evaluation of your math and readi re ading ng skills skil ls.. It’s not exactly exactl y an entra entrance nce exam for Oxford, but if you haven’t done any mathemati athematical cal story problems prob lems in a long time, time, it can be challeng chall enging ing.. You’ll be amazed at how how quickly q uickly you you forget forget algebra algebr a when you haven’t done it for for a few years. years . That being bei ng said, sai d, you don’t have have to be a rocket scie sc ientist. ntist. The company company just wants wa nts to to make make sure that you can ca n formula formulate te though thoughts ts and accom acco mplis pl ish h tasks ithout too much much difficulty di fficulty..
They want wa nt to know know that you can ca n work wo rk the the Duty Duty Free Fre e cart car t to to 350
passengers passengers and have have the the correct correc t amoun amountt of receipts recei pts and and money money when you are finished. finished. There are literal li terally ly a milli il lion on GAT GAT study study guide guidess and practice prac tice quizzes quizzes availab avai lable le online. The best way to to get up to speed for one one of these these is…wait is…wai t for for it… practice practi ce beforehand before hand . I could write an entirely separate book on studying for these tests because there’s such a ide range of topi topics cs to cover. cov er. You will wil l find many many,, many many study guide guidess and practice pra ctice tests online that ill do a much better job of helping you practice and prepare. After After the the knowle knowledge dge and application appli cation tests, there there will wil l be a personality perso nality inventory test. Here’s the the important thing thing to remember remember about taking taking personality personali ty tests: tests: be yourself yoursel f and answer honestly. honestly. One One sure way to screw up a personality assessment is by trying to give the answers you think they want.
These tests are specifically designed to weed out those types of answers and the people giving them. The big pictu pic ture re on how a personality pers onality test works wor ks is this: this: a company company want wa ntss an indicator indica tor o how an individual indivi dual will wil l behave in situations situations and interact with wi th those those aroun ar ound d them them.. Believe Beli eve it or not, not, personality tests have actu ac tually ally been shown to be a pretty effective effective indicator i ndicator,, and companies companies place a lot of weight on them. The company will typically look for an applicant that falls within a certain range of scores. For example example,, anyone anyone who scores scor es between betwe en 85-100 (these num numbers ber s are arbitra ar bitrary). ry). The num numbers ber s of the the score itself aren’t important, what matters to you is that there is a MIMIMUM and there can also be a MAXIM MAXIMU UM allowa all owable ble score sc ore to pass. pass . Someone Someone that that scores score s 80 is outside the range, range, the the same as someone that that scores 110.
What What does that that mean? mean?
importantly importantly,, follow follo w directions. directi ons.
Again, Again, don’t try to beat the the test, and more more
Most people peop le typical typically ly answer personality pers onality inventory questions
somewhere in the the midd middle le of the the road, roa d, which can ultimately ultimately hurt hurt your your score. scor e. If your your answers answe rs are ar e too ishy-washy, then you won’t make it to the minimum score. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about based on a question the company may consider a negative trait in in applicants for this position: Select a number between 1 and 5, with 1 being “very much like me” and 5 being “not at all like me” in response to the following statement: I like to sit alone by myself in a room for long periods of time. What What do you think think an appropri appr opriate ate response res ponse would be to that that question? Think Think of the the question in a big-picture perspective: perspe ctive: would w ould this this be a desirable desir able quality in someone someone that that has to present a warm war m, vibrant vib rant image image to the the general general public? publi c? Probably Proba bly not. not. Someone Someone that that answers answer s 1 (very much much like li ke me) ould have points detracted from their total score, while someone that answers 5 (very much like me) would have points added toward the total. Some applicants will over-think this question, “Well, I don’t really like to sit alone in my
room roo m, but there there are a re times when I do it. Like when I’m I’m sleepi sl eeping ng.. Maybe Maybe this question is trying to find find out if I’m lying or not? I’ll just put a 3.” An answer of 3, in this this particular parti cular example example,, is exactly in the the middle idd le of the the scale. scal e. When When the the test is scored, a middle scale answer won’t hurt you by detracting any points, but it won’t help you by adding addi ng any either. If all your answers are a re in the the middle iddl e of the the scale, scal e, especia espe ciall lly y to personality personali ty traits you obvio obv iously usly should have have,, you you won’t wo n’t meet ee t the minim ini mum scor sc ore. e. Have som so me convictio convi ction n in your your answers--don’t take the middle of the road for every response. After After these these tests, successful succes sful applica appl icant ntss will wi ll continue continue on to the the one on one interview. intervie w.
Points to t o remember -Unless you’re currently teaching a high school math and English class, do some online preparation for your GAT.
-Don’t -Do n’t try to beat bea t a personal per sonality ity test by giv giving ing the the answers answe rs you think think that that they they want. At the the same time, time, if you feel strong s trongly ly about a statement statement or question, then then make make sure it comes across acr oss in your your answers answ ers.. I you fail to answer with enough conviction, it can hurt your score.
dvanced group dynamic The total total number number of applicants appli cants has has thinned thinned out by this this point. p oint. The group group size si ze for the the second se cond dynam dynamic ic is i s typically typical ly around five five to eigh ei ghtt mem members bers.. Each mem member ber of o f the the group group will wi ll be given a paper pape r and pencil to make make notes notes about the the scenario. scenari o. The HR reps rep s will wi ll read r ead the scenario sce nario only ONCE, so pay attention attention and take take down as many many details detai ls as poss p ossibl ible. e. The time time for for this group group exercise exercis e is set se t at about twenty minutes, which adds to the pressure. What’s What’s happening happe ning in this group dynamic dynamic,, and what’s differe di fferent nt from the first fir st one? The scenario is designed to create some conflict among group members, as it can typically be a life and death situation situation (example (exampless follow this section). sec tion). There is a need need to compre comprehen hend d the the situation dictated dic tated in English, English, follow directio dir ections, ns, take take notes, notes, and adhere to a strict timeli timeline. ne. Last, but not least, lea st, is the ever-present observation and evaluation on how you interact with the respective member of your group. As with wi th the the previous pre vious exercise, exerci se, be on your your best bes t behavior behavio r at all times. times. Don’t interrupt other other group mem member bers, s, even eve n if you don’t agree with wi th what their their saying. saying. Let mem members bers voice voi ce their positions, pos itions, then then voice yours. yours. Use good body b ody languag language, e, smile, and maintain maintain eye contact with all member memberss in the group when you speak. With this this scenario, scenari o, again, there there is no righ ri ghtt or wrong wr ong answer. The HR reps rep s are more focused on whether you comprehend the situation, how the dynamics of your group develop, how you work together through the problem, and how you reach the resolution. This exercise exerci se is more structured structured and requires requir es more cooperatio coope ration n among among the the member embers. s. In exercises like this, there are several different roles that members fall into within the group: -Group leader -Note taker
-Time keeper -Member By group member, I’m referr re ferring ing to a member of the group that doesn’t doe sn’t perform per form any of the other specific functions functions listed. lis ted. Member Memberss contri contribut butee to the the group, group, add their their view vi ewpoi point nts, s, but don’t necessari necess arily ly drive driv e the the directio dir ection n of the the group group or take the the notes. There is nothing nothing wrong wr ong with wi th being bei ng a good contributing member, so don’t feel like you have to forge ahead and be the leader, especially if you’re not comfortable or used to that role. As far as being the the leader, we’ve we’v e discussed the the positive and negative negative aspects of that that previou previo usly, and and the the same same rules apply here. here. Note taker (or record rec ord keeper) will wi ll be a required req uired position posi tion here. You You may have to come up ith a list of items items An An exam example ple is i s things things you you want to have have on a deserted dese rted island. is land. Someone Someone will wi ll have to step forw forward ard to take these these notes. notes. This is a good good position positi on to be in: it shows some initiative initiativ e in taking on the workload, and allows you to sit back and listen to all the group members while still contributing in the the form of taking taking accurate notes. Operative Opera tive word wor d there there being be ing “accurate.” “acc urate.” Don’t say that that you want to be the the note taker and a nd then then take all the the wrong w rong notes. notes. That doesn’t look l ook good. Time Keeper is another another valuable val uable position. posi tion. You’ve You’ve got twenty minutes inutes to work wo rk through through this this problem proble m. That That may sound sound like a lot when you’re you’re sitting sitting here readin readi ng this, this, but it goes by quickly quickly,, I assure ass ure you. you. If you don’t have have a member member of o f your your group specificall specific ally y assigned to watch the the clock, I can almost guarantee guarantee you’ll you’ll reach rea ch the the time limit and and not have have the entire solut sol ution. ion. Someone Someone needs to keep the the group on trac track k and and with wi thin in the the lim li mit. Like being bei ng the the note taker, taker, this this is a good position pos ition to volun vol unteer teer for. It’s im i mportant por tant and easy at the same same time. Just don’t forget forget to actually watch actually watch the clock. Some peopl peo plee in the group may assum as sumee more or e than one role ro le.. Som So metimes the person per son taking the notes also ends up being the leader, and that’s fine provided that you’re not trying to “do everything yourse yourself.” lf.” If there there is i s a void voi d for one of the the positions posi tions and no no one steps in to fil filll it, you’d you’d better, be tter, because
a floundering group is just as bad as a confrontational one. Here’s a personal pers onal example example:: I was wa s being bei ng observed obse rved in a group dynam dynamic, ic, exactly like li ke the the one you’re you’re going to be doing doi ng.. I had had a clea c learr game game plan pl an in my my head head of o f how how I wanted w anted to handle handle it, i t, and it was all the the advice advi ce I’ve just j ust given you. you. The one one thing thing I did not want to do was forge ahead and be the the leader, because I felt like that was too high visibility, and I didn’t want the liability that came along ith it (if the members of your group are totally dysfunctional, you’re the leader of a dysfunctional group, and that’s that). Our Our problem prob lem was to pick pic k an astronau astro nautt for a missio is sion n from a list li st of candidates candida tes (not a problem prob lem you will wi ll get, but sim si milar il ar in i n nature) nature).. We were we re given a long list li st of all the requirements requirements the the candidate, candida te, and told that only one one candidate candid ate out of eight met all those those require r equirem ments. Our Our job j ob was w as to figure figure out hich applica appl icant nt was the correct correc t choice. They handed handed out papers, pape rs, each eac h paper pape r had had the the profile profil e of an astronau astro nautt applicant appli cant and and some (but not all) all ) of the the requiremen re quirements ts for the the miss mission. ion. The point of the the exercise was to see if a group of strangers strangers could work w ork effectively effectively as a group, pool all al l the the inf i nform ormation ation e had together together,, and come come up with the the correc cor rectt solution. All in i n twenty minutes. inutes. After After the HR reps rep s handed handed out the the papers, paper s, everyon ever yonee started quietly reading their theirs, s, with wi thout out saying a word. wor d. I finished reading mine and put it down on the table, folding my hands on the paper, and waited for the others. I decided long before going into this exercise that I wasn’t going to jump out in front of the firing firing squad and be the first fir st perso per son n to say something. something. I didn’t want wa nt to come of as that pushy guy guy that needs to be in i n charge. charge. So I sat there there quietly waiting wai ting,, and I watched as each eac h mem member ber of o f the the group group finished reading and set their paper down on the table, just like me, and then said nothing. I was wa s litera li terall lly y scre sc reaming aming inside insi de my my head, “COME ON! SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!” SOMETHING!” The clock clo ck was ticking…we ticking…we were we re almost five minutes inutes into the the exercise exerci se by now…and no one in the group had said one word to anyone else. As much as I didn’t want wa nt to be the the one to start, our group was going nowhere, and that that wasn’t was n’t
a good situation. So I jumped on the hand grenade and said, “How about we go around the table and everyone can list what they have for the astronaut requirements?” That was wa s all al l it took, just like the the sink si nking ing ship example example I gave you a little li ttle while ago. a go. One One sentence and everyon ever yonee jum j umped ped on o n board. A guy guy faci facing ng the the clock cl ock volunteer volunteered ed to watch w atch the the time, and he he gave us notifications every five minutes. The person at the head of the table started reading from their sheet. I said sai d I would keep the the notes, notes, again because beca use no no one one was volun vol unteeri teering ng to do so. We worked wor ked through the problem and came up with a solution right at the twenty minute mark. I still to this this day da y don’t know know if we picked pic ked the the right right candid candidate. ate. They told us there there was w as only one right answ answer, er, and my my gut gut feeling feeli ng at the the time was that that we hadn’t hadn’t picked pic ked the the righ ri ghtt one. As we’ve we ’ve discussed with group dynamics in interview settings, the answer itself isn’t as important as the method that that you use to arrive arr ive at it. Incid Incidentally entally,, the the only two people peo ple that that advanced adva nced from that that group group ere myself and the timekeepe timekeeper. r. After After this this group exercise, exerci se, applica appl icant ntss continuing continuing on to the the next next phase will wi ll be notifie notified. d. You’re You’re close, but not quite done by this stage. Make sure previous rules for notification apply. Here Her e are ar e som so me example scenar sc enario ioss from the advanced adv anced group dynamic dynamic.. You You might not get something exactly as listed, but it will almost undoubtedly be similar: -You -You all wash w ash up up on a small small lush tropi tropical cal dese d eserted rted island is land in the the midd middle le of the the Pacific Paci fic Ocean. You ill il l not be saved sa ved for one month month.. Choose one item to have have with w ith you you from the the followi foll owing ng three three:: canopy ca nopy,, fishing rod, or water w ater purification purific ation kit. kit. Discuss Disc uss and delive del iverr the the answer in i n twenty minutes. inutes.
-You were staying at a remote cabin in northern Finland during the winter (why would you do that?), but unf unfortu ortunat nately ely for you, you, it has burned down. The The airplane ai rplane that picks picks you up up is i s not due due back bac k for for two eeks, and a major storm is moving into your area.
You must must make make a physi physica call lly y dema nding five-d five -day ay trek to safety. safety. You have have full winter wi nter gear and a nd tents, tents, ample ample water w ater with w ith the the snow snow and stream strea ms, and a small small gas flamed flamed cookin coo king g stove. stove. You are the the leader le aderss of the the group. You can only only choose one of two food packs pac ks to take: take: low lo w fat granola bars bar s or vacuum packed meat. meat. Half of your your group group does not eat meat meat for religiou reli giouss reasons. re asons. Food pack choices are only ust enough enough for the five day duration of your trip. tri p. Pick Pi ck one.
-Your -Your group is in i n a life li fe raft after your yacht has has sun s unk. k. You are in i n the the mid middl dlee of the the Indian Ocean. Ocea n. There are twenty-two items in the raft, and you can only pick 15 to help you survive (There are various items, all relevant to survival).
-You -You are starting s tarting a colony colo ny on a new new planet. pl anet. There are ten other colonies on the the same planet. pla net. An assembly ass embly has been arranged where each colony will wi ll be repr r eprese esent nted ed by a leader. lea der. Your leader leade r must must be smart, strong, articulate, and will need to work well with the other leaders to achieve your colony's objective. Elect a leader. leader .
Points to t o remember -You -You must must partici parti cipate pate in i n the gro group up exercise exerci se.. You don’t HAVE to be the leader, lead er, timekeeper, timekeepe r, or notetaker, but you must make a meaningful contribution.
-All the rules from previous prev ious exercises exercis es apply: appl y: while whil e making making your your contributions, you you must be polite, pol ite, friendly, and well spoken.
One on one interview Welcome to the final hurdle in your quest to become a cabin crew member with Emirates. This particular parti cular event e vent causes a lot of anxiety anxiety,, but it shouldn’t. shouldn’t. You should should be excited about a bout this this interview. intervi ew. You don’t have have to navi navigate gate the the intricacies intricac ies of o f group group intera interaction ction or do problem probl em solving sol ving anymor anymore. e. You don’t have have to sit si t down in front of a computer computer and try to rem re member the Pythagorea Pythagorean n theore theorem m. All you have to do now is have have a conversation convers ation about how much much you’d you’d like li ke to be a cabin cabi n crew member. If you’ve made it to this point, then you are meeting and interacting with people effectively. This event shouldn’t shouldn’t be any different. All the previous previ ous rules of presentation pre sentation and and common common courtesy continue to to apply appl y. Don’t change change what you’r you’ree doing doi ng (it’s (i t’s obvio obv iously usly working wor king), ), but don’t make make the the assum ass umption ption that that the the job jo b is in the the bag, eith ei ther. er. All the time time and effort you’ve you’ve invested in the the proces pr ocesss has served to get you to this singular event, the chance to sit down personally with an HR representative and show them that you are ar e the the perso per son n they want. wa nt. If you need a target for your interview intervi ew per p erformance formance to peak at, it’s during this one-on-one interview. This is where it should all come together: together: good solid sol id handshake, handshake, confident demeanor, demeanor, consistent eye contact, and courteous and well-spoken interactions. Presentation Pres entation aspects aspe cts aside, asi de, let’s talk about how to prepare pre pare for this this interview intervi ew and the the questions that that you’ll you’ll be asked. There are typic typicall ally y some core questions questio ns interviewe intervie wers rs will wi ll ask, as k, but the the real re ality ity is that they can ask anything anything that pops pop s into thei theirr head. The questions questio ns can range from, “Why “Why do you want wa nt to live in Dubai Dubai?” ?” to “If you you were an a n animal, animal, what would you be?” The important important thing thing about answering these questions is to know beforehand that there is no way to prepare an answer for each and every question they t hey may ask. Wait, if I can’t prepare and answer, what good is this stupid book I’m reading?
Here’s the the good news: you don’t have to prepar pre paree for each and every ever y answer, you just need to have a framework in place for how to answer questions. The elements for having an effective framew framework ork in place is i s everyt ever ything hing we’ve we’ ve talked about abo ut up to to now. If you have been practici prac ticing ng,, and by practicing I mean physical physically ly verbalizin verbal izing g answers to questions, questions, your your framework framework of skills will wil l be ready rea dy.. Consider this phase of this this interview intervi ew just like sitting down dow n and havi having ng a conversation conversa tion with wi th someone at a coffee shop. Your demeanor demeanor should be one of relaxed rel axed professionali profess ionalism. sm. I know know you you want this this job j ob very ver y much. They k They know now you you want this this job j ob very ver y much. uch. You want to avoid acting a cting despera desp erate, te, howe however. ver. Act like you would love to have the job (which you do, of course), but you have to also act like not getting the job isn’t the end of the world. There There are two core styles styles an interview interviewer er can adopt (every other other intervie interview w tactic is a variati var iation on of these these two themes) themes):: friendly friendl y interview intervie w or conf c onfrontational rontational interview. intervie w. You need need to be ready rea dy for either e ither or both of them them.. Friendly Frie ndly interviewer intervie werss are very ver y warm, wa rm, calm cal m, and and casual, which seems seems nice nice.. This is the the type type of interview interview most people prefer pr efer,, if given given the the choice. Don’t Don’t allow an interviewer interviewer ’s casual demeanor demeanor to disarm disar m you and draw you in to acting casual, casual , as well. well .
If an interviewe intervi ewerr talks or acts with
informali informality ty that that doesn’t does n’t mean mean you can. This method method is designed de signed to do exactly that, that, see if they they can make you you relax rela x and and draw dra w you in to to behaving behavi ng unprofes unprofessio sionally nally.. Don’t allow them them to change change the the way w ay you perform per form in your your interv interview. iew. Intervi Interview ew professionali profess ionalism sm rules always apply, always apply, all the way until you leave the building. Then you have the the confrontational confrontational interview. intervie w. A confrontational confrontational interview intervi ew is not meant to make you you feel feel comfortabl comfortable, e, just j ust the the opposite. opposi te. They are tryin tr ying g to to rattle ra ttle you and see if i f they they can throw throw you off your your gam game. e. The interviewe intervi ewerr ’s demeanor demeanor will wi ll not be friendly, friendly, just just coolly cool ly professio profes sional. nal. Their questions will be similar to, “Why should we hire you?” and “What do you have the someone else
doesn’t?” does n’t?” Don’t worry wor ry if your your interviewe intervi ewerr doesn’t does n’t act friendly, friendly, but don’t under under any circum cir cumstances stances allow all ow that to to cause you to not not act friendly. friendly. Remem Remember ber the job you’re applying app lying for: not every person pers on you deal with is going to be pleasant, but you have to present the same happy, vibrant face to everyon ever yone. e. That is the point of the the confrontational confrontational interv interview iew:: Can you keep your your composure composure under under pressure? Make Make sure you you do, and make make sure sure you are smiling even if your interviewe interviewerr is not. You want wa nt to be friendly, outgoing, outgoing, and conversational, convers ational, while whil e still stil l lim li miting your your answers answer s to an appropri appr opriate ate length length.. Focus on formulating formulating your your answers answe rs to these these questions questio ns as if you were we re writi w riting ng a short essay essa y. Give the thesi thesiss statement, statement, which is essentiall ess entially y re-stating re- stating the the question you’ve you’ve been bee n asked, then then give give two or three three supporting statements, statements, at the the most. most. Keep your statements statements direct dire ct and to the the point. point. You’ll want w ant to have have done some research resea rch for the the one-on-one interv interview. iew. They’r They’ree going to ask you why you you want to to work wo rk for this this particular par ticular airli air line. ne. You should should have som s omee knowl knowledge edge of its history histor y, and where wher e it’s going in the the future. future. You can find all this i nfor nform mation atio n on the company’s company’s Web Web site s ite,, and you should have a thorough thorough knowl knowledge edge of the the company itself itsel f prior to the the interview. intervi ew. Read about ab out its history, history, and and look through through recent rec ent press pre ss release rel eases. s. Companies Companies genera generall lly y publish publis h press pre ss releas rel eases es about events eve nts they’re they’re pro p roud ud of, and if you read re ad som so mething sign si gnifi ificant, cant, make make a note of it. If the company company just ordere ord ered d 100 new new jets, je ts, that that is a good good reason reas on to want to join. joi n. If they they just posted recordrec ord-bre breaking aking profits, again, again, anoth another er good reason to to join. You’re applyin appl ying g for a job that that will wi ll require req uire you to live li ve as an expatriate, most likely li kely in Dubai Dubai.. There will wi ll be b e some questions on how you feel about ab out that. that. You should should have a working w orking knowl knowledge edge of the the region, the the United United Arab Emirates, and Dubai in particular. partic ular. There are many social soci al and a nd economic economic advantages to living and working in the UAE, so have a list in your head of what those advantages are because they they will come up. up. Sometimes Sometimes individuals indivi duals can have a hard time time living li ving and workin wor king g overseas over seas,, particular par ticularly ly i you’re you’re from fro m a tight tight (close) (clos e) famil family y A popular line li ne of questioning is how you will wi ll cope c ope with w ith living livi ng
away from your family, so you’ll want to have convincing reasons for why this won’t be an issue for you. If you do a little research into the subject areas above, the rest is just having a spontaneous conversation. convers ation. The most important aspect aspe ct with wi th these these answers answer s is not to script scr ipt a response. res ponse. When When someone has a scripted scr ipted response res ponse to a particular partic ular question, it is obvious. obv ious. You can (and should) have have some ideas about the direction you want to go with a particular answers, but it should be more of a rough outline than than a scri s cript. pt. Here is a list li st of questions you can use to prepare prep are.. Again, don’t have a scripted scr ipted answer answe r to any of these; your answer should be slightly different each time (as it would in a normal convers conve rsatio ation). n). Use this lis l istt to to get an idea of o f the the impor important tant element el ementss that you want wa nt to touch touch on in your your answers. answe rs. Have a roug ro ugh h outline in your your head of points you you want to cover. cover . -Why do you want to work for XXX Airlines? -Why do you want to be a cabin crew member? -How do you feel about living overseas? -How will you deal with living away from your family? -Who is your role model? -Will you enjoy living in Dubai? -What do you know about Dubai? -What is a burka? -What does your family think about this? -What do you think the most difficult part the job is? -Have you ever shared an apartment with a stranger? -Have you ever worked shift hours? -What is your strongest/weakest point? -What is Ramadan?
-Do you know the difference between an Airbus and a Boeing? -Do you have any friends at Emirates? -Where have you travelled in your life? -Tell me about your educational background. -Where do you see yourself in three, five, ten years time? -Do you have any fam famil ily y mem members bers currently employed employed in aviation? avi ation? Points to t o remember -If you’ve you’ve made it this far, far , don’t do n’t change change what you’ve you’ve been doing doi ng.. You’re interview intervi ewer er may may be fri friendly endly,, or they they may may not. not.
Maintain Maintain your your professional professi onal presentat pres entation ion
regardless of the feedback you’re getting.
-Review -Revi ew facts about abo ut the the United United Arab Emir Emirates, ates, Dubai, and Emir Emirates ates prior pri or to your your interview. intervi ew. You ill use these facts when formulating your answers.
-Don’t try try to to mem memori orize ze a scripted scrip ted answer for int i ntervi erview ew questions. questi ons. Have an idea of what you you want to say, say, but don’t mem memori orize ze a script scr ipt to say it. conversational.
Your answers shou s hould ld be sem se mi-spontaneou i- spontaneouss and
Closing the interview By this point in the process, you may feel like you’ve just run a marathon uphill while pushing a boulder. The finish finish line is in sight; sight; don’t jeopardize jeopar dize all your your hard work wor k by quitting quitting too early earl y. When When your interviewer thanks you, don’t just stand up, mumble thanks under your breath, and stumble out o the the room. Closing Clos ing the the interview intervie w is just j ust as important as everyth eve rything ing else. els e. A standard interview courtesy is for the person evaluating you to ask if you have any questions at the the end end of the the process. proces s. Having a (Good!) question in mind mind is a good idea, idea , as it can show insight and involvement involvement on your your part. par t. Good questions are typically typical ly ones ones involving invol ving the the company company, recent rec ent press pre ss relea re leases ses,, hir hiring ing projectio proj ections, ns, that that kind of thing thing.. Some Some very general general exam e xample ples: s: -I noticed the company placed a large order for new aircraft, is that to accommodate expansion or to replace older aircraft? aircraft? How many cabin crewmembers do you anticipate hiring this year?
-Typically how long would it take to reach the position of purser?
-Are there opportunities to branch out into other departments within Emirates?
-Are there specific spe cific sport s port activity clubs active in Dubai, Dubai, i.e., saili s ailing ng,, cycling, cycling, windsu w indsurfing rfing,, etc?
-Are there any plans for Emirates to expand/start service to this country?
Bad questions are controversial subjects, anything that has been covered in detail previously in a prior presentation, personal interests, or anything that gives the impression that you don’t unders understand tand your your role rol e in the the big pictu pic ture re of the organization. organization. Don’t ask if there there’s ’s political poli tical unres unrestt in the the
Middle East, if Dubai is dangerous, or if Emirates anticipates being in business two years from now. Aside from asking a question if offered, there there is an old tried and true sales sal es technique technique that that says at the the end of your your presentation, ask for the the business. This whole interview intervie w process proc ess has been your presentation, so take a moment at the close to tell your interviewer how much you would enjoy orking for their their company company. Again, Again, don’t come come across acr oss as a s despera desp erate te or begging begging for for the job, but a sim si mple statement statement saying saying the the com co mpany is something something you you would enjoy e njoy being part of is suf s ufficie ficient nt.. Close your interview with a firm handshake, good eye contact, and a solid and sincere thank-you. Now comes comes the the hard part: waitin wai ting g for your results. Most applicants appl icants are told to wait wai t a minimum of fourtee fourteen n days. Some wait wa it up up to six si x weeks we eks to lear le arn n their results re sults.. Waiting ai ting is no fun fun,, but there there’s ’s no way around it. Making Making it thou though gh the the entire int i ntervi erview ew process proc ess is an accomplishm accomplis hment ent in and of itself.
hysicals I’ve mentioned a couple of times that there will be two physical examinations: one in your home country and one in Dubai Dubai.. You’re ou’r e not goi going ng to be able ab le to hide hid e anything anything in the the final and more thoroug thoro ugh h examination. examination. What What that that means means is: is : don’t do n’t lie about a bout somethin something g that that would disqualify dis qualify you, you, because they ill il l find out about it. Just because you’ve com co me all al l the way to UAE, UAE, don’t think think they they’r ’ree going to overl ove rlook ook the the snake tattoo on your nec neck k that you cover cov ered ed up with makeup makeup in the asse as sess ssm ment. They on’t, and and you’l you’lll be on a plane back bac k home. home. Honesty is the best policy. poli cy.
One aspect of the physical is a drug screen, so consider this: when you are leaving your home to go live and work in Dubai, all your friends are going to want to go out and have one last good time before you leave. leav e. Just don’t have TOO good a time. time. You will wi ll be drug screened during during your your initial physical physical and AGAI AGAIN N when you arrive arri ve in Dubai. Dubai.
It is a mandatory andatory requirement requirement from the the Civil
Aviation Authorities of the UAE that all new crew members be tested again when they initiate reside res idency ncy.. Don’t throw throw away aw ay your your opportu oppor tunity nity by doing something something stupid before you leave to start star t your your new career. car eer. You will wil l be drug dr ug screened scr eened during your your medi medical cal when you you arrive arri ve in Dubai Dubai,, keep that that in mind when saying your goodbyes.
Conclusion We’ve e’v e reached rea ched the the end. I know know we’ve we ’ve cover c overed ed a lot l ot of ground, ground, and and your your head may may be swimm sw imming ing a bit with all that it takes takes to to be succe successful ssful in a cabin crew interview. intervi ew. That’s That’s OK. OK. Give yourself some time to process all the information here, then revisit this book as your Open Day draws near. The most important fact you can remember is this: there is no one aspect, no silver bullet, and no no trick tric k you you can use use to fool your interv interview iewers ers into hir hiring ing you. you. To be a successful s uccessful applica appl icant nt,, you must repr re pres esent ent the “total package.” pa ckage.” Try not to focus on one area we’ve covered here, and instead focus on combining everything together together.. If your your resum re sumee is perfect p erfect but your your suit looks terrible terri ble,, you on’t get get the the job. The opposite oppos ite is also al so true: a grea greatt looking suit and and terrible terri ble paperw pa perwork ork aren’t a good good combination. Emir Emirates ates is looking for the the perfect per fect combination of all the aspects we’ve we’ ve covered cover ed in their cabin crew, and they have a huge applicant pool to draw from. Take the the time time and effort to show up as prepare prep ared d as you can. That’s That’s the the best anyone anyone can do. If you’ve given 100% of the effort you can to get this job, then you’ll sleep well at night know you’ve done everything eve rything you can. Good luck in your efforts. efforts . If this this is reall rea lly y what you want wa nt to do, never give up chasing the the dream drea m. Believe Beli eve me, it’s worth wor th it. See you on board. boar d.
