How I (And My Lovely Friends) Became Flight Attendants - Part TWO
Hey, y'all!
First of all, let me start by saying "THANK YOU" to every single person who read, shared, liked, commented, tweeted, retweeted, made an Instagram post, etc. You guys are seriously amazing and I had no idea that this series would get that much attention in just the very first post.
**Do NOT read this post in Reader View. It'll get kind of strange looking, and words will be chopped out. Read it the original way that it looks onto your computer and/or smart phone. Also, simply zoom in if the font is too small for personal liking. I hope this helps! :)**
But seriously, shout out to all 3,682 (that was the number that I saw on July 31 around 6pm when I began to draft this post) of you who read it. When I first decided to make this post, I didn't consider how large the audience could be, or even fully think through each part of the series. I had a general idea of how I wanted each post to go, but I was more so in the mindset of just kind of just letting it be a freestyle type post. But once the audience quickly grew, I realized that I should add more detail so that I could make this series as helpful and inspirational as possible! Because I seriously want every person who reads it to be successful in some way in this industry!
A lot of people complimented my writing style and story telling aspect and how inspiring the post is due to the conversation feel of it-some even personally messaging me saying they had no idea I was into writing (which, that part was a little funny because everyone that comes into contact with me should know I love to read and write). So much that I decided to sell my soul to my university in exchange for the money needed to pay for it. Ha! (I am kidding. But seriously, college ain't cheap y'all!)
Anyway, it kind of reminded me to take a step back and introduce myself.
My name is Taylor, and I'm the owner/author of this blog, the website "mostlylately.com", and the domain itself. I have a Bachelors of Art and a Bachelors of Science in two different fields, but what's most important to me is my Bachelor's degree in English: Rhetoric and Professional Writing. So, I obviously love to write. I am currently getting my Master's in Rhetoric and The American Language and Professional Writing. I also manage to balance all of this nicely while being a Flight Attendant for an amazing airline. I love my job, and I love the everyday experiences.
After posting Part One, I received a ton of questions and messages. I grabbed general themes from the questions and tried to channel those into more posts. The biggest question trend was my interview length and process. As I stated in the last post, everyone's interview process and timeline of events is extremely different. There is no set amount of time that anyone is granted to hear back from the airline, and not everyone is applying for the airline that I work for. I also try to not associate these blog posts with my particular airline because again, every process is different, and I'm sure my airline changes how the interview process goes each time around. Also the views and posts in this blog are not the views of my airline.
So, let's jump into it!
For this post, I messaged a few good friends and some awesome people I've met along this journey. I asked them about their interview process and life before flying. I did this to give a better understanding on how everyone's process is different.
Phylicia (roommate from training)'s process:
Phylicia was in my training class, and she was my roommate during training. The training process will be in part four and I'll further discuss hotel level for two months with a complete stranger. I've grown to be extremely close friends with Phylicia, and I'm so thankful! Phylicia is now ATL based-former DTW base.
-Name: Phylicia-When did I apply? March 2015
-Was it your first or multiple attempt? First
-What was your job/occupation at the time of applying? Gate agent for *our airline* and a senior in college
-How long did it take for you to hear back after applying? It took a week after my original submission of my application to hear back from someone
-Was your video interview hard or easy? Now that I think about it, my video was easy. I was more nervous than anything, but the questions were direct and clear.
-Was your face-to-face interview hard or easy? My face to face was easy because I [entered into it] with confidence. I acknowledged everyone and made sure I used my interview etiquette that I learned in business school.
-What did you wear to your face-to-face, if you can remember? I wore a black suit with a lavender button up. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and my makeup was simple and natural. I also wore pearl earrings to compliment the lavender.
-How long after were you invited to training/receive training dates? I was [offered a conditional job offer] and invited to training the day of my Face to Face interview
Sam's Process:
Sam has been a flight attendant for almost two years, and I met her while flying with her on her first trip as a flight leader. Of course, she did an amazing job as flight leader. Sam and I are great friends to this day. I can definitely see why she was offered the job. Sam is based in DTW.
-Name: Samantha-When did I apply? Fall 2014 (interview also around this time)
-When was your interview? "I think it was September"
-Was it your first or multiple attempt? First attempt
-What was your job/occupation at the time of applying? Server
-How long did it take for you to hear back after applying? 2-3 weeks after applying
-Was your video interview hard or easy? Easy!
-Was your face-to-face interview hard or easy? [way] harder; You see all of the competition and they ask tougher, [more detailed] questions. Also, it is a really long day and you have to be conscrious of everything you do [and say] because they're always watching [you] throughout the interview.
-What did you wear to your face-to-face, if you can remember? I wore pants, a pink blouse, and a black jacket with nude heels.
-How long after were you invited to training/receive training dates? I was offered a conditional job offer at the interview, and I heard back about training 3-4 months later.
Diamond's Process
This sweet girl gave an extremely detailed response to the questions. So, I'll just copy over what she said to make life a little easier for myself.
Diamond's interview was in February 2015, and she has been a flight attendant for a little over a year. She was in my training class with me, and I'm so happy that I met her.
Diamond is based in NYC, where she's from. She was originally DTW based.
I applied to Delta for the first time in February 2015. At the time I was in college working retail until one day I just decided I wasn't going back anymore (but of course I needed a job). My best friend gave me the suggestion. [She asked] "why don't you apply to flight attendant positions?" Off a whim I applied & didn't think I'd get it. In a couple of days I got an email directing me to do a video interview. I nervously got half dressed in a blazer and pajama shorts and conducted the interview. I know I had to look weird because this was such an awkward concept to me. I felt like I was talking to myself. As awkward as it felt I can honestly say the questions were fairly easy to me, basic interview questions. In a few days while I was in one of my evening classes I got a call from a strange number. When I stepped out to answer it, a woman asked me was I still interested in pursuing a career with Delta Airlines as I expressed my interest she went on to ask me two basic personal questions. Once I was done answering she then said she wanted to offer me an opportunity to interview face to face in Atlanta. I gladly accepted, not knowing much of anything. How was I going to get to Atlanta (at the time I couldn't afford a monthly metro card nonetheless a plane ticket), where would I stay, what awaited me at this F2F. But again I took my chances & everything moved so fast it's almost a blur. I was literally just going through the motions honestly thinking I wasn't going to get the job but that it would be a great learning experience. On the day of my actual F2F I wore a smart gray suit with a cream colored blouse under. I figured that wearing blue (one of deltas colors) wasn't a good idea. I'm pretty glad at my choice now because I was literally one of the only two people in a color other than navy blue. The F2F was a [three] step process, and of course I had googled my life away about what it would be like. The biggest take away was just to follow directions and I did just that. I didn't force myself into conversations, I was rather genuine and at some moments quiet and to myself. At the close of the interview I was offered the job on the spot. I was taken to fill out some HR paperwork and when I got back to New York I did my finger prints and background check. However I didn't start training until May because of difficulties with background checks {Don't worry, y'all. Diamond is one of THE sweetest humans I've ever met. I assume her background check had issues because of the company that processed it. Same with mine(Taylor)-they could't find my HS on file to get my transcripts. That delayed me a little}. Some of my old places of employment shut down or changed names so it got a little fuzzy. But everything worked out because I was able to finish my semester and go to training.
Sarah's Process
I recently met Sarah on my birthday trip in Amsterdam. Actually, she's pictured in the previous posts I believe. She is absolutely hilarious and so sweet, and I'm so happy that she's a flight attendant! Thanks for looking out for me on my birthday and any time after, girl!
Name: Sarah (Sah)
Base City: NYC
-When did I apply? April 2014-Was it your first or multiple attempt? First-What was your job/occupation at the time of applying? Unemployed/laid off-How long did it take for you to hear back after applying? Two weeks-Was your video interview hard or easy? It was a different experience for me because I had never done that before, but I wouldn't say it was hard. I felt prepared for my F2F [after I did my video]-Was your face-to-face interview hard or easy? It was easy for me because my interviewers made me feel so comfortable. I felt like I could be myself which is why I feel like I got the job.-What did you wear to your face-to-face, if you can remember? I wore a black skirt, a blouse, and a blazer.-How long after were you invited to training/receive training dates? I was [offered a conditional job offer] that same day, May 6. I received my training date by that July of 2014.Ashlee's Process:Ashlee has been a flight attendant for two years. I met Ashley when she was jumpseating/commuting on my flight to Atlanta, where she was originally based. Actually, that's wrong. I met Ashley when I was commuting to my base. I met her the second time when she was commuting to Atlanta! Funny how life works. She is an amazing friend as well!-Name: Ashlee-When did I apply? Mid-April 2014-Was it your first or multiple attempt? First-What was your job/occupation at the time of applying? College Senior-How long did it take for you to hear back after applying? Just shy of two weeks-Was your video interview hard or easy? Easy. But I also practiced [for the video interview]-Was your face-to-face interview hard or easy? Challenging [because of the] questions. However, [it was a] comfortable setting-What did you wear to your face-to-face, if you can remember? Black pants suit. White collared button up and black heels.-How long after were you invited to training/receive training dates? I was [offered a conditional job offer] on the spot. Started training four months [after my interview]So, as I said earlier. These are different friends of mine's processes and timelines. I did this to give a better understanding to the face that each of us experienced different things. What I can say for all of us, though, is the fact that our processes went rather quickly. I do know of a few flight attendants who got the job offer after multiple attempts, and didn't hear back about training until six months to a year following their interview. I will reach out to these gems and see if I can get a mini interview with them before I need to publish the next post.So, why did everyone think the F2F (face-to-face) was a little challenging? Because it is. It is set up to be a five hour group interview, and you are being watched (not in some creepy, Big Brother way), but just being highly noticed the whole time. It is important to note that everyone wore different things, but mostly thrived while not wearing something that the interviewers would've seen on 50 other candidates as well. Like Sam said, the interview was challenging because you are literally in a room with your competition. For me, you're faced with this while trying to balance a way to pay attention to the competition but also worry about yourself. It is important to note what others are doing in the interview, but absolutely don' take the focus off of yourself, and do not let the fact that competition is surrounding you intimidate you. Go in there being your most organic and genuine self, and rock that interview. I mean, it's what I did and I like to think that worked out kind of well for me, don't ya think? ;)
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