The Open House and Interview!

Open house is to start at 8:30 AM at the Radisson. I spent the night at the Red Roof Inn, about five miles away. My mapquest directions say it takes approximately ten minutes to get from my hotel to the Radisson. Still, I leave my hotel at 7:30 AM, an hour early, not wanting to take any chances on being late.

Wow, am I glad I gave myself extra travel time! I missed my exit and had to back track a little. But, I made it in plenty of time, around 8:00 AM.

Inside the hotel, I am directed to where the open house event will be held. There are already around 20 people waiting in the area. They start checking us in. At check in they ask you where you traveled from, and if you drove or flew. If you flew in they want to know what time your flight out is that day. They use this information to determine the order in which everyone will be individually interviewed, later. Those who are local are last.

At check you are given a name tag and a handout that provides detailed information about the company, including bases, pay rates, benefits etc. The room is set up with many chairs in rows, and a projector in the middle isle with a projection screen at the front of the room. Also at the front of the room is a table where the Recruiter's sit.

I did not count how many people showed up to this open house, but imagine it was around 50. People came from all walks of life.

The event started on time. We were welcomed and asked to stand up and introduce ourselves, invited to tell a little about our background and why we wanted to work for the airlines. We are asked to keep it around two minutes.

I found it interesting how people reacted to this. Some stood up and faced the recruiters, who were at the front of the room. Those that did this had their backs to the rest of us room! When it was my turn, I got up and walked to the front of the room, facing everyone, with my back to the recruiters. My first words were, "Good morning," said with a smile, and then I talked briefly about myself and why I wanted to work for the airlines. I finished by wishing everyone luck and thanking them for listening. I believe that what the recruiters are trying to see is how well you think on your feet, without a lot of preparation, and how easily and comfortably you are able to communicate with a group of people. I have quite a bit of experience talking in front of groups, and believe that it showed.

In addition to being able to communicate well in front of others, appearance is something that should not be over looked. In my opinion, your best bet is to look professional and neatly groomed, and that includes everything from your clothes, shoes, hair and nails. Solid colors are a great choice, especially navy or black. Think classic and conservative, and you will do fine.

It is amazing to me that some people failed to pass the test of grooming. The biggest offenses I saw were hair. Some women showed up with ratty, lose looking hair that was all over their face. It just appeared unruly. We had several people who had worked for the airlines before in the open house, and interestingly, I found them to be the worst offenders. I don't know if they will be hired or not, but if I were a recruiter it would have been the kiss of death for them. Especially knowing they previously worked within the airline industry, my expectation is that they should have known the high standard that is expected within the industry, and to have been the embodiment of it.

After introductions the presentation started. There were a total of four recruiters and each played a role in the presentation. The presentation followed the hand out that was give to us at the start of the day during check in. They told us a lot about the company and what it is like to be a Flight Attendant.

After the presentation was over we were given additional paper work to fill out, which included a short essay about what your plan would be if you were hired and asked to relocate.

I was fortunate, and was one of the first people to be interviewed, this was due to the long drive I had home. My interview started about 11:30 am and lasted for about 20 minutes.

During the interview I was asked briefly about my background and why I wanted to work for the airlines. I was asked to read a boarding announcement. Some of the other questions asked included: Professionally what was your most stressful experience and how did you handle it? Tell me about a time you had excellent customer service. And, Tell me about anything in your life you would do differently, if give the opportunity. There are a lot of ways these questions can be answered, and you tell a lot about yourself by how you choose to respond. Especially, since you did not see them coming!

I think I did extremely well in my interview. I was comfortable and at ease. When the interview was over the recruiter told me I did well, and gave me her business card with her e-mail and phone number. I found that interesting, because during the open house they asked us not to contact them. On my way out another recruiter, who I had a telephone conversation with prior to the interview came up to me with interest to see how I felt my interview went. I left feeling very positive about the experience.

One final note: The told us during the open house and the interview that it would be approximately four to five weeks before we would hear back from them. They promise to get back to everyone one, one way or another. Finally, if you do not have your passport now would be a good time to get that process started.