Mondrago My Travel Teacher

Helping people into the airline & travel industry since 2007

Emirates Open Days

What on earth is going on over at Emirates? **Updated June 2018**

Well, that’s a VERY good question!

As you know, Emirates re-opened recruitment in January 2018.

Their new online application system was unveiled, and this meant the end of open days.

Or so we were told!

Their new online application, however, was soon beset by technical problems, in particular with the video interview.

It seems that Emirates’ online system is unable to update when an applicant completes a video interview.

So, the video interview has been halted until this problem is resolved.

Who knows how long that will take?

So, in the meantime, Emirates have started holding open days again!

Wow!

And to make matters even more complicated, not all open days are the same, so you never know what’s going to happen!

The first type of open day they are holding is a CV Drop.

What is interesting about this is that it seems that everyone who has applied from that country is being sent an email about the open day:

 

Within this email they also send you some details about working with them:

What seems to be happening is that EVERYONE who has applied online and whose application was under review is sent this email.

It appears that those who are being invited to attend an assessment day (which is usually the same day or day after the open day) are being selected from those who attend the open day ONLY.

So, if you don’t attend an open day in a country where they are holding open days, then you will NOT be invited to an assessment day.

Of course, this could all change at any time If they re-introduce the video interview!

So, how does a CV drop work?

It means that you can drop-in your CV anytime during the hours listed.

So, for example, if you look at this open day in London, you can see it runs from 0900 to 1600.

Be careful with this, however!

At the last open day in Dubai, 1000s of people turned up

Ok, ok- that’s NOT an Emirates Open Day, it’s just to illustrate the point!

Anyway, there were so many people there that they refused entry to people.

AND, they cancelled their next scheduled open day, so think it’s fair to say that they have more than enough CV’s from Dubai at the moment!

Is everything quite as chaotic as this?

No, not quite!

There was an open day held recently in Manchester and some of the lovely members of our FREE Facebook group, the Departure Lounge, told us all about it.

Wait, what?

You’re not in our FREE Facebook group to help people like you become cabin crew?

 

Are you mad?

If you want to join, you can find us at

http://mondrago.me

Anyway, I digress!

The open day in Manchester seemed a lot more organised.

Although it was also a CV drop off (and we know this because there is a start time of 0900 and a finish time of 1600), it wasn’t nearly as busy as the Dubai one!

So, what happened at it?

Well, according to one of our members, they were taken into a room with about 100 others. They each got the chance to handover their CV.

When handing over their CV, they were asked a couple of questions such as “Why would you like to fly for Emirates” or “What is your current job”.

Once everyone had handed over their CV, they were given a number.

They were then asked to wait outside, and the numbers would be posted up with those who had been successful in getting through to the assessment day, which was the following day.

On the way out, they passed the next group of candidates waiting to come into the room for their opportunity to handover their CV.

After an hour and a half, a list was posted up. On this list were the candidates who had been selected to attend the assessment day the following day.

So, these candidates went to the assessment day the following day.

If they were successful, they were invited to a final interview.

Priority is normally given to those who have travelled far to the assessment day.

Others were told they would be emailed with a date for a final interview.

But here’s where it gets really crazy as these candidates have now been emailed and told their final interview would be done via Skype or face time! 

So, that’s how CV drops appear to be organised at the moment.

What about Open Days?

Well, these are different again!

You will know if the day you are attending is an open day and not a CV drop because it only gives you the start time:

 

So, what format does the open day take?

Before I begin though, I should just point out that the order of events may change slightly depending on where your Open Day is, the number of attendees at the Open Day and it may take place over one day or several days.

So please don’t take this blog as gospel and use it as a general guide only!

Wait, what? A punctuality test?!

A small word of warning- these Emirates Open Days are also set-up as punctuality tests, so if you’re not in the room you should be by the published start time, you’re out for good!

Give yourself TONS of time to get there and be friendly to EVERYONE you meet.

Why do I need to demonstrate great listening skills?

When you check-in for the Emirates Open Day you will usually be given a sticker which you will be expected to wear for the ENTIRE event, so please don’t take it off as it doesn’t match your lipstick as this will simply show you up as someone who can’t take instruction well (which is SO important when working as cabin crew!).

The number on this sticker is how you will be identified throughout the process, so make sure you listen out for it. Don’t let the Emirates recruiters shout out “No.24” repeatedly, to then look down and realise you are number 24- you won’t look good! So make sure you know your number and you listen out for it.

Again, remember, to be Emirates cabin crew  you will need to be good at listening to your passenger’s requests, so you need to show the recruiters that you are a great listener by listening intently to everything being said during the day.

What does the Emirates Airline representative talk about?

Once everyone has arrived and been given a sticker, you will watch a promotional video about Emirates Airlines and life as a member of Emirates cabin crew.

A representative from the airline will then give you a talk about what it’s like to be cabin crew with Emirates Airlines and life in Dubai. The representative will talk about things such as the Emirates flight attendant salary and what life is like when you fly emirates.You will then be asked if anyone has any questions

Oh no, I’ve heard the CV handover is really scary and it’s like walking a catwalk?

Following any questions from applicants, the first major screening event occurs- the CV handover.

Several tables will be set-up at the head of the room and you will need to submit your CV to the appropriate location you have been issued. Again, this is where listening is important!

What, that’s it? The Emirates Open day is over?

There will usually then be a break for lunch and only those applicants that have passed the CV handover will return for the rest of the day.

It’s really worth noting that you will have very limited to NO interaction with your Emirates recruiters before this stage, so the entire screening event is based on your CV and your personal presentation so remember-

 FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT!

And then they make even more people leave the Emirates Open Day? Seriously?!

The first group exercise takes place. Applicants are split into groups of approximately 20-25. Following this event, you will be informed whether you will continue with the process.

You will then participate in another group activity, this time in groups of around 8-10.

This time, you will be given a more complex scenario and after this group activity you will be informed who will be continuing.

You will then be given an English comprehension test followed by an Aptitude test. Only those who have passed these two tests will be invited to continue.

You will then be given a one-to-one or two-to-one interview with a member of the recruiting team, known as a final interview.

How long will it be before I hear I have been successful?

There will then be a tense time whilst you wait to hear if you have been successful!

The minimum waiting time seems to be 14 days and from my experience, it’s not unheard of to wait up to 6 weeks!

But I’m sure the wait will be worth it when you get that “Golden Call”!

It could take up to 6 weeks to receive your golden call

A gate? What’s that got to do with Emirates?

Remember, this is a general summary of the whole process.

You should try and look at each stage in the process as a gate you have to pass through.

So, in order to get your dream job as Emirates cabin crew  you have to pass through all the gates along the way!

Unfortunately, if you don’t do too well in any one stage, you will not be allowed to pass through the gate, even though you had been doing really well up until that point.

You have to be outstanding at EVERY stage in the Emirates Open day process and that’s why it’s so important to be prepared.

What do you mean- Emirates Airlines has nothing invested in me?

This may sound a bit mean, but Emirates Airlines has absolutely NOTHING invested in you.

There will be literally HUNDREDS of people standing in line behind you trying to get this job, and if you fail to impress then they may well do, so you’re going to have to put the work in.

So, what’s really important at EVERY stage of the process?

Attention to detail is REALLY important at EVERY stage of this process.

If your Emirates Airlines recruiter sees ONE thing, yep, just ONE thing, about you that they don’t like, then they will just move on to the next applicant.

Now this may sound discouraging, but please remember that the VAST MAJORITY of people will turn up completely unprepared.

They don’t understand how competitive the process is.

Is the Emirates Open Day really as competitive as you’re making out?

It absolutely is. But here’s the thing…

…others don’t understand why it is SO important to have prepared for the day.

They will show up thinking they can improvise, planning just to wing it and the job with Emirates Airlines will be theirs.

However, they won’t be dressed right, won’t behave right and they won’t present themselves well at the Emirates Open Day and that is why the majority of applicants FAIL

But, here’s where you have an advantage…You, however, understand the importance of EVERY SMALL DETAIL of the process and you will stand out for all the RIGHT reasons.

Phew, aren’t you glad you’re reading this blog?

However, Emirates are also holding assessment days:

As you can see, this one says invitation only on it, as only those who have been sent an invitation email from Emirates can attend.

The invitation email looks like:

 

These candidates have been selected based on their online application, so it’s important that you do continue to apply online, particularly if you live in a country where Emirates are NOT holding open days.

So, what seems to be happening is that IF you live in a country where Emirates are holding open days or CV drops you will get an email telling you about them IF you applied online.

Emirates only appear to be choosing candidates from these open days to then invite to an assessment day.

So, it looks like they are simply ignoring all those other applications in their system from that country if you DO NOT attend an open day!

However, they ARE looking at online applications from applicants in countries where they are NOT holding open days!

Confused?

Can’t say I blame you as I am too!

And, of course, all of this could change tomorrow when they solve the technical issues with their video interviews!

I will, of course, update this blog if they make any more changes!

Hope it’s helped

Pauline x

 

Qatar Airways Open Day

In 2017, Qatar Airways was named the world’s best airline at the prestigious SkyTrax awards. They have also won numerous awards for best cabin crew AND offer world- renowned training for their cabin crew. They also offer one of the best salary packages in the aviation industry and are one of the very few 5 -star airlines in the world.

In 2017, Qatar Airways was named the world’s best airline at the prestigious SkyTrax awards.

However, there are a LOT of people who would like to become Qatar cabin crew for the reasons outlined above, so you will have a lot of competition on your hands.

Therefore, you need to be so well-prepared to beat the competition and stand out from the crowd at the Qatar Airways open day and this blog is intended to help you with your preparation.  I’m going to cover

Now you may find it hard to believe, but the vast majority of people who turn up for Qatar Airways will not have prepared.

However, this is brilliant news as it means that if you have worked hard and prepared, you are already so far of these people who simply haven’t bothered.

But, I’m not going to lie…

… You have got a WHOLE LOT of work ahead of you so let’s get going…

Qatar Airways Assessment Process

Like other Middle Eastern airlines, the whole recruitment process can be very arduous. There are many stages you are going to have to get through before you take to the skies and you need to be prepared to work hard at each and every stage.

So, it’s never going to be enough to have a brilliant CV if you are not impeccably groomed.

Or, it’s not enough to be impeccably groomed if you can’t answer the questions at the open day

And, it’s not enough to be able to answer the questions at the open day if you haven’t practiced for your English test.

Do you see where I am going with this?

One part of the process leads to another and if you fail at ANY ONE part of the process, that’s you finished.

So, it simply doesn’t matter if you did well 95% of the time.

I’m afraid you have to do well 100% of the time!

To get the job you’ll need to do well throughout 100% of the interview process!

Now, you may be wondering if all this work is worth it?

Well, is all this work worth jetting off to Paris one week and then New York the next?

Or what about a trip to Sydney followed by a few days in Hong Kong?

Of course, it’s worth it!

But, you need to fight off a whole load of competition!

How do you do this?

Well, I am going to give you a reality check here

Reality Check

The ONLY way to be successful is to work incredibly hard.

Work hard on your CV, work hard on your appearance, work hard on learning everything there is to know about Qatar Airways and treat the whole recruitment process like a job.

And it all starts with your CV

If Qatar Airways don’t like the look of your CV, then that’s the end of your recruitment journey with them, so let’s focus on this first.

So, your CV has GOT TO BE GOOD

In fact, I’d go one step further and say that your CV has to be FANTASTIC!

You really can’t afford to get this stage wrong, because if you do, that’s it for you and you will have to wait another 6 months before you can even try again!

cabin crew video interview
If your CV is not good enough and you fail at this stage you’ll need to wait at least 6 months before you re-apply

So, don’t turn up with a bog-standard CV- this simply isn’t good enough.

98% of applicants who apply to become Qatar Airways cabin crew are rejected.

And, the MOST COMMON REASON IS THEIR CV IS RUBBISH!

I see this all of the time and it drives me mad!

Really good candidates with amazing work experience and who would make really good cabin crew, but are let down by using a terrible CV.

It’s simply not enough to use a CV you wrote in school or college.

Your CV has to be absolutely tailored to the job.

And, if it’s not?

Then it will be rejected

Simple as that!

I run a FREE Facebook group called the Departure Lounge (and if you’re not in there you’d be mad not to join, as there are loads of current cabin crew in there who would love to help with your cabin crew journey) and some of the posts in there make me laugh (or scream depending on my mood!)

Mt FREE Facebook group called The Departure Lounge if full of current and ex-cabin crew who are happty to give you tips and advice

There are SO MANY posts in there asking what colour scarf to wear to the assessment day or if their shoes are too pointy, of if they should wear red or pink lipstick on the day?

Reality check here guys!

#realitycheck2

The simple fact is that if your CV is no good, you won’t even make it to the assessment day so all of your worries about lipstick or shoes or make-up are completely pointless!

Focus on what’s important and here, the most important thing is your CV.

So, as I said, I have written a lot about CV’s and I recommend you check it all out, but if there was only ONE piece of advice I could give you, it would be to make sure your CV is stuffed full of keywords.

What are keywords?

Simple- they are the skills and characteristics that Qatar Airways are looking for,

And, do you know what’s so amazing about keywords?

Qatar Airways actually GIVE THEM TO YOU!

Say, what?

Yep, Qatar Airways actually tell you their keywords.

Isn’t that incredibly kind of them?

Yes, indeed it is!

So, where are these keywords?

Well, they are found in the job specification.

Now, because I am a nice person and I’ve made it my mission in life to help people like you become cabin crew, I have gone through their job specification and made a list of these keywords for you.

You’re very welcome!

Ok, so let’s take a look at the Open Day.

Qatar Airways Open Day

This is normally the starting point for your application process. Before we get going though, I’d like to tell you something.

One thing you need to know is that Qatar Airways can be a strange airline to interview for.  Often, on open days they have certain quotas of people they are looking for.

So, they may, for example, be looking for mainly females.

Or it may be people under the age of 25.  Be aware as well that they hold Open Days related to where they need cabin crew from and this is related to their own flight routes.

So, if they are recruiting in London, UK, for example, it is because they are looking for cabin crew who originate from the UK. You may then fly in from France, Germany or Poland, but you won’t be chosen as they are specifically looking for UK cabin crew.

So even if you go to the Open Day with the best CV in the world, you may still not be selected!

I’m not trying to put you off, I just want to make you aware of the situation.

Most of the time, you will simply sit outside a room for a few hours and then have one minute answering a few questions with a recruiter before you handover your CV.

Travelling to their recruitment events can be very expensive.

Their recruitment process normally (but not always!) takes place over three days.

So, if you decide to attend you will probably have to take at least three days off work.

You may have to fly to where they are holding the Open Day and book accommodation for 3 nights in case you are successful at all three stages.

However, and I don’t want to be unduly negative here- it’s just that I know the statistics- but the vast, vast majority of people (around 98%) will be rejected.

So, realistically you could spend all that money and after waiting for many, many hours, be in and out of the Open Day in less than five minutes after spending a LOT of money!

I’m not telling you not to go, but what I am telling you is to work REALLY hard before you go PREPARING for the recruitment process.

However, you can also apply online if you choose to do so. If you are successful at this time, you will be given an invite to an Open Day.

This seems a bit pointless because you can just go to the Open Day anyway, but Qatar Airways say that priority will be given to those who have applied online.

This may be of benefit if the Open Day is incredibly busy. Some of them have more than 1,000 people attending and they may not be able to see everyone.

Qatar recently used the Manila Hotel in the Philippines for an open day which attracted nearly 2000 applicants!

However, if you make sure you are there incredibly early (maybe even an hour or two before they start recruiting) you should be seen on this day so you don’t need to apply online.

Ok, so first up…

You have to make sure that you meet the airlines requirement before going for this event. If you don’t- please don’t go as you will simply be rejected.

Ok, so you are waiting in line to be seen.

What should you be thinking about now?

Well, Qatar Airways are obsessed with grooming.

Remember, they are the BEST airline in the world and you, as cabin crew, have an incredibly high standard to maintain.

So make sure you look absolutely perfect when attending your Open Day.

Whilst waiting in line be very aware of your body language.

One thing in particular to watch for is your posture. Make sure your posture is perfect at all times.

Remember, you don’t know who is watching!

Then your turn will come.

When approaching the recruiters make sure your posture is perfect and you are smiling as you hand over your CV.

The recruiter will ask you questions regarding your CV and other questions such as:

  • What do you know about Qatar Airways?
  • Tell me about yourself?

It is really, really important that you have prepared really good answers to these questions.

So make sure you have really detailed answers prepared for the questions above AND make sure your answers are jam-packed with keywords. Please don’t try and learn them off by heart though as you will sound like a robot when you repeat them back- just learn the key facts and keep your answers natural.

Remember, this is your ONLY opportunity on your Open Day to meet with Qatar Airways recruiters and you don’t want to blow it with a rubbish answer, do you?

The Arm Reach Test

The Arm Reach Test

Sometimes the arm reach test is done on the open day and sometimes it’s on the assessment day, so best to be prepared.

The recruiters will call the applicants one by one to perform a reach test. This is simply pass or fail. If you can reach the marker on the wall then you can continue in the process.

If you can’t you will be asked to leave.

So, before you even think about attending an Open Day, make sure you can reach 212cm. Mark it on your bedroom wall and practice all the time, so you know it won’t be a problem when you apply.

If you can’t reach 212cm then please don’t bother applying.

After the arm reach test, the recruiters may ask you questions about your tattoos, birthmarks, moles, etc.

You have to be aware that Qatar Airways has a very STRICT POLICY with regard to tattoos. Tattoos are not allowed, regardless of the area of location. They simply will not tolerate tattoos.

What happens if you are successful?

  • You will receive a letter of Invitation for the assessment stating the details of the location of the venue
  • Reference No. for your application
If you are successful you’ll be invited to the assessment day

 

And if you’re not?

Then you’re generally told that you will get an email or a phone call later the same day telling you whether you will be invited to the Assessment Day.

The truth?

The vast, vast majority of time this simply means you have been unsuccessful.

However, on the very odd occasion, Qatar Airways have emailed and called people to ask them to the Assessment Day.

So, don’t give up hope if you are not given a letter or invitation.

You may still be invited via email or phone, but the chance is very, very small- sorry!

Pauline x

Emirates Open Day 2018 – Great news, Emirates have now opened their new Career Portal :-)

**UPDATE June 2018.  Emirates have stopped using video interviews and are now back using open days.**

 

READ ALL ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON AT EMIRATES AT MY LATEST BLOG POST HERE 

 

 

In this article I’m going to give you my top 12 tips for getting the most from this fabulous new resource.

Emirates Open Day 2017

You can access the portal by going to http://www.emiratesgroupcareers.com/

 

Tip 1 – Only ever apply for  jobs via this website.  There are a lot of unscrupulous websites that claim to recruit on behalf of Emirates but this is simply not true.  Emirates will only recruit cabin crew via the website http://www.emiratesgroupcareers.com/

 

Tip 2 – Don’t just jump into the site by clicking on the “Search and Apply” button.  Instead  you’ll see that there is a menu with three items along the top of the page .  Explore each of these because there is a huge amount you can learn about the Emirates Recruitment Process

 

Emirates Open Day 2017
From the top menu click on “Working With Us”

 

Tip 3 – Make sure you use the arrow at the bottom of the page to fully expand your view of the page (you don’t want to miss out on some really cool stuff).

 

Emirates Open Day 2017
Make sure you use the arrow at the bottom of the page to fully expand your view of the page

 

When you expand the Working With Us Section you’ll see some messages from key personnel throughout the organisation and this takes me directly to tip 4:

 

Tip 4 – Start your Emirates Dossier now! It can be an online file or a simple paper notebook, it doesn’t really matter, but what does matter is that you now start to learn about the key people in the company as well as the messages they are trying to communicate.  Imagine how impressive it would be if you could quote The Chairman during your 2 to 1 interview.

 

four
Tip 5 – Make up an information file and start to take a note of key people within Emirates

 

Tip 5 – Make sure you use the expand arrow in each of the relevant sections.  That way you won’t miss out on any of the information that is not all that obvious to find

 

Emirates Open Day 2017
Use the expand arrow to make sure that you can access all the information

 

Tip 6 – Towards the bottom of the “Working With Us” Page is an overview of other companies in the Emirates Group.  Put this in your Emirates Dossier for future reference – it could be useful at some point during the open day

Emirates Open Day 2017
You should try to learn a bit about other companies in the Emirates Group

 

Tip 7 – If you’ve not got one create a Twitter Account and follow Emirates. They tweet all the time and it’s a great source of information for your interview, there is nothing more impressive than somebody going to an assessment day who is really aware of what the company is about.

 

Emirates Open Day 2017
You should follow Emirates on Twitter

 

Tip 8 – Explore the website section called Dubai, Our Home.  It’s full of videos, information and other resources about what it’s like to live in Dubai. Don’t turn up for an assessment day unless you know what life in Dubai will be like.  If Emirates think you will suffer from “culture shock” and won’t be able to settle in Dubai then they won’t give you the job.

 

nine
You can access the Dubai, Our Home section from the top menu on the front page

 

 

Emirates Open Day 2017
The section of the website called Living in Dubai has an extensive menu that covers everything you need about moving there.

 

Tip 9 – Pay absolute attention to all of the resources about the recruitment process – especially those relating to personal appearance and grooming

 

eighteen

Use the Interactive Guide To Help You With Personal Grooming & Experience

 

Tip 10 – Make sure you learn the Training Journey, don’t turn up to an Assessment Day without a clear picture of what will happen when you are selected

 

twenty
The website includes an overview of the Emirates Recruitment Process – you should learn this

 

Tip 11 – You should be aware the Emirates have now confirmed that THEY WILL BE USING VIDEO INTERVIEWS.  To keep up to date with the latest developments you should join the FREE Facebook Group called The Departure Lounge.  In this group you’ll be able to chat with current Emirates Crew as well as airline recruitment experts.

 

Emirates Video Interview 2017
Emirates have confirmed that they will now be using video interviews as part of their cabin crewrecruitment

 

Tip 12 – If you’ve any questions about the new Emirates recruitment process please ask them below and I’ll do my best to answer you directly

Speak soon

Pauline x

Pauline Park, Co- Founder & Director Mondrago My Travel Teacher
Pauline Park, Co- Founder & Director Mondrago My Travel Teacher

This CV Got Me An Interview For EVERY Cabin Crew Job I Applied For

Over 90% of CVs sent to airlines end up in the bin!

Cabin Crew Jobs
Follow the 5 step plan below and make sure your CV is not binned!

My name is Pauline Park and I’ve been teaching Travel and Tourism for more than 20 years.  In that time, I have helped 1000’s of students get their dream job and now I’d like to help you.  To fully understand the cabin crew application process I applied to loads of airlines and was invited to interview to every single one.

In this blog I’m going to tell you the exact five steps I used to create a CV that got me an interview with every airline I applied to.

Step 1 – Avoid the biggest Cabin Crew CV mistake you can make

Step 2 – Use Pinterest to make your Cabin Crew CV irresistible to airlines

Step 3 – Bin the CVs you can NEVER use if you want a cabin crew job

Step 4 – Match your Cabin Crew CV to what the airline wants EVERY SINGLE TIME

Step 5 – Use My Cabin Crew CV layout that got me an interview with every single airline I applied to

Step 1 – Avoid the biggest Cabin Crew CV mistake you can make

I have lost count of the number of generic CVs I have read and honestly, it’s one big giant BORE! Nothing will make me switch off quicker than a bog standard CV that has obviously been written with no thought whatsoever to the job they are applying for.  Now, put yourself in your recruiters shoes.

Surely you’d want people who were passionate about wanting to work for your particular airline. Instead, I am constantly bombared with CVs which have a personal statement along these lines…

“My objective is to be able to work in a position where I am able to utilise my skills and abilities effectively, learning and growing with the company in the process. My goal is to reach a position in a company where I am able to progress into positions of higher levels of responsibility”

Now, would you think this person had a DRIVING PASSION for being cabin crew?

Nope, me neither!

Let’s talk about passion for a wee minute (and no, not the type of passion you are probably currently imagining!) I’m talking about a passion for becoming cabin crew!

So, so many of you talk to me of cabin crew being your dream job- and I don’t doubt it is! However, I cannot think of one CV I have read that demonstrates this desire.

This isn’t just my opinion however. All of the cabin crew and travel industry recruiters I have spoken to lament this lack of passion as well.

So many CVs mention they love travelling away down at the bottom of the CV.

Who is going to read away down there? No-one!

So get that statement right up the top of your CV and then back it up with some examples.

cabin crew jobs

You spent 6 months backpacking around South-East Asia? You did a summer in Boston on the Camp America programme? You went Inter-railing around Europe? Then TELL the airline this! This is infinitely more useful for them to know than that bland statement above.

Step 2 – Use Pinterest to make your Cabin Crew CV irresistible to airlines

I have written on the importance of creating an online profile before ( you can download my top 10 tips here). One thing this online profile can demonstrate SO BRILLIANTLY is your love and passion for travel.

You could have Pinterest boards set-up showing where you have travelled to as well as where you’ve dreamed of travelling.

Even more sneakily, you could set-up a few boards on your dream airline, so when they Google you online (and take it from me, they will!) they will be absolutely “wowed” by your love of their airline.

It’s so simple to do as well. All you need to do is add your personal profile url to your CV and then the airline have a perfectly curated version of you which demostrates so brilliantly your love of the travel and aviation industry.

To find out more about Pinterest boards and other cabin crew stuff I’ve written about take a look at my free tip sheets

Anyway, I digress!

Let’s go back to the topic in hand- the very bland and boring CV!

Step 3 – Bin the CVs you can NEVER use if you want a cabin crew job

You see, here’s the thing!

The VAST majority of candidates when asked to upload their CV (and ALL airlines ask for one), just upload their standard CV without giving a thought as to whether the CV is relevant to the job at all.

So, if you have a CV from school or college or university or, EVEN WORSE, a template from the Internet, I have some news for you and you probably aren’t going to like it!

IF YOU EVER WANT TO WORK AS CABIN CREW THEN YOU CAN’T USE THIS CV!

Wait, what?

Yep, you read it correctly.

If you really are serious about becoming cabin crew, then you CANNOT afford to use your standard CV.

Now, not to frighten you or anything, but consider these statistics…

When United Airlines opened their last recruitment drive, they got 75,000 applications (yep, you read that right!)

Of that 75,000 ONLY 800 were invited along to an Assessment Day.

Now, this may seem a lot but when you do the maths (as I have done for you!), then only 1.06% of candidates are invited for interview.

This means that 98.94% of applications are REJECTED and if we look at this in terms of numbers , then…

74,200 CVs were REJECTED!

Isn’t that incredible?

  • Figures from British Airways show that only 4% of applicants are invited to an Assessment Day and that 96% of CVs are binned!
  • Bloomberg has calculated that it is 4 times more difficult (in percentage terms) to get a job with Delta Airlines than to get into Harvard University!
Figures from British Airways show that only 4% of applicants are invited to an Assessment Day and that 96% of CVs are binned!
Figures from British Airways show that only 4% of applicants are invited to an Assessment Day and that 96% of CVs are binned!

A student I was recently helping went to an Open Day for Emirates Airlines in Manchester, UK. 600 people turned up at the Open Day, where they got the opportunity to hand over their CV. Of these 600, 30 were invited on to the Assessment Day, 8 got through to the final interview and 3 were offered a job- a success rate of 0.5%

I’m pleased to report my student was one of them and is currently in training in Dubai as we speak! As I said, I don’t tell you these figures to scare you (although they are pretty scary!)

I tell you them because getting a job as cabin crew is REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT and it will NEVER HAPPEN unless you are prepared for some serious hard work.

So, is your bog-standard CV that you wrote whilst back in school really going to cut it?

Of course not!

And are you going to impress anyone with a CV template taken from the web?

No chance!

Again, put yourself in your recruiters shoes.

Whose CV would you choose?

Someone who has obviously spent the time crafting a CV SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS JOB or someone who has just uploaded a CV they last wrote three years ago?

Of course they would choose the CV that had been written for the job.

So, I DON’T WANT YOU TO USE YOUR CURRENT CV WHEN YOU APPLY TO BE CABIN CREW!

Now, having read so many BAD CVs I am tempted to tell you to put your current CV in the bin, bit you’ll be relieved to hear I don’t want you to do that!

I want you to keep your current CV BUT I don’t want you to send it to an airline.

Wait, what?

Nope, I don’t want this to be the CV you use, but I will allow you to keep it so you can transfer some information from it over on to your NEW CV (that’s nice of me, right!)

Yes, you read that correctly- I want you to write a NEW CV!

Step 4 – Match your Cabin Crew CV to what the airline wants EVERY SINGLE TIME

However, there are a few things I want you to do before we get to this stage.

Now, I know I’m asking a LOT here, but competition is stiff right?

Ok, so the STARTING POINT is the job specifiction.

The what?

Our starting point is finding out what the airline are looking for.

If you have an airline in mind, then head over there and find out what they are looking for in their cabin crew.

A good way to do this is enter the name of the airline you’d love to work with, the term cabin crew and job specification or person specification and let Mr (or Mrs) Google do all the hard work for you…

 

cabin crew jobs
Search for the person specification using Google

 

cabin crew jobs
Emirates are telling you what they want – your CV must PROVE that you have these skills and qualities

So, this is what I want you to do…

  1. Write down ALL of the skills the airline are looking for
  2. Match them to your OWN skills
  3. THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT! Write down examples of when you demonstrated these skills. It’s not enough to simply tell the airline you have the skills, you have to SHOW THEM as well.

Ok, so time for a wee recap of what we’ve learned so far…

  1. It’s REALLY, REALLY hard to get a job as cabin crew!
  2. The VAST MAJORITY of people will fail at the application stage
  3. If you send in your standard CV that you’ve always used, you are GUARANTEED TO FAIL
  4. The starting point is to find out what the airline are looking for, match them to the skills you have and then, give EXAMPLES of when you displayed these skills.

Now it’s time to get to the CV itself (phew!)

Research over the years has shown that recruiters don’t spend a lot of time reading your CV. When you think about the sheer number of CVs they get, it’s no great surprise is it?

It is reckoned that the average time spent reading a CV is 5-7 seconds (yep, that’s it!) If a recruiter likes what they’re reading then they’ll keep reading after the 7 seconds.

If not, your CV is in the bin! So, that is why it is SO, SO IMPORTANT to get all the good stuff right at the top of your CV!

I read a CV the other day that had the person’s name, address, email address, telephone numbers, gender AND mum and dad’s names (?) RIGHT AT THE TOP OF THEIR CV!

So, imagine you were a recruiter and that’s all you read in 7 seconds? Do you think they’d be keen to keep reading?

I would suggest NO!

Here’s something you can try for yourself…

Get someone to read your CV for 7 seconds and then get them to write down everything they can remember about you.

Is what they have written down EXACTLY the most important stuff you want an airline to know about you?

Yes? Then well done you!

No? The keep writing and re-writing until it is!

Now, I bet you’re thinking, come on- surely we don’t need to work this hard on your CV?

Well actually, you do!

Remember how hard it is EVEN to get to the Assessment Day!

You need to take this process REALLY SERIOUSLY AND BE PREPARED TO PUT THE WORK IN if you really want to be cabin crew. And, it all starts with your CV!
You need to take this process REALLY SERIOUSLY AND BE PREPARED TO PUT THE WORK IN if you really want to be cabin crew. And, it all starts with your CV!

Another thing I’ve noticed is that most CVs are WAY TOO LONG!

Make sure your CV is NEVER more than 2 pages as no-one wants to read any more than that!

Most of the CVs I read contain TONS of stuff that would be of no interest AT ALL to airline. So unless an airline needs to know about it- take it out!

Now you’re probably getting fed-up reading now, so last thing I want to mention is CONFIDENCE!

Many, many people often downplay their many strengths on their CV in case they come over as conceited or boastful.

Please don’t do that!

Remember, more than anything else, your CV is a sales document and the thing it’s selling is YOU!

You are fabulous and you are fantastic, so make sure your CV reflects this!

So, hopefully this blog has given you LOADS of ideas on how to improve your CV.

Step 5 – Use My CV layout that got me an interview with every single airline I applied to

To get the CV layout that got me an interview with every airline I applied to click the button below. But remember you’ll need to match it to the person specification for the airline you’re applying to – if you don’t do this you won’t get an interview.

Oh, before I forget- there’s one wee thing I want to mention before I go!

Because of the HUGE VOLUME of CVs they receive, some airlines are now using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to read CVs.

The bad news for you is that these pesky computer systems are VERY specific in what they’re looking for and if they don’t find it, they’ll simply spit your CV out and it will NEVER be seen by a pair of human eyes

The good news though is that I know EXACTLY what these pesky ATS robots are looking for so I can outsmart them and I’ll tell YOU how in my next blog!

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Pauline x

Pauline Park

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