How to run a Cabin Crew Job Search

You know that it's the job for you. You've done all the reading, and you understand that working as a flight attendant isn't all glamour and excitement. You know there's hard work and commitment involved, and that the money - well, no one becomes a cabin crew to get rich, after all. It doesn't matter - you've got your mind made up, and you're about to embark on a flight attendant job search. Here are some tips on conducting a flight attendant job search that will help you find the jobs that you want to apply for. 

1. The major airlines are only 10% of the field for yourflight attendant job search. 

There are over 60 small and mid-size airlines in the United States - over 80 if you add Canadian based airlines as well and thousands other around the world. While the major airlines have cut back on hiring and have even furloughed flight attendants since 2001, the small airlines are thriving. If you're looking to work with fractional operators and charter services, the flight attendant job search possibilities are even broader. The jobs are out there - you just need to expand the scope of your job search beyond the Big Six. 

2. Don't overlook traditional job hunt methods in yourflight attendant job search. 

Yes, they do advertise in the local paper's help wanted sections. You'll also find recruitment ads for the airlines in industry publications, so if you're serious about finding a job as a flight attendant, get yourself subscribed to aviation newsletters and magazines. 

3. Harness the power of the Internet to get your flight attendant job search into high gear. 

Do check!!!  You'll find listings for flight attendant open houses and job openings on Monster, HotJobs! and other Internet job sites. You'll also find listings for flight attendant job opportunities on some of the major newspaper's want ad pages. 

But don't stop with the job listings on the job search engines. Because aviation is so industry specific, you'll find the biggest concentrations of job openings and listings on aviation industry specific sites. A simple search for 'flight attendant jobs' will pull up several job search sites specifically for those in aviation. Check them out carefully and join one or two. Even better, find a discussion forum for flight attendants and join that. You can post questions, read information from working flight attendants and keep your eyes peeled for announcements of open houses. 

4. Apply on the company web site. 

Many airlines now have a link for you to upload your resume when you're doing a flight attendant job search. While they may not be hiring when you check, enter your information anyway so that they can send you an invitation when they do mass job interviews and informational meetings in your area. 

5. Networking is still the number one way to find a job. 

Like any other job, it's often who you know that gets your foot in the door in a flight attendant job search. Let people know you're looking - let everyone know you're looking. You might never know that your great Aunt Lucy's next door neighbor's daughter is aflight attendant if you don't mention that you're looking for a job  working for an airline - but it just might be your ticket into the industry. 

Whatever you do, do treat your flight attendant job search seriously. Look at the ads daily, and be sure to have a professional resume and a great cover letter ready to send out to any job openings that you find.

To be continued...

Smith out

How to apply for Cabin Crew jobs

If you wanted to be a flight attendant in the old days, it was a pretty straightforward process. You simply went to the airline's ticket counter, asked for an application and took it home. After you filled it out, you sent it in to the home office and waited for them to call you for an interview. 

Times have changed, and so has the recruitment process for jobs as a flight attendant. These days, the quickest and easiest way to apply for a job as a flight attendant is on the Internet. Your first stop in your job hunt for that perfect flight attendant job is a search engine or directory to find the web sites of as many airlines as possible. Don't forget to include the charter services and fractional owner airlines that are among the highest paying of all jobs as a flight attendant. With that list in hand, fire up your web browser again and start hitting the airline company web sites. 

Be sure that you have your entire resume details gathered together. Many of the airline web sites now do their preliminary screening of applicants for flight attendant jobs over the Internet. You may be able to simply upload your current resume along with a cover letter, or you may have to enter your details into a web form. Many job experts recommend that if you're given a choice, opt to use the provided form rather than uploading your resume. Often, the form feeds names and details directly into a database that the company will use when sending out invitations to applicants to attend group interviews and informational sessions scheduled around the country. 

Telephone Interviews for Flight Attendant Jobs 

Some airlines have recorded telephone interviews to screen out people applying for jobs as a flight attendant. You may find the telephone number in a recruitment ad in your newspaper, or get it through the reservations line for the airline you want to apply to. When you call, you'll hear a short description of the jobs that are available, and then you'll be asked to submit your name, address and contact information over the telephone and to answer several questions about situations that you might run up against in the job. Those recorded interviews will be reviewed by hiring managers, and those that do well on the questions will be invited for face-to-face interviews for jobs as a flight attendant. 

Airline Open House Interviews (and on Campus Recruitment) 

The most common way to begin the process when you're considering a job as a flight attendant is through an open house/interview held by an airline. Airlines often hold these when they're planning to start a new training class, or to open a home base in a new city. Usually, they're advertised in the job sections of the local newspaper a few days before the open house. On the day of the event, the recruiters will give a short presentation about what it's like to work as a flight attendant for their airline. When the presentation is finished, interested applicants will be invited to step up on stage and introduce themselves with a short explanation of their job history and qualifications. Those who seem best suited for the job will be discreetly asked to remain for one on one or small group interviews. 

Because the airlines hire far fewer people in jobs as flight attendants than the number who apply, they can afford to be choosy and hire only those that really catch the eye of the recruiter. That means, though, that you need to be persistent. Don't stop with one airline or one try. Apply to several different companies, and follow up on your resumes. There are far more jobs as flight attendants than you'd expect - you just have to keep looking for them.