Tips for wannabe hosties (Part 1)
November 14th 2006 03:26
Lately I’ve noticed quite a number of recruitment ads for flight attendants in the paper. If you are a wannabe hostie, follow these tips and you will certainly succeed. Just don’t blame me when you get the job and realise it was a huge mistake.
Resume Stating that you have customer service experience will almost guarantee you a place on the interview shortlist. Previous/current jobs listed on your resume that look particularly impressive and will prepare you for the realities of being a hostie include:
Waiter/waitress – Apart the fact that you will be serving demanding customers at 38,000ft in a ‘flying restaurant’, waitressing is the same as air hostessing.
Telemarketer- Your experience in stretching the truth about products will have infinite use on an aircraft eg.when you convince passengers that the plane is 100% safe to fly on despite its decrepit appearance and funny engine noises, and when you sell dodgy duty free items. Your exposure to abusive customers will give you extra ticks on the recruiter’s check list.
Checkout chick- Again, the above point re: abusive customers applies here. You have also dealt with a job that is repetitious and requires you to be on your feet all day, which is very similar to flying.
Bartender- Dealing with drunks is something you should be accustomed to. The same goes for cleaning up disgusting public restrooms/ vomit. Another nasty part of the hostie’s job.
Taxi driver- The plane isn’t so unlike a huge taxi. In both forms of transport you become acquainted with irate customers, randy couples and drunks on a daily basis. And very often you have to work during ungodly hours.
I cannot stress enough the importance of customer service experience in getting you an interview for a hostie job. If you have never had a job in the customer service industry that required a Tax File Number, for example you operated a lemonade stand in front of your house when you were ten years old, it is advisable to embellish the truth a little, and say you pulled pints at your local during your college years.
Languages You may think that learning French, Italian and Japanese in Year 7 at high school gives you permission to list these under ‘language skills’ on your resume. However, I wouldn’t advise anything other than being totally truthful, especially if the advertisement says, “must be fluent in ____” (fill in appropriate language). The airline will test you and you’ll look an absolute muppet when you don’t even know how to say “would you like chicken or beef?” in the foreign language you claim to speak.
Photo Yes it is discriminatory to hire people for their looks, but the airline industry is mostly about image and appearances. You yourself don’t want to be served by a hostie who looks like PM John Howard. So make sure you attach a nice photo with your application. I don’t mean one of you at the family BBQ, wearing short shorts and a ketchup stained t-shirt, pulling a silly face for the camera. You may think you look funny and cute, the recruiters will not. Don’t send in a ‘glamour shot’ either. You know, the pictures where the photographer has used a ‘Vaseline lens effect’ to take a dreamy shot of you, scantily clad, draped over a velvet sofa, which is later heavily ‘photoshopped’. You look nothing like this in real life. Therefore, the only way to get a decent photo is to visit a professional studio, wearing a nice business outfit and makeup.
Coming up….the interview.
Resume Stating that you have customer service experience will almost guarantee you a place on the interview shortlist. Previous/current jobs listed on your resume that look particularly impressive and will prepare you for the realities of being a hostie include:
Waiter/waitress – Apart the fact that you will be serving demanding customers at 38,000ft in a ‘flying restaurant’, waitressing is the same as air hostessing.
Checkout chick- Again, the above point re: abusive customers applies here. You have also dealt with a job that is repetitious and requires you to be on your feet all day, which is very similar to flying.
Bartender- Dealing with drunks is something you should be accustomed to. The same goes for cleaning up disgusting public restrooms/ vomit. Another nasty part of the hostie’s job.
Taxi driver- The plane isn’t so unlike a huge taxi. In both forms of transport you become acquainted with irate customers, randy couples and drunks on a daily basis. And very often you have to work during ungodly hours.
I cannot stress enough the importance of customer service experience in getting you an interview for a hostie job. If you have never had a job in the customer service industry that required a Tax File Number, for example you operated a lemonade stand in front of your house when you were ten years old, it is advisable to embellish the truth a little, and say you pulled pints at your local during your college years.
Languages You may think that learning French, Italian and Japanese in Year 7 at high school gives you permission to list these under ‘language skills’ on your resume. However, I wouldn’t advise anything other than being totally truthful, especially if the advertisement says, “must be fluent in ____” (fill in appropriate language). The airline will test you and you’ll look an absolute muppet when you don’t even know how to say “would you like chicken or beef?” in the foreign language you claim to speak.
Photo Yes it is discriminatory to hire people for their looks, but the airline industry is mostly about image and appearances. You yourself don’t want to be served by a hostie who looks like PM John Howard. So make sure you attach a nice photo with your application. I don’t mean one of you at the family BBQ, wearing short shorts and a ketchup stained t-shirt, pulling a silly face for the camera. You may think you look funny and cute, the recruiters will not. Don’t send in a ‘glamour shot’ either. You know, the pictures where the photographer has used a ‘Vaseline lens effect’ to take a dreamy shot of you, scantily clad, draped over a velvet sofa, which is later heavily ‘photoshopped’. You look nothing like this in real life. Therefore, the only way to get a decent photo is to visit a professional studio, wearing a nice business outfit and makeup.
Coming up….the interview.
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Comment by TomN
Boat Heaven
God but we were bad bastards when we were young. A mate of mine worked for an airline and his job was in personel. Well Friday night was pick up night in the old town and as we trawled the bars the "personel manager & his assistant" fished with the best of them. Amazing how co-operative girls became when they were promised to be short listed as a wannabe hostie. We didn't once have to say we loved them. You are right, men are bastards.
Comment by Judy
Ex-Hostie
Comment by LaurenD
LaurenD
Comment by Judy
Ex-Hostie
Comment by LaurenD
I think you've got an audience for this, too. Lots of people would be interested.
LaurenD