Sometimes life doesn’t give you what you want. Not because you don’t deserve it, but because you deserve something else.”
I never wanted my life to be like:
“Go to school. Graduate. Get a job. Get married. Grow old. Wish my life had been more interesting.”
That’s why I’ve decided to become a flight attendant no matter how challenging the job may seem.
I took my first challenge with Emirates. I failed. It was hard to accept since I’ve had my hopes so high.
But I didn’t give up, I tried next with Etihad. I made it!
Here is my experience at the interviews with Emirates and Eithad. I
must say they were nerve-wrecking and, yet at some point, enjoyable.
If you’re from Vietnam, you need to get through GMAS (www.gmas.com.vn)
to get a slot at the assessment day. So, prepare your CV carefully.
You’ll be asked to appear at the agency. Dress beautifully ready to
impress the agency staff.
They will ask you things like:
- Tell me something about yourself.
- Your strengths/weaknesses.
- Why do you want to become a cabin crew?
- Why Emirates? Why Etihad?
- Why should they hire you?
- If you’re successful you’ll be scheduled for the assessment day for either Emirates or Etihad.
The dress code for the assessment day is business attire. Grooming is so important.
Girls tie your hair neatly. Make a bun if you like. Show your forehead and ears.
I recommend using red lipstick, but don’t go crazy with your makeup.
Emirates Cabin Crew Assessment Day
There were around 80 people on my assessment day (AD). 15 got to the Final Interview (FI) stage and 7 got the Golden Call.
The AD started at 9:00 am.
It’s better to show up early to make some friends. Be friendly, that’s how you impress the recruiters.
Then you get into the conference room. There’ll be the two recruiters introducing themselves. They’ll show a video about Emirates and Dubai lifestyle.
Then you’ll be split into groups and the selection rounds begin.
Round 1
There’ll be about 10 applicants in each group.
This is like a speaking test. You will either give an introduction about a friend next to you or about a given object. You’ll have about 10 minutes to prepare.
I was given a picture of “a flash-light” and talked about how we use it in creative ways. Other pictures were of a tree, a hanger, a tray, a water bottle.
Be confident when you talk. Speak slowly and clearly. Of course English is very important, but it isn’t the only thing they look for.
There was a girl in my group who spoke English perfectly like a native. However, she didn’t make it.
I think it’s because she was a bit over-confident and spoke quite fast.
Moreover, you should listen to other people while they’re speaking. The recruiters will be looking at you to see if you’re paying attention to others while they talk.
Needless to say, SMILE!
Then there’s the reach test (212 cm).
At this point, they will ask if you have tatoos or scars and some simple questions like:
“What are you doing now?
“How did you prepare for the AD?
“Do you like your current job?”
After this round, there will be the first elimination. You’ll get a paper with your number and the result.
About 40 people got through to round two.
Round 2
In this round, you’ll do an English test for about 45 minutes.
There’re two parts: Reading Comprehension and Essay Writing.
The reading text is long so you must read fast.
After that you’ll have to write an essay about a given topic. The topic given to me was about “A mistake I made at work and what I learned from it?”
It doesn’t have to be academic writing. Keep it simple.
Another topic was “Name three things about yourself that you want to improve.”
Make sure you manage your time. If you spend too much time on reading, then you can’t finish the writing.
Honestly, I was a little tired after this test.
Second elimination. 20 people left for the third round.
Round 3
Group discussion.
You’ll be given a topic to discuss as a group. Ours was something like:
“There are 7 guests who booked at a hotel. But there’s only 1 room left. who will have the room?”
The result of the discussion is not important. They just want to see how you work with others.
REMEMBER:
- Be yourself. Be nice. Be friendly. SMILE
- Listen to others and pay attention while they’re talking.
- Don’t interrupt others.
- Don’t talk too much or try to dominate. Don’t attempt to take charge of the group. I got to speak for only 3 or 4 times. Normally, the one who wants to be the “leader” will fail.
After that, you’ll have a role play with the recruiter. She will play
the role of a guest who doesn’t have the room and you’ll have to
explain why and find a way to satisfy her.
Third elimination. 15 people got through to the Final Interview.
After getting the result, you’ll be called back to the room. They
will give you the registration form and explain how to fill it.
Also, you’ll be asked to do a psychology test online which they’ll email to you. There’re about 100 questions or more.
Final Interview
It’s normally on the next day or day after. You’ll have 1 hour with the recruiter. Make sure you be there early.
First, the recruiter will check your documents. Then the interview begins.
She’ll ask you mainly about your previous experience.
Quite stressful. I don’t know what your job is. But if you work at
hotel/restaurant like me, you’ll get the kind of questions like:
- How you deal with complaints?
- How you deal with arguments or disagreements with your colleagues?
- An example when you were being flexible at work.
- An example when you made a mistake.
After the interview, it’s a waiting game.
Always check your online status. If your status changes to “Approval
in progress” (AIP) after 4 days or a week, you have 70% chance. But
don’t be over excited. There’re some people who got rejection emails
after receiving AIP.
IF your status is “Under Review” or “Applied”, then I’m not sure. You’ll get the result in 4 or 6 weeks or more.
If you get a call, it’s called the Golden Call. Congratulations!