How I Got Started in a Flight Attendant JobMy story of a flight attendant job starts at age four. I was watching a kiddie TV show, and suddenly, there on the screen appeared the most beautiful creature I had ever seen! She wore an elegant navy blue uniform with golden wings on her chest, and she got to fly in airplanes EVERY DAY! Well – that was enough for me! I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, and have never deviated from that dream!From that day on, I lined up chairs in the living room and filled them with dolls and teddy bears, making them my passengers. I talked my brother into being the pilot; he flew the "plane" and I served everyone coffee for hours on end. When I graduated from high school, I went on to college in Texas, but all I could think about was flying. I would be walking to class, look up in the sky and see an airplane and longingly dream of what would one day be my "office" in the air. I started applying to airlines and flew to several interviews while in school, once getting stranded an entire weekend in Houston! But that didn’t discourage me – I just kept applying, hoping that one day I would be successful in my diligent pursuit. Finally my chance came. I had just turned 19 (I was finally old enough!) and I heard that Eastern Airlines was having interviews in the Washington, D.C. area – my home. It was to be held on the following Saturday at a hotel in McLean, Virginia. So I made my plans. I awakened that morning to ten inches of snow, still heavily falling. I wondered if the recruiter would still be there to interview me today. Oh, well, there was no way to find out but to go. And if there was a way to get there, I was determined to do it! I had snow chains on my tire and an ice scraper in my gloved hand. Dressed in Eskimo attire, out the door I went, headed for my lifetime adventure. Knowing that the interview was about ten miles away and the inclement weather would probably slow me down, I left an hour early. Nothing was going to stop me, even though I experienced a quite a bit of difficulty driving. I skidded a couple of times, stalled out at one point, and my heater went out. But I was undeterred. As I plowed through the thick blanket of falling snow, I had only one thing on my mind. All I could see through the blinding white was a vision of myself strutting through airports, dressed in my finest airline livery, gleaming golden wings pinned to my chest. Faraway lands awaited me, and I was trying my best to get there! After driving slowly and carefully, I arrived at my destination. With no thought as to how I would get back home in the deepening powder, I forged ahead with my interview, and gave it my all. I developed an immediate chemistry with Mrs. Burton, the recruiter. She must have felt compassion for me, observing that I had driven through a raging blizzard. Sensing how determined and serious I was, she closed the interview with the assurance that I would hear something within one week. A week came and went. And another week. I could hardly contain myself. Finally, I could stand the suspense no longer - I called the recruiter! She reassured me that I had been recommended for employment, and couldn’t figure out why I was not contacted. "However", she said, "it is not customary to inform an applicant why he or she was not hired". She regretted that she could do no more to encourage me, but I pressed on. I told her that if there was anything that needed to be changed and it was in my power to change it, I wanted to be given a chance to do so. Maybe I could take steps to improve or clarify whatever was holding me back. She protested at first, but I persisted in my crusade and was able to convince her to investigate. She said she would get back with me. I waited by the phone in agony another three weeks. What in the world was happening? Why didn’t they notify me? What went wrong? Finally the jangling of the phone shook me out of my despair – it was Mrs. Burton! My heart pounded; my hands became moist and shaky – this was the big moment! "Wendy", she murmured, "I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to begin flight attendant training in two weeks!" I had finally received the answer I wanted to hear – I got the job! She said that my application had been set aside, waiting for my physical report. It got placed on the wrong desk – the desk of someone who no longer worked there! Mrs. Burton found it, and the rest is history! I never, ever became daunted in the quest of achieving my goal. I am an active participant in shaping my fate. After this tumultuous interviewing experience, I went on to enjoy six wonderful years of flying, which led to other positions in a supervisory capacity. I am more sensitive to the plight of the applicant who really wants an airline job, and this experience has had a major part in influencing many of my decisions as a recruiter. Determination is a valuable thing – just think how my life might have been had I not relentlessly pursued my goal!
---By Wendy Stafford, a former flight attendant and president
and senior consultant at Airline Inflight Resources, a
professional interview coaching company devoted exclusively to
airlines. Visit her website at http://www.airlineinflight.com
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