8. Ok, everyone sees the glamour of working in this field. What do you think are the challenges?
This question is a way for the interviewer to find out if you are really aware of what you are getting into. And, are you ready to accept it? The job does offer a lot of advantages but like any other good thing in the world, it has its own flip side. Somebody who is aware of the disadvantages and still ready to commit is the one they would want to hire.
So, some of the disadvantages of this profession that you should be aware of and can talk about are:
i.) Continuous traveling over different time zones makes your body clock get confused. This is something that the people in this industry always have to fight with.
ii.) Away from the family
iii.) No Saturday, Sunday or Festivals off - When everyone else may be at home enjoying their time with family and friends, you’ll have to be at work. Are you ready to miss upon those occasions.?
iv.) Eating out might compromise your digestion, immunity and over all health. In addition to this, cabin crew is also more exposed to communicable diseases like influenza, viral etc.
v.) Rude customer behavior – Even after you have done your job well, you may have to bear the brunt of someone else’s bad day.
vi.) No fixed working hours – You need to be flexible to work at any hours of the day.
9. What would you do if you have a first-time flyer who is very scared during takeoff?
As a cabin crew member, you would come across different types of passengers who may panic during takeoffs or landing or may be disturbed during turbulence period. The cabin crew member needs to make these stressful situations easy for the travelers and provide them with the best customer service. He/she needs to provide empathy and needs to provide positive ways to make the travelers feel safe.
To answer this question you can say: "I would talk to the passengers and assure them that this is a common anxiety feeling that most of the first- time flyer go through. I would ensure them that all the safety measures are taken care of and would give him some tips to stay calm such as: I would ask them to shut their eyes and do some breathing exercise."
10. Are you OK staying away from family at a long stretch and miss certain important family occasions?
Well, as a crew member you would need to travel when everyone else is home. On many important occasions and festivals, you’ll need to be away from your family.
With this question, the interviewer is trying to understand if you are adaptable.
But the good news is that in today's time, technology helps you a lot to stay connected with your family even if you are far away.
To answer this question you can say something like, "Being away from family is at times difficult but now staying connected with them is easy with the help of technology.
I know in advance that this job would need me to miss out on many occasion and events, but I think, I’m prepared for that.”
Since this job requires a lot of traveling, it would give me the opportunity to interact with people of different nationalities and learn about their culture and traditions & these things interest me a lot.
11.Do you have the temperament to handle an emergency situation?
As a crew member, you may come across emergency situations.
The airline provides its crew survival training so that they can quickly swing into action and know what exactly is to be done. A slight delay may cost many lives.
To answer this question you can say something like: "The most important thing during an emergency is to be calm so that you can think and act quickly. And, I’m usually calm under stress because it allows me to stay objective.”
You can then go on to add any practices that you follow to stay calm and composed.
12. Tell us about a time when you had provided excellent customer service?
With this question, the interviewer is trying to understand from your work experience if you were able to provide excellent customer service. As a crew member, you must be able to provide services that are beyond customer's expectation. You must be ready to provide reliable services to the customer and be ready to take challenges.
To answer this question you can say something like: "I ensure that I meet customer's requirement and understand them. Once I had a passenger who had a difficulty in walking and had not opted for a wheelchair. I asked him to use the wheelchair and assisted him with the boarding formalities. The passenger was very grateful and thanked me. With this, I was able to create a good experience for him."
In a similar way, "Once a pregnant lady was traveling with us. Being in her initial months of pregnancy she was not able to bear the smell arising from her co-passenger's food. I understood that it was something owing to pregnancy and hormonal changes. We had no other vacant seats in the Economy class but I knew that the Business Class has some vacant seats. So, with special permission from the Captain, we shifted her to the Business Class where she could sit more comfortably and had a good flight."
13. Do you work well in a team or alone?
As a cabin crew member, sometimes you would be required to work in a team and sometimes alone.
To answer this question you can say something like: "I enjoy working alone but I am also a good team player. I enjoy teamwork but if I am given a task, I take complete responsibility to complete it on time and ensure I give out the best. While working with the team, I enjoy the brainstorming sessions and discussion with my team members. Each team member comes up with some new ideas which makes the work more interesting."
14. What are your strengths and weakness?
This is a very common question that the candidates can expect in the interview. With this question, the interviewer is trying to understand are you fit for this role. Your strengths should be the strengths required for this job role.
While talking about your weaknesses let the interviewer know what you are doing to overcome them.
To answer this question you can say something like: "I am a good communicator and I ensure that I understand the passenger's requirements. I enjoy taking new challenges as it gives me an opportunity to learn and grow.
As far as my weakness is concerned I give a lot of attention to detail which at times takes a bit more time to complete a task. To overcome this, I am giving myself a deadline to ensure that the work is done on time without compromising on quality."
