As promised back in November (sorry for the delay :P) I am posting more commonly asked flight attendant job interview questions (and sample answers).
General questions:
What would be the challenge about this flight attendant position?
This is a tricky question as it could easily lead to a negative answer. Avoid saying things like dealing with troublesome customers, being away from home all the time, working under a stressful environment. Your answer should be 100% positive.
Sample: I think the most challenging aspect about this flight attendant position is to further improve the outstanding customer service your airline is demonstrating.
Why should we hire you?
This is a question almost all job interviews, whether for an airline position or not, would ask. This is the best time to sell yourself and this question is usually kept to the end of the interview. Now is the opportunity to recap the skills and qualifications you have demonstrated and mentioned during the interview. How you answer this question pretty much determines the last impression left with the interviewer. Keep your answer short and precise. Emphasize on your customer service skills and other relevant experience that you possess, and match them with the job requirements. There should be two parts in your answer; how this position will benefit you (i.e. more opportunities to demonstrate and improve your skills) and how you will benefit the airline (i.e. you are going to be an invaluable asset to the airline).
What are your strengths?
Find out your strengths at work by asking your friends, family and if possible, your present and past employers and colleagues. You might not be aware of your strengths but others do. Be very prepared for this question as this is a very common one. The recruiter wants to know what you are good at and how that might fit into the role they are trying to fill. Prepare for three strengths that are relevant to the role. Don’t just list the strengths; you have to elaborate on your answer including giving examples in real life and at workplace, so that your interviewer knows you are truly competent in the areas that you said you are strong at. Be confident in answering this question. Examples of relevant strengths include dependability, honesty and patience.
What are your weaknesses?
The recruiter is trying to see if you have a sense of your own limitations. This question always comes after the question about your strengths. If the question didn’t specify the quantity, just name one. Never say you don’t have a weakness because this gives the interviewer an impression that you don’t know enough about yourself; after all, no one is perfect in this world and everyone has their own weaknesses. There are two ways to answer this question. You could either turn positive to negative, or describe a weakness that is not relevant to the flight attendant position.
How to turn positive to negative
Put a negative spin to a quality that is considered a positive one. For example: “I am a workaholic and always go to work early and leave work late. I am learning to balance my work and life better.”
Describe a weakness that is not relevant to the flight attendant position
Start your answer with ‘my area for improvement is’ and end your answer with a resolution. This shows that you are proactively trying to change your weakness into a strength. For example: “My area for improvement is my spelling. I am a poor speller and rely on spellcheck when typing a document on the computer. However, I am committed to playing scrabble at least once a week to improve my spelling.” This also adds a humorous spin.
Related articles:
Commonly asked open house interview questions – individual interview
Applying for a flight attendant position – choosing the right airline
Applying for a flight attendant position - cover letter
Height requirement