We all know the saying “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again”. I know I have personally experienced getting through the application process, making it though the interview, thinking it all went well, and finding out I didn’t quite make the cut. These are some of the mistakes I think many people make that can easily be avoided:
ARRIVING LATE— always arrive at least 20min early to show you are prepared and eager!
FORGETTING NAMES— when meeting the recruiters, try to make a mental note of their names and address them as so during the interview. Don’t forget to bring a pen and paper! There may be some important things you’ll want to jot down, hint hint 😉
BODY LANGUAGE— Be aware of your posture, no slouching! Head up, keeping a smile on your face, and doing your best to hide your nerves. I’ve found that engaging with other applicants is a great way to calm your nerves and to just focus on the excitement of it all! Eye contact is important as well. Keeping eye contact is a great way to engage with your recruiter and show confidence.
ATTIRE— Dress like a flight attendant! It may feel a bit silly to tie a scarf around your neck as if playing dress up, but I promise it will only help. The recruiters don’t want to have to imagine you in their uniforms. The more you look the part, the more they’ll believe it. I went into my first interview with my hair down, business casual skinny pants, a striped button up dress shirt, and thought that a pop of leopard print dress shoes would be a good idea. It wasn’t. I stuck out like a sore thumb. I had not done my research and looking around I could see a few hadn’t either. Needless to say, we did not make the cut. I noted this and went to my next interview looking like cabin crew’s finest.
INTERACTING WITH OTHERS— As soon as you step into the room you are being watched. I know you’re nervous, but sitting alone, looking down, no smile, and not interacting with the other applicants is a sure fire way for the recruiters to think you have zero customer service ability and aren’t capable of interacting with strangers (which is the core of this job). Getting to know the other applicants and recruiters is a great way to show you’re communication and listening skills.
NOT HAVING ANSWERS PREPARED—Do your research. Even though you may not know the exact questions recruiters will be asking, you can make safe assumptions of the most likely asked questions and have a range of answers prepared.
CHEWING GUM— Just don’t.
BEING ON YOUR CELLPHONE— Let’s face it, we can’t live without our cell phones these days. Google maps is probably key to getting to your interview without getting lost, last minute texts to send out with “wish me luck!”, but before you walk into your interview shut it off. The last thing you want is to draw attention to yourself because you’re apologizing for interrupting the group interview with an incoming phone call. Not a good look.
I hope these tips help you to feel that much more prepared for your interview! You’ve got this sis! <3