SAUDIA Cabin Crew Recruitment Experience

SAUDIA Cabin Crew Recruitment Experience

Before I am happily employed with my current airline right now, I tried my luck in getting in the SAUDIA Cabin Crew Recruitment Day. It was of course my goal to get in because I love their destinations, benefits (Maternity Leave) and the compensation of course. However this is another sad story because I just made it until the Final interview. Anywhoooo.. I would like to share my experience here in the blog because maybe my failure of a story be a way to become a success story for some of you.

Here I would just share what happened on the recruitment process.

Initial Interview:

February 14, 2014

Even though its Valentines Day, A lot of pretty ladies lined up in front of IPAMS office instead of going on a date with their boyfriends or the firing squad.

I arrived at around 9am with my resume and pictures and we were instructed to wait outside before we were accepted inside the office.

Once we were allowed in, we waited in the ground floor interview area for a while and then we were called to go to the 2nd floor room which is filled with chairs. We waited in a lined fashion once again. after about 1 hour we were instructed to go to the top level of the building (i think its the 4th floor) where in more chairs are waiting for us!

The room was much bigger, more like a big event place, like a ballroom of a hotel but less fancier but can hold about 200-300 people I guess.

Again we waited in line, sitting in a chair in an orderly manner, there is a point in the chair line where in, one by one we were asked to go to a corner and they would check our height and weight. And after that they will let you know right away of you are qualified or not. Those who are qualified will be going back to the line and others were sent home.

Once you are asked to go back in line you will be waiting to be interviewed by the 3 recruiters in front. They have a line of tables and a recruiter from IPAMS will be on one side and the applicant on the other side of the table. It was a one on one interview. However when it was almost my turn, my name was called together with 10 other applicants. We were asked to go to a room with a recruiter and she explained that she will be doing a group interview. I think this is because they want to save time.

On the group interview, each one of us were asked to stand in front of the group,  introduce ourselves, state our work experience or educational background, what is our edge compared to other candidates and why should saudia airlines hire us.

So each and everyone of us went. and after that we were instructed to wait for the email to let us know if we passed and the schedule of Final Interview with the SAUDIA Recruitment Team.

After about 1 week,  on February 21, 2014 I received the email. Screenshot shown below.

My invitation letter for the final interview on SAUDIA just this year. It was scheduled on my birthday! You would think that is a good sign! 

I was so excited because the date of my interview is on my birthday! Which totally means it is meant to be because my current work at that time gives us Birthday OFF. Which means I can totally make it on the interview. Even if it means I travel from 4am from Cebu to Manila and be back to Cebu by 10pm that same night.

So that is exactly what I did. :)

FINAL Interview

I arrived early on IPAMS office.

We were asked to wait in the waiting room which is filled with sofas.

There I met Noelle from *PEX and also a colleague of mine from Manila named Steph.

noelle, me and steph :) selfie time!
photo credits to sis noelle!! :)

We were first instructed to meet the SAUDIA Recruiters as a group.There were 4 of them, 1 female 3 males.

We lined up in a half moon fashion all 20 of us. 

They introduced themselves. Gave instructions for the interview. Like we were instructed to walk across the big room forming a square and finally walk across the middle of the room towards them and back.

After the walk we will then be seating in a chair and be interviewed by the panel of judges, este recruiters.

After that we were asked to come forward as they will take our height and weight measurements once again.

Once measurements of all 20 girls are done we were instructed to go back to the waiting room. Then one by one we all went in the room for the interview.

Some interviews were shorter than the others.

For me they asked a bunch of questions.

First of all they asked me how am i doing today? (I said I am doing great! its my birthday today! :))

then they asked me to introduce myself. From what I have said they will then build on to ask other questions.

Example; so you say you are passionate about this career of flying, I just like to ask if we don't hire you today, what do you think you will be doing with your life?

They also asked me about my current job and why I would like to apply with them.

What is your worst experience in flying?

Why you want to be a flight attendant?

Why did you choose to apply in SAUDIA?

What do you know about our company?

What do you know about Saudi?

What would be my reaction if a passenger was rude to me?

So you are Pisces, you and me are m\not going to get along with each other because I am Virgo? What do you think about that?

It was a combination of random out of the blue questions and the basic big guns type of interview questions that they asked me.

After the interview you are free to go home and wait for the text if you made it. If you don't receive a text that night, it means the inevitable has happened. LOL

So that is how I spent my 27th birthday this year. I was kind of depressed because of my age adding-up and well you already know I did not get a text that night.However, as I would always do, i picked myself up and prepared for the next challenge life has to offer me.

On hindsight: I think the more you talk the more mistakes you can make, I was just too happy on this day that I think I blabbered a lot on my interview. I was also too casual with them that I think i did not come off as professional to them. 

All in all i think it comes down to the preparation. I truly believe that I was not prepared on this interview, because the stress of travelling from cebu to manila as well as working on my tight schedule in my job at that time is a little bit stressful for me. 

My all time advice to everyone that I know really works is that:

You have to  "Prepare prepare prepare".

I wrote a whole post about this topic here---> Kaykrizz Interview Tip part 2: How to prepare for a flight attendant interview?

I believe that there are 3 levels of preparation one has to go through so that you can truly get the job on that day! 

No matter how pretty,  experienced,charming or perfect your resume is on that day if you are not prepared; you still will not get the job. 

Bottom line is you are being judged on your performance on that day and on that day only.(period)

P.S.
If you are wondering: My colleague Steph made it and is now training with Saudia. She said that it was just a short interview with her and she was asked common questions about her educational background. She graduated BS Nursing.

*PinoyExchange.com ---> there is an  FA wannabe thread