Tips and advice for your PALexpress cabin crew recruitment day

PALexpress is Philippine Airlines’ domestic subsidiary, and they have been hiring more cabin crew in the past few months. They have been staging recruitment caravans around the Philippines, so aspirants need not travel to Manila to apply. Many aspirants are trooping to PALexpress recruitment events as they are also very much aware that this is the best way to become a Philippine Airlines cabin crew.

Both PALexpress and Philippine Airlines need more cabin crew. Philippine Airlines is rehiring all their cabin crew retrenched due to the pandemic. PALexpress, on the other hand, really needs more flight attendants as they continue to add more flights from its hubs outside of Metro Manila, such as Cebu.

Tips and advice to help you during your PALexpress cabin crew recruitment day

I want to share some tips and advice that may help you join a PALexpress cabin crew walk-in interview. These tips are based on observation during recruitment days, interviews with PAL and PALexpress people, conversations with cabin crew members, attending graduations, and sitting in at training sessions.

These tips may be helpful also if you want to move from PALexpress to Philippine Airlines in the future, as both share the same standards. I hope these tips and advice will be of help to you!

You are being observed the moment you step in the venue

You may not be aware of it, but recruiters and panelists sometimes walk in and out of the rooms. When they do this, there may be a chance that they are already observing everyone and taking mental notes on who can be a potential candidate. Hence, always smile and greet everyone, even if you don’t know them. Try to strike up a conversation with your co-applicant.

When you sit while waiting, observe proper posture. Sit up straight. You don’t have to smile the whole time but when you make eye contact with anyone, try to flash them a smile even if you are in a face mask. Your eyes will smile with you.

Be conscious of your grooming. It’s okay to go to the powder or comfort room to fix yourself once in a while.

Your recruiters try to observe how you interact with other people while waiting for your turn.

Know how to exude confidence amidst being nervous

PALexpress and Philippine Airlines recruiters have a firm eye on confident people. Being “pretty” or “handsome” is subjective, but confidence is not. Know how to protect it well. I know many of you will be nervous once you face the panelist, but that’s the challenge of keeping your confidence level.

This will show in how you sit, how you talk, how you project yourself, and the position of your hands.

Avoid fidgeting. Sometimes, we unintentionally tend to fidget, especially when we are nervous. Instead of putting your hands in the back or scratching your palms, try to counter it using hand gestures when you talk. I will learn more about this topic on how to use body language to project confidence.

Also, when asked “how are you feeling now?’ please avoid answering “, I’m nervous.” It will simply tell your recruiters that you lack confidence in yourself. Instead, you may say you are excited or feel blessed because of an opportunity to turn your cabin crew dream into a reality.

Being nervous is normal, but you must know how to contain it and not allow it to ruin your interview.

Make sure you have a good track record with your former employer

PALexpress and Philippine Airlines love people with integrity and a clean record. It doesn’t mean that you should be free of even minor offences, but at least you do not have any major ones like AWOL. PALexpress recruiters go through your resume. If they notice that you have only stayed in a company for less than 6 months, they ask you why. So be sure to have a valid reason.

If you have a history of AWOL and did not declare the company on your resume, PALexpress will still be able to find out. This can become grounds for termination if they catch you misrepresenting. All companies have ways to find out if you have any history of AWOL, and they do this by checking your SSS, PhilHealth, and PAG-IBIG records. This is something you cannot hide.

You have to stand-out

You have less than a minute to impress your panelist during the PALexpress cabin crew recruitment events. Stand tall, talk with confidence, move with finesse, keep your smile, express yourself with confidence without having to sound cocky, and make sure you follow the qualifications such as:

• Having clear skin
• Good set of teeth
• Properly worn corporate attire

Skin tone or skin colour is never a basis; please do take note of that. PALexpress and Philippine Airlines does not choose cabin crew members based on skin tone. It is indeed not true that “kelangan mo maging maputi para maging FA.” There are a lot of morena cabin crew in PAL.

When you talk, look at your recruiters straight into their eyes. If you are having a hard time, look at their nose bridge.

Know how to interact well with others

A segment of the recruitment process may require you to discuss a topic with a fellow applicant. The panelist at this stage wants to see how you interact with others and work as a team player. Participate and listen to the person you are talking to. Show enthusiasm for what they are saying. Share your thoughts, and don’t forget to ask questions about what your partner is talking about. Share your ideas but do not interrupt. Wait for the other person to finish talking.

Remember that as a cabin crew, you will be interacting with different passengers everyday. Hence, the airline is also checking your communications and interpersonal skills when they ask you to interact with others.

Have a strong “why”

PALexpress may ask you “why do you want to be part of PALexpress”. Avoid talking about the benefits but try to discern why you yourself wants to become a cabin crew. Is it because of the nature of the job of helping people? Do you have a childhood dream of becoming part of Philippine Airlines in the future?

For tips on answering your “why”, please do check this article.

Now, if your reason of joining PALexpress is because your big goal is to become a Philippine Airlines cabin crew, I do suggest you say it. Moving from PALexpress to Philippine Airlines will based on your performance, and not seniority. Of course, it also depends on the manpower needs of PAL.

PALexpress recruiters can visualize if you will look good in the uniform

As cabin crew, you will also carry the branding of the airline. Hence, you have to look good and very presentable in the PAL uniform. This is why your grooming must be taken into importance when you join the PALexpress cabin crew recruitment events events. Always be conscious about it.

If you need to lose weight, please do. It is something not impossible to do. Put on proper make-up and be in a bun. Avoid stooping when seated. When you are standing up, avoid standing on one leg. Again, you have to look confident, assertive, and respectful when in PAL uniform.

I hope these tips will help for now. I hope to have more of them in the coming days and weeks! Again, these are my tips. Your success in becoming a PALexpress cabin crew depends on how you perform. Whatever the results are, be thankful. If you make it, stay humble and do not forget always to be the better version of yourself every day. If not, treat it as another lesson and try again.