Turn your cabin crew dream into a reality by not giving up

On January 21, 2023, approximately 900 individuals applied to work as cabin crew for AirAsia Philippines. Only 200 of them completed the first two stages. Only 37 of the 900 candidates passed the 5-stage process. That’s only 4% of those that applied. Please know that being rejected does not spell the end of your dream of becoming a cabin crew member.

It simply means that you must do better in the next round of cabin crew walk-in interviews. But, depending on how you dealt with being turned down, you may have learned and grown from it.

Unfortunately, some applicants ended up accusing the airline recruitment process of being unfair or that the standards were too high. I beg to disagree. I was there for the AirAsia Philippines hiring event and saw everything from start to finish. The entire process was fair and transparent. Per stage, you either qualify or do not. If you complete one step, you advance to the next. If you don’t, you’re going home. However, for some, it served as a learning experience for the next recruitment.

Some of the 37 accepted cabin crew applicants took more than five attempts. Consider what might have happened if these individuals had given up after their first or second attempt. They would not have been celebrating their victory at 5:00 p.m. on January 21.

The end of your cabin crew dream begins when you give up

I’d ask some of the candidates I met at the recruitment if they got in or not. Some of them informed me they were leaving because they didn’t make the cut. I would always tell them that no matter how many times they tried, it was not the end of their path to become a cabin crew as long as they did not give up.

Have you failed the BMI test? Or did you give your all during the recruitment process’s visual impact? Did you fail to collaborate with your team members during group dynamics? Or did you respond to a “bait” question? These are things we can always work on for the next time.

For BMI, yes you can lose weight. You don’t have to enroll in a gym. You can do cardio exercises and diet. You can also always brush up your communication skills by practicing everyday. You just have to know what airlines look from those who want to become a cabin crew. As for AirAsia Philippines, here are things I observed in which they look for from those who want to become an Allstar:

• Visual impact – This is common qualification among all airlines in the Philippines. You have to be able to catch the attention of passengers and command respect without having to say so. Your presence has to be of a strong impact that you can get noticed easily.
• Communication skills – There were some applicants with really great looks but unfortunately, they lacked communication skills. This can always be practiced everyday. Read more books and read them aloud. Converse with people in English. Why English? Because it is the universal language and not all your passengers understands Filipino. However, most understands English and you have to be able to communicate anything necessary to the passenger, especially when it comes to safety.
• Do not be nervous – Yes it is normal to be nervous but airlines doesn’t like this. Why? In the even of an emergency, you have no time to be nervous because you have to be able to think immediately of what to do. Every second counts. Being nervous in the event of an emergency can hamper your actions and better judgement. This can be dangerous. If talking to your panelists already makes you nervous, what more during an emergency and this is something airlines do not like.
• You have to be yourself – Airline recruiters like AirAsia Philippines want to see the real you. They don’t want to see another “Catriona Grey” or “Taylor Swift” or any other person you are not. When you talk to your recruiters during an interview, you have to think that you are talking to a passenger. Recruiters want to see how you talk from the point of view of a passenger. Hence, you cannot sound to meek nor too boisterous. You have to come in the middle.
• You are already being observed before you are even called to talk – Sometimes, recruiters walk around the room trying to look at you and remembering your numbers if you stand out. So even while seated waiting for your turn, smile and talk to people beside you. In the case of AirAsia, you have to have that fun, friendly, and professional demeanour.

Do not allow others to discourage you

Other people may discourage you from fulfilling your cabin crew dream. Some might say “hindi ka kasi pang-FA” or “wala mangyayari sa iyo diyan.” Always remember that you have the choice to listen to them or not. More so, you have the right to live your dream. I even see some social media pages trying to discourage aspirants and I think, that’s too lame.

Listen to those who will encourage you to go on amidst challenges that you face. Giving up is never an option. A failure is not the end of your cabin crew dream.

The only time it will be is when you give up.