My Application Process

This is just a quick recap of the process :) I'm not going to go into too much detail here, but it's just to give an overview.

I applied online in the summer last year and got invited to an Open Day (OD) a few months later. On the day I made sure to wear business attire, hair tied in a bun, with the iconic red lips (MAC Russian Red) and nails (OPI Big Apple Red) - to give a good first impression. I remember being quite nervous as I walked into the hotel lobby, where around 40 other girls were stood waiting. By the time the doors opened, there was about 70 people in total.

At the start of the day we watched a few videos on life in Dubai, what to expect, and the career in general. We then had to hand over our documents (CV and photos) to the recruiter. We were all asked to wait while she looked through them. A list of people who had made it to the next stage was posted on the door an hour later. Most people did make it through :)

At this point the OD was turned into an Assessment Day (AD). We then started the group tasks which were quite simple and mainly so the recruiter could see how well we worked together in small groups, and then later in a slightly larger groups. We also did the reach test. You have to be able to reach 212cm (since that's where all safety equipment is kept, and the over head luggage racks). We were then asked to wait again while the recruiter decided who would go on to the next stage.

In the last group task we were split into groups of 10 people and we were given a scenario. We were asked to make a decision within our groups and then present our ideas to the rest of the room. After this, the people who did not have English as a first language were asked to complete a test. Everyone passed! :) By the end of the day we were down to around 30-40 people.

The recruiter then arranged a date and time for our Final Interviews (FI). We were asked to bring some photographs and other documents to the FI, and also complete a questionnaire before the day. I remember getting to the interview an hour early because I was so nervous! We were told it could take up to 45 minutes but mine only took around 20! I didn't know what to make of that when I came out of the room. The questions weren't too difficult, just like a normal job interview really. Then the waiting started...

I would check my online application status every morning... sometimes several times a day haha. I eventually got an email saying my application had been successful! :) But because training dates were all full, I had been put On Hold (OH). This waiting was agony haha. To keep myself sane I joined a few groups on Facebook. These were so good because everyone is so supportive and it made me feel okay to know that I wasn't on my own in this waiting process.

After MONTHS I finally got my Joining Formalities in Progress (JFIP) status! I wanted to scream I was so so happy. But it was actually kind of annoying because that day I was at work, even though it wasn't my normal day to work... and I missed my Golden Call (GC)!!! The GC is when your co-ordinater tells you the date you will be joining, and I missed it! She left a message with my parents saying she would ring back tomorrow and also left her number so my parent's obviously texted me straight away to let me know. Honestly that was the longest shift of my life haha! I was beyond jittery, I just wanted to get home and ring the office! But when I eventually did that, it was closed haha! Luckily I got the call the very next morning and I finally had a Date of Joining (DOJ). The co-ordinater was so lovely on the phone and all I wanted to do was scream thank you thank you thank you! I refrained though.

I got an email the next day with my log in details for the portal and I only had 5 days to complete a list of forms and joining formalities. It got me quite stressed out because I had a busy week, but I managed to get it sorted :) I am currently waiting for my Final Approval (FI) which means everything is okay!

I have put my timeline below. I think it varies for everyone but I'm guessing mine is definitely one of the longer ones.

OD/AD: 10.01.15

FI: 12.01.15

OH: 09.02.15 and 07.06.15

JFIP: 28.06.15

DOJ: 11.09.15!

I can't believe it's only just over two months until I go. It's going to come around so so fast. In the meantime I am going be getting lots of vaccinations :( But I have a family holiday to look forward to as well :)

I hope you enjoyed reading this - it was a bit longer than I expected! I'll keep you all posted once I hear about my Final Approval and the next steps!

- Parul x

(Just a little picture of me on the day of the interview!)

#career #application #interview #cabincrew