Traveling has been my passion and my dream for as long as I can remember. As I child I used to stare at airplanes in the sky, wondering where they were going. Most times I imagined myself being on those airplanes, regardless of their final destination. Of course, I always saw myself as a passenger and I am not sure I knew the profession of cabin crew even existed.
I never in my life thought seriously about becoming a cabin crew. All the way back in 2013, a friend of mine applied for a cabin crew job in Emirates but I never considered is seriously for myself. Since then, however, the idea has always been lurking at the back of my mind.
And finally, in 2018, after a year of unsatisfactory office jobs, countless rejections on the job market and lots of frustrations, I remembered my slightly forgotten dream of traveling the world. After yet another rejected job application, I randomly came across an article in a news website about cabin crew interviews happening in 3 days in my native Sofia. The company was not mentioned but I decided to check out Emirates Group Careers Website just in case. And the rest is history…
One of the most common questions I get asked by people is how and where I applied. So, I decided to share this information in an article.
What do you need to become Emirates Cabin Crew?
The company has a couple of general requirements about becoming crew with them. Here they are:
At least 21 years of age at the time of joining
Arm reach of 212 cm while standing on tiptoes
Minimum height of 160 cm
High school graduate (Grade 12)
Fluency in English (written and spoken)
No visible tattoos while you’re in Emirates cabin crew uniform (cosmetic and bandage coverings aren’t allowed)
Can adapt to new people, new places and new situations
Physically fit for this demanding role with a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI)
How do you apply?
Usually everyone should first make an online application on Emirates Careers Website. This is the first step. After that, if approved, you will be invited to attend an Assessment Day. Emirates organize Assessment Days in most countries but in case they don’t do in your own, you may have to travel to the closest one.
An Assessment Day is one day during which all invited candidates are gathered together and undergo individual and group interviews. It can take from one hour to up to 8-9 hours, depending on how far in the process you go. The Assessment Day is split into several stages and after each one, a number of candidates drop out of the process. Such a day aims at evaluating each candidate’s abilities to work in a team, communicate, assess their reactions in situations - basically the recruiter wants to find out about candidates’s soft skills. All candidates who remain until the last stage of the assessment day are invited for an individual interview later on.
How it happened for me?
The way I applied was slightly different. I submitted my CV directly by showing up at the Open Day (Assessment Day) without submitting an online application first. This is possible too, but the regular procedure usually goes the other way around. From here on, the recruitment process splits into several stages:
Stage 1: CV Review and Evaluation
In my case, the first step I had to pass was CV review and evaluation. I am not fully aware what the best work and educational experience is to help you pass this stage. Personally, I didn’t have any customer service experience from before as in restaurant work etc. but I had lots of office experience. No higher education or international experience are required either. One advice I would give is to just write the experience that you have and be genuine about it - make sure the language is perfect and your job descriptions are clear and concise. Be yourself and don’t necessarily try to tailor your CV to a customer service related position.
Stage 2: Group Assessment
The next stage is all about candidates’ abilities to be team players, communicate and collaborate. Future cabin crew are put into different group tasks and the recruiter observes behavior, soft skills, communication, patience and skills to be an effective and useful team player. There are several group tasks and candidates who don’t cover certain criteria drop out after each task.
Stage 3: Heigh and Reach Assessment
Candidates who reach this stage will be asked to show how far their arms’ reach is and their height will be measured by the recruiter. This is important because cabin crew have to be able to reach the head tracks (the overhead compartments for hand luggage above the seats) effortlessly as well as be able to reach all items on the food cart during service on board.
Stage 4: English Language Assessment and Behavioral Questionnaire
All candidates must speak English fluently. This is the work language of the company as well as the language you will be communicating with customers and colleagues on board. All candidates who reach this stage will be given an online English language assessment test to complete. Please, note that whole Assessment Day is also conduced in English, regardless which country it is held in.
Another assessment at this stage will be the completion of behavioral questionnaire where candidates have to answer a variety of situational questions. Meaning, candidates choose from a selection of answers how they would react in a certain situation. The test is web based.
Stage 5: Final individual interview
Finally, the recruitment process concludes with an individual interview. I was lucky enough to have my interview face-to-face with the recruiter but generally interviews are web based and conduced online.
This is the final stage. After that, the recruiter takes your application and an overall assessment is done is Dubai. For me it took two weeks before I received the “Golden Call’ informing me that I was selected to join as cabin crew. If the candidate is rejected, they usually receive a generated email informing them about the outcome of their application.
Disclaimer: Please, note that this article describes the recruitment process largely from my point of view and they way I experienced it myself.
The article does not reflect any process strictly specified by the company. It aims at giving a general overview of what may be expected during the selection process. More information can be found here.
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