flight attendant Group interview

7 tips to Pass the group interview

Whats the group interview like?

If you’ve gotten this far, the airline liked your resume. Congratulations! But now, you need to get through the group interview (discussion) before you get to the personal interview.

The length of the group interview depends on the number of people in the group. It can last from as little as 30 minutes to several hours.

Here are 7 tips to give you an idea of what to expect when you go into the group discussion. If you get through this step then the personal interview should be easy.(in theory anyways)

NOTE: The interviewer may conduct the group discussion through a video service. You should follow All the rules and tips below as if you were in the room with the interviewer.

What are recruiters looking for during the group interview?

Airlines hire for personality and they will train you for the skills that they need. So when you go into the interview, you want to have answers that focus on 2 subjects.

You want to show your personality.
And you want to highlight what you will bring to the airline. Put another way, why should they hire you?

So you want to include things that are more personality and experienced based, rather than training based.

Talk about how you treat customers and how customer service matters to you. And your special style of customer service

You need to work together with your fellow crew members to keep the passengers comfortable and deal with any irate passengers.

And if something goes wrong, you have to quickly morph into a first responders role to guide the passengers to safety.

The group discussion is the way the airlines

see how you get along with people you don’t know (crew members).
Can you work as a team with them, without ruffling any feathers?
How flexible are you? If the conversation is going in one direction. Then suddenly changes to a different direction. How do you react?
And if you’re put in a situation you didn’t expect, how do you react?

The last two have to do with interacting with passengers.

If you have to deal with an irate passenger. Can you do it in a way that doesn’t offend that passenger and doesn’t make things worse?

Your goals for the group discussion

To give 2–3 good points during the discussion.
don’t be shy
don’t be offensive or aggressive (Don’t dominate the discussion)
involve everyone around you in the discussion (team work)
check your tone of voice and body language (be professional)
keep a gentle smile (be approachable)
acknowledge everyone who is talking
and make sure you have good time management

And at all times, try to look and be confident

You may be asked to stand in front of the group and introduce yourself.

If so, you will be given directions on how to introduce yourself. You must make sure you follow the directions exactly. So take a small notebook and jot down what you’re being asked to do. Following the instructions is part of the interview. It’s the main thing they are looking for when they ask you to stand in front of a room. Can you keep your wits together and do what you’re told to do?
- As an example: you may be asked to state your name, then what’s your favorite color and why, what languages you speak, then state your name again at the end.

Think about the way you walk up to the front of the group and the way you stand. Stand with your hands by your side, or clasped in front or in back. You want to stand up straight. No hands on your hips. If you talk with your hands, that’s okay.

Your voice. Speak to the back of the room. You don’t want to shout, but you want the people in the back to hear you. So you want your voice to carry. When people are nervous, their voice tends to go up (squeaky). So you want to drop your voice an octave when you talk so you sound more confident and it’s easier for your voice to carry.

Be aware of yourself when it’s not your turn, because they are aware of you and they will be watching. Encourage the person who is talking by smiling at them. Make sure you pay attention.

Tips for the flight attendant Group interview

Team work

You’ll be put in a group of 10–15 people and you’ll all be seated at a center table with a pen and paper. You’ll then be given a random topic, which may or may not be related to the airline.

It’s possible that you may be given a group assignment / project. Where you’re expected to solve a problem as part of the group.

Keep in mind that the interviewer isn’t judging you on the solution. What they are looking for is how you interact with the group while solving the problem. So the solution isn’t as important as how you work with others, again teamwork!

Make a good impression

Briefly introduce yourself. Start by simply introducing yourself with a smile and a handshake.
When you sit down, make sure you have good body posture. Your posture should be formal but not defensive, try to avoid folded hands.
Take the initiative
- When you’re told about the topic, be the first one to pick up the pen and paper. It doesn’t matter if you write down anything, but the initiative is important.

Time management

Make a note of the time limit given to discuss the topic and start the timer on your watch.
You’ll want to make sure you close the topic at the given time.
So if the interviewer gave you 10 minutes to discuss the topic. At the end of 9 ½ minutes you’ll want to remind the group that you / they are at the end, so you need to start a conclusion.

Who Begins the topic?

You’ll want to be the first one to begin the topic. It doesn’t matter what you say, but try to say the first words in that group.

If you can’t think of anything to say, then start by paraphrasing the topic you were given.

Be a leader and encourage others

During the discussion, some will be vocal, others may be shy and won’t say much.
Be the leader of the group and encourage the quiet ones to talk and you’ll end up getting some points.
If you see that someone would like to say something, give your chance to them. Say something like, “hay Jannet, would you like to say / add something?”.
Or “So John, what do you think of this topic, would you like to share some points?”
After they are finished. You may want to acknowledge what they said, by thanking them and saying that they made a good point.

Don’t be offensive or aggressive

There’s always, at least ONE, in the group that will be really offensive and / or aggressive. Don’t allow yourself to be sucked into an argument to prove a point.
Those who are offensive / aggressive are not going to be selected, so don’t focus on them.
Don’t be that aggressive person! Don’t dominate the conversation! Allow others to join in.

Instead, always try to be the leader of the group. Divert the attention to someone else who is making some good points or who wants to talk and hasn’t had a chance.

mind Your Reactions and Behaviors

It really doesn’t matter what you say during the group discussion (as long as it makes sense). What matters most is how you handle yourself. And how you interact with others during the discussion.

The interviewer wants to see how you react and behave, when you’re put in a situation where you’re interacting with people you’ve never met. And you’re in a situation you didn’t anticipate.

Bonus, Last reminder

When time is almost up, make sure to close the topic.
The interviewer should never be the one to say that time is up.
If you feel you spoke a lot during the discussion, then give the closing / summary to someone else
You could try something like:
- “So we had a very good discussion about the topic and several important points were mentioned. Since we’ve almost come to the end of time we must conclude this topic. John, would you like to say something to summarize this discussion?”
Or if you think you haven’t spoken much. Then you can use the same idea. But instead of asking someone else to summarize you can do it yourself.

TIP: If you need an idea of how to hold yourself and how to behave during the discussion. Watch late night talk shows and see how the host handles themselves during the discussion. They’re relaxed, always smiling, the attention is always on the other person…

If You Didn’t Make It (Join the Club)

If it turns out that you don’t get invited to the in-person interview. Don’t feel bad! Think of it as a learning experience!

You already know what to expect.
You have an idea of what questions the interviewer will ask.
How many interviews will be conducted, etc…

The re-application process should be easy for you.

Your confidence level should be high.

Most airlines will allow you to re-apply after 6 to 12 months. So you have time to go over what you learned.

You did Make It! Congratulations!

If you cleared the group discussion you will be called up for a personal interview.

You may be notified the same day, or it may take a week or two.

Going though the flight attendant interview process is difficult, but it’s worth it.

You’re going to get a great job that will turn into a great career!

Good Luck!

Are You Ready to Become a Flight Attendant?

Still wondering how to become a flight attendant?

Then check out our post: Flight attendant interview process. Where we discuss The group discussion, The personal interview, Flight attendant interview questions and ways to answer them, and What you can do to stand out from the crowd

Or you can check out the next post in the series, In Person Flight Attendant interview Where we tell you what you need to do to prepare for your interview.