Building your flight attendant interview preparation plan

A preparation plan is a way to decide, ahead of time, what you will practise and in what order. That way the days before an interview go on practice instead of on deciding what to practise. This guide suggests a simple structure in stages. Adjust it to the time you actually have before your interview.

Start from the interview you were invited to

Read your invitation or the posting closely before you plan anything. Note each stage it mentions, such as an online application, a recorded video interview, a group session or an in-person interview, and anything it asks you to bring or prepare. Hiring processes differ between airlines, so build the plan around the stages in front of you, not the ones you have read about elsewhere. Our interview-prep directory has a page for each airline in our question bank, with the hiring steps and requirements we found and links to the sources.

Early stage: gather your stories

Behavioural questions, the “tell me about a time” kind, ask you to describe something you have done. Before you rehearse any answers, write a list of real moments from your work, school or volunteering: a time you helped an upset customer, a time you worked with someone difficult, a time you made a mistake and fixed it, a time you stayed calm under pressure, a time you went beyond what was asked. Write a few lines on each. You are building a stock of material to draw on, not scripts.

Then match your stories to the kinds of questions you expect. Our practice app has flashcards grouped by airline and topic, which you can use to see the kinds of questions and spot gaps in your list (how many cards you can open depends on your plan; see pricing). If no story fits a common theme, look for one now rather than inventing an answer in the room.

Middle stage: shape and say your answers

Turn each story into a short spoken answer with a clear beginning, middle and end. The STAR format guide walks through that. Say each answer out loud rather than only writing it down. Saying an answer aloud shows you where it runs long or wanders, and it is better to find that out at home.

If your process includes a recorded video stage, add recorded practice here. Record an answer, watch it back, change one thing, and record it again. The recorded video guide covers what to check on playback and when to stop retaking.

Mix in situational questions, the “what would you do if” kind, which ask you to reason through a scenario rather than recall a story. The scenarios guide suggests a method.

Final stage: rehearse the day, then rest

Close to the interview, practise in conditions that resemble the real thing. Run a full mock interview from start to finish without stopping to fix answers. Dress the way you plan to on the day, and if a group stage is part of your process, practise contributing to a discussion with friends or family. The interview day guide has a checklist for the day itself.

Plan a lighter final day. We suggest reviewing your story list rather than drilling new answers late at night. Arriving rested is part of the preparation.

Keep the plan honest

• Practise out loud more than you read. Reading an answer is not the same as saying it.
• Keep every answer true. A real story is easier to tell naturally, and easier to answer follow-up questions about.
• Note which answers still feel weak after each session, and start the next session with those.
• Check the hiring details on the airline’s own careers site before the day. Requirements and steps change, and the posting you applied to is the version that counts.