Get That Job!!!

I have a girlfriend who I help out occasionally and this weekend I had a few minutes to help her screen people who want to be flight attendants.  You’d think that finding flight attendants would be a piece of cake – not so…..

First of all, you have to find people who are compassionate enough to serve and deal with difficult situations – they have to know how to handle crying babies, drunk passengers, passengers who want to do things that are dangerous and unsafe for their own personal satisfaction and passengers who are panic stricken.  It’s not an easy job – I know I could never do it.

It’s hard to find people who can go through that screening process because there are so many people who fall apart.  This is a necessary part of the process, and thousands of people may be contacted but here are the mistakes they are making, most of it by not being available – don’t let this be you:

Answer the phone –get your messages regularly – make sure your privacy manager isn’t keeping  your job from getting to you - recruiters may call hundreds of people to set up interviews – and the first people they reach are usually the first who get the slots. It’s hard when people call a day or two later and they are so disappointed that the interview slots are gone – but what can we do? When it comes to interviews, it’s usually first come, first served.

Use your landline, or make sure your cell phone service is reliable.  The recruiter for your job may be calling from anywhere – even overseas – but if they can’t hear you or get through to you, it’s going to be hard to move you forward in the process.  Recruiters have to make sure their phone service is reliable also, and every area of the country knows where the best cell phone service can be obtained – put your best foot forward and don’t let anything stand in your way in that regard.  I’ve been known to call a  recruiter or two back from my landline to make sure they could understand me, so don’t hesitate to do the same.

Ask the recruiter to repeat the question if you don’t understand it or didn’t hear it clearly – sometimes we weren’t heard and sometimes you’re so nervous about speaking to the recruiter that you can’t think straight (I understand, I wasn’t always the HR Manager).  It’s ok to ask them to say that again – some companies are strict about repeating because we all have to be careful about giving an unfair advantage to an applicant. When I worked at the Palmer House, I had an interview with the Housekeeping Manager for the payroll job.  The manager was from South America, and his accent was so thick, I could barely understand him. He indulged me because I was nice and apologetic, but I know he was frustrated. I got the job, and a few days later I was used to his accent. He was actually one of the best bosses I ever had.  Before I came along he had three people in my position and they had all walked off the job.  He brooked no nonsense, but I was ready to do whatever it took.

Yes, it’s true that companies are recruiting around the clock.  Don’t think it’s a trick if a recruiter calls you late at night or early in the morning.  I’ve done recruiter calls on vacation, on the weekend, and I’ve had applicants who worked the overnight shift and I’ve gotten out of bed and called them.  I called a man who was on his way to Bible Study and his wife was SO annoyed she hung up on me.  Her husband didn’t find out he had been offered the job for two days! She says she forgot I called – I can laugh about it now, but it wasn’t funny at all then.  Maybe you should answer the phone when you’re job hunting – some people don’t take your job hunt seriously.  My parents would find me wherever I was when someone called to offer me a job – sadly, everyone isn’t as dedicated.   Once my mother was throwing a 4^th of July party at the house and White Castle called to tell me that they added me to their schedule. I was carrying pop to the guests in the backyard when my mother picked up the phone.  She called me in and the phone call changed my life – White Castle ended the drought of my summer.  I stayed with them until I went to college, but I still have very fond memories of the place.

Most of all – stay positive.  Once you get the recruiter on the phone, don’t act like you’ve already lost the job – remain upbeat!  Even if this job isn’t the answer, your big break may be right around the corner.  When I interviewed at the Hotel Monaco, the manager really liked me but I couldn’t work FT, I already had a regular job. He recommended me to a friend down the street, and that’s how I started working at the Silversmith.  You never know what’s in store for you.