The final interview questions, collected: every one I have been asked or heard of, sorted by what they are testing
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#1 Joburg open day in a month and I have spent a year collecting the actual questions from this forum, from friends, and from the crew who answer DMs. Here is the list, sorted by what each question is really asking, so you can prepare stories rather than answers.
Testing: can you handle a difficult person
- Tell me about a time you dealt with an angry customer.
- Describe a situation where a customer was wrong and you had to tell them.
- Tell me about a time you had to say no to someone.
- What would you do if a passenger refused to follow a safety instruction?
Testing: can you work in a team you did not choose
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a colleague.
- Describe working with someone you did not get on with.
- Tell me about a time a team failed and what you did.
- What role do you take in a group?
Testing: can you cope with pressure and change
- Tell me about a time you worked under pressure.
- Describe a day when everything went wrong.
- Tell me about a time plans changed at the last minute.
- How do you handle being tired at work?
Testing: are you honest about yourself
- Tell me about a mistake you made.
- What is your weakness? (They want a real one with a fix, not 'I work too hard'.)
- Tell me about a time you received criticism.
- Why did you leave your last job?
Testing: have you thought about this properly
- Why this airline and not the others?
- What do you know about our base city?
- What concerns do you have about the lifestyle?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- What will you miss most from home?
Testing: the basics
- Tell me about yourself. (Two minutes, work focused, ending with why you are here.)
- Walk me through your CV. (Have an answer for every gap.)
- Do you have any questions for us? (Have two. Real ones.)
The method
Eight stories from your work life, each with a situation, what you did (in steps), and what happened. Every question above maps to one of the eight. Practise them out loud until they are two minutes each and sound like you.
Add any I have missed, with the airline if you can.
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#2 Purser, and this is a complete list for Emirates. I would add one that trips people: 'Tell me about a time you went against a rule because it was the right thing to do.' The right answer involves not actually breaking the rule. Think about it before the day.
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#3 Aer Lingus, and 'a time you had to follow a rule you disagreed with' is ours, the inverse of Josh's. Both are testing the same thing: do you understand that the rule wins in an aircraft.
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#4 TUI: 'Tell me about a time you made someone's day.' It sounds soft. It is testing whether you notice people. Have a real story.
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#5 @kirstywings added. That one I had not seen anywhere and it is a lovely question.
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#6 Delta: 'What would you do if you saw a colleague doing something unsafe?' The answer is 'say something immediately, then tell the purser'. It tests whether you will speak up. US carriers ask this every time.
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#7 The 'weakness' question is the one I fumbled in July and this list has 'a real one with a fix' which is exactly the correction I got. Mine now: 'I over prepare, so I have learned to set a time limit'. Real, fixed, done.