Announcements: Part Two.
Month Four. Reserve. #PHX.
Big things are happening. And I want to share those things with you.
Two days ago, I got up at the crack of dawn after catching a few Zzzs in a quiet corner of the airport, put on a business suit and caught a flight to Phoenix.
After landing, I walked to the charter bus area where a shuttle van picked me up and took me to Tempe.
I walked into a large lobby, signed in and proceeded into a large conference room, where I introduced myself to recruiters and sat down for a group interview for US Airways / American Airlines.
Oh yeah, I forgot to add. I was invited to interview with what recently became the biggest airline in the entire world.
(!!!)
I had received the call only days prior, and decided, in a mood of let's see where the Universe takes me, to agree to interview. I came to the interview with nothing but my resume, required items and a smile. I was open to hearing more about the company but didn't expect that I would even make it past the first round. After all, airline interviews, especially for mainline carriers, are notoriously difficult.
The beginning of the day was relaxed. The recruiters did a brief slide show presentation, and then we took a break. I wandered around, making friends with the other 110 candidates and assuring others that they shouldn't be nervous. I told everyone to have fun, that I had been at a lot of these things (and didn't get hired at a lot of these things!) and that the best thing to do is just smile and hope for the best.
As the day continued, cuts were made. I almost didn't notice at first. After coming back from a break, the room seemed quieter. I started writing people's names down, telling them that I would find them on Facebook if I was sent home next.
After a few hours, I was actually starting to enjoy myself. By lunchtime, I had wandered over to the employee cafeteria and was chatting up one of the ladies from InFlight Standards (or whatever the equivalent is at US Airways). Four other candidates joined me, and I asked fellow candidate Dominique if we needed to go rejoin the group.
"This is it, at this point. Everyone else has been taken back to the airport," she said. What?! Out of over one hundred people, we were down to five?
At this point, a recruiter came into the cafeteria and asked the five of us to return to the conference room. Inside were twenty recruiters, standing in a circle and looking stony-faced. The original recruiter described a crash scenario and asked Dominique to read a prepared announcement in conjunction with the scenario.
Dominique began reading to the group: "Dear Dominique, US Airways recognizes your talents and skills and is proud to offer you the position of Flight Attendant..." At this point the recruiters were clapping and whistling, Dominique was crying and everyone was hugging. The nice lady from "Inflight Standards" appeared and gave me a bear hug, and I high-rived a bunch of the other candidates.
Did I just get offered a job with the largest airline in the world?
The rest of the day was paperwork and questions, training dates and salary agreements. I was in a daze. By 5pm I was back at the airport, ready to head back home to Seattle. As I sat in my window seat on the return journey, I looked out over the beautiful red rocks of Arizona and realized that I have some major decisions to make.
I have two months before training starts. Part of me isn't ready to leave my little Regional Airline, and Seattle, but certain parts of my heart long for International trips to Paris, Tokyo and Buenos Aires.
This is a huge, gigantic opportunity. I just need to figure out what my heart needs right now.
Happy Flying!
Big things are happening. And I want to share those things with you.
Two days ago, I got up at the crack of dawn after catching a few Zzzs in a quiet corner of the airport, put on a business suit and caught a flight to Phoenix.
After landing, I walked to the charter bus area where a shuttle van picked me up and took me to Tempe.
I walked into a large lobby, signed in and proceeded into a large conference room, where I introduced myself to recruiters and sat down for a group interview for US Airways / American Airlines.
Oh yeah, I forgot to add. I was invited to interview with what recently became the biggest airline in the entire world.
(!!!)
I had received the call only days prior, and decided, in a mood of let's see where the Universe takes me, to agree to interview. I came to the interview with nothing but my resume, required items and a smile. I was open to hearing more about the company but didn't expect that I would even make it past the first round. After all, airline interviews, especially for mainline carriers, are notoriously difficult.
The beginning of the day was relaxed. The recruiters did a brief slide show presentation, and then we took a break. I wandered around, making friends with the other 110 candidates and assuring others that they shouldn't be nervous. I told everyone to have fun, that I had been at a lot of these things (and didn't get hired at a lot of these things!) and that the best thing to do is just smile and hope for the best.
As the day continued, cuts were made. I almost didn't notice at first. After coming back from a break, the room seemed quieter. I started writing people's names down, telling them that I would find them on Facebook if I was sent home next.
After a few hours, I was actually starting to enjoy myself. By lunchtime, I had wandered over to the employee cafeteria and was chatting up one of the ladies from InFlight Standards (or whatever the equivalent is at US Airways). Four other candidates joined me, and I asked fellow candidate Dominique if we needed to go rejoin the group.
"This is it, at this point. Everyone else has been taken back to the airport," she said. What?! Out of over one hundred people, we were down to five?
At this point, a recruiter came into the cafeteria and asked the five of us to return to the conference room. Inside were twenty recruiters, standing in a circle and looking stony-faced. The original recruiter described a crash scenario and asked Dominique to read a prepared announcement in conjunction with the scenario.
Dominique began reading to the group: "Dear Dominique, US Airways recognizes your talents and skills and is proud to offer you the position of Flight Attendant..." At this point the recruiters were clapping and whistling, Dominique was crying and everyone was hugging. The nice lady from "Inflight Standards" appeared and gave me a bear hug, and I high-rived a bunch of the other candidates.
Did I just get offered a job with the largest airline in the world?
The rest of the day was paperwork and questions, training dates and salary agreements. I was in a daze. By 5pm I was back at the airport, ready to head back home to Seattle. As I sat in my window seat on the return journey, I looked out over the beautiful red rocks of Arizona and realized that I have some major decisions to make.
I have two months before training starts. Part of me isn't ready to leave my little Regional Airline, and Seattle, but certain parts of my heart long for International trips to Paris, Tokyo and Buenos Aires.
This is a huge, gigantic opportunity. I just need to figure out what my heart needs right now.
Happy Flying!
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