customer service experience

[flyinghigh_dan]

hi everyone,
i am just starting out on my quest to become a flight attendant and have applied to a few airlines. So now is just a matter of experiencing the waiting game.
I am just curious as to what type of customer service experience airlines are looking for. I am 18 years old and have been working at subway (fast food) for the past three years. I have ganed a lot of customer service experience through this job as i work directly with the public, but this is the only job i have ever had. I am a little worried that this isnt going to be very 'impressive' to take into the interview.
As you might know, Subway doesnt give you much opportunity to go the extra mile to please a customer, handle disgruntled customers etc as it is a very basic job. Although i will try to come up with good examples and be fully prepared for the interview, i cant help but think my customer service experience is going to be a liability in comparison to other competition at the interview.
Any information will be appreciated
Thanks Daniel

[flyoneday]

daniel
i think it will all depend on how you will explain yourself.dont worry about that ,there are those even without that experience you have.believe in yourself and you will do great!
If u go into the interview worried about the experience n that others are better than u ,i assure u,u will not get through because your mind will already be distracted.
Go into the interviews thinking POSITIVE."I will get this job".
All the best.

~
flyoneday :ok:

[beana]

Hi Flyinghigh Dan

At any cabin crew interview, they will be aware of your age, 18 is young and of course you are not going to have years of customer experience yet. The interviews are designed in a way so that applicants will display to the interviewers: your experience so far, your communication skills, your happy disposition and basically your personality. They will be able to decide if you are suitable for this kind of job after assessing you and speaking with you. Even if there are other people there who have years and years of customer service experience, they may not be suitable for a cabin crew position. And if you are successful, your training will prepare you for the kind of customers you will be working with!

So just be yourself and smile, and if you are not successful this time around, try again... stay positive! Good luck.
:ok:

[EAAFA]

A lot depends on the airline. If you are applying to airlines which focus on image, your experience to date won't make much of a difference. What matters to them is the impression you make in the interview.

The more conservative airlines will take note of your image but will look at your professional and life experience more closely.

Your reasons for wanting to be a flight attendant will matter too. Saying you want to be a flight attendant because you like to travel is a big taboo with a lot of interviewers.

[Flying_Sarah747]

Don't worry at all Dan! British Airways employed me at 19 with only 3 years customer service experience while I was at university, so as long as you can relate their questions to the experiences that you've had, then you'll do fine! And remeber you don't always have to relate their questions to the work place, if you can think of a good example in your everyday life for a question that they ask you, then that is fine as well! Good luck!

[HZ123]

You seem focused and know what you want that is 80% of the task. Apply to as many airlines as you can and in particular BA who have taken as Sarah says 19 year olds and still are recruting for LGW and some for LHR. When you get your interview make sure you know plenty about that airline and its routes, products and a little of its future plans. Write out now situations that have been dificult and how you dealt with them, how you avoided conflict etc. Lastly read up on the opposition. Another positve for you is you know about hygene and product placement.

[wigglewash]

In your 3 years working at subway try and think over the past three years in different scenarios where you have been in difficult situations and things that you have done wrong and have learnt from for example in an interview they mey ask you 1.Tell us a time and situation where you had given outstanding customer service? and your answer would be a time where you had to give a SITUATION what ACTION you had done and what was the RESULT of that task. in every question they ask always answer it in that format using the past expirence you have came up with. so i would say 'there was a time when i was working in Menswear where i had a customer who was looking for a belt in size 42.So i checked on the computer system to see what store had that avaliable belt and i found one at CHAPEL ST! so i informed the customer they had one there however i informed the customer that it would take at least a week before the belt would arrive.The Customer Was really happy and i took her details and would ring her when the belt would arrive within that week!! thats just an example in what you can think of you past three years in the role you have been in!!!
REMEMBER also when you get asked Tell us a time where you have given poor customer service is a really tricky question for some... Try and think of a situation where you have given poor customer service using the Situation Action Result Format..... So maybe an example would be there was a time when i was in menswear and we had a policy where we had to greet customer's within 20 second's however i was concentrating with one task at the time and acknoledge the customer at the time and the customer walked out of the shop. I didnt feel good as i had let down the company policies and i ''learnt'' from that expierence and made sure i greeted every customer so i wouldnt lose a potential sale.... Type of question you get like that even if its a hard one like i have just mentioned you can always turn a negative answer which is hard into a POSITIVE answer. Doesnt matter if you are 18 your old enough and you have expirence but u just have to sit down sometime and think of situations where you have been in that you could use in your Interview mister. Remember to Act professional at all time's and ''be yourself'' that is the best part.Also another good thing i think you would know already is be Prepared for your interview as well as Grooming is a top one to have. another classic one is when you have to introduce yourself Just say Your name and that you have came from a customer service background and your willing to further your skills into this industry ! its direct question and ive noticed alot of people say ... HI IM LEANE im 20 and i work at Louis Vuitton and ive had a boyfriend for 4 years got 3 dogs i walk everyday and i like fairfloss... They dont want to hear that hahaha. when you are in a Group Interview which most airlines do try and speak in the middle of the task and listen to everyone and once someone has said something you can say Oh that sounds like a great idea about something like this? or Yeah thats Nice and how about we add purple to the chart,what do you think of this guy's?. the group is not a competition they just want to see how your team work skills are.I had a girl on my table once who wouldnt stop talking and it was all about her so i just sat there smiled and nodded but in my mind i wanted to strangle her hehehe. if you have anymore questions to ask just ask im happy to help! i like helping people get in the direction in being a flight attendant !!!! :ok:

[wigglewash]

oh yes hehe flying sarah747 is right u can also use what sarah said but try and push it more to the WORK side of thing's ! Sorry i think someone has to take me away from this computer im glued to it LOL:eek:

[744FO]

Yo Dan,

Wouldnt worry about it I worked in Sainsburys and WHSmiths before cabin crew but I did work on check in before too, just realised that when typing, hmm, this is pointless lol sorry!

John