Today I'm going to write about my SIA Cabin Crew Walk-in Interview experience. After deliberating whether or not to go for the interview for a few months, I finally plucked up the courage to do so today. I didn't even make it past Round 1, but I would just like to share my experience with all of you.
I've always gone by the mantra "If you want to do something, do it well. If not, why bother doing it at all?"
This meant that well before the interview, I had studied past interview questions, familiarised myself with the various interview stages and even practised introducing myself in front of a mirror.
I woke up at 7am and tried to get ready within an hour, but as fate (or luck) would have it, my makeup didn't go on so well. Perhaps, if you're the superstitious type, this would have been some sort of ominous sign that the day would not go as smoothly as I would have hoped. Nonetheless, I re-did my makeup and finally made it out of the house at 9am.
Taking the advice of those who had been to previous interviews, I planned to arrive at the interview at 10am. Someone had mentioned that it was the best time as it was 'neither here nor there'. It was not too early (and the interviewers would not be grumpy) and it wasn't too near lunch time.
When I arrived at Concorde Hotel, I was greeted by a very lovely middle aged lady who asked for my application form and gave me my group sticker number. I was in group 54, which meant that there had been 530 hopefuls ahead of my group. At that point, only 47 groups had been through Round 1, as I could see groups 48-53 waiting ahead of me. There were about 6 others in my group who had arrived before me, and I quickly made acquaintances with the candidates seated next to me.
The ballroom was big, but other than the 50+ people waiting for their turn for round 1, the place was pretty much empty and cold. SIA recruitment videos were projected onto huge screens at the front of the ballroom, mostly to provide us with some sort of entertainment, I guess?
The girl who arrived after me and sat down next to me was lovely and very sweet. She told me that this is her 5th attempt - the first 2 she was booted out Round 1 and the next 2 she failed the skin check round. I admire her persistence and determination to get in! She noticed that I was very nervous and tried to calm me down by giving me anecdotes of her own past experience, and how I should always smile to the interviewers.
When my group's turn came, I found out in dismay that I was to be the first speaker of the group. This made me even more nervous because the first speaker often leaves the weakest impression, simply because the interviewers make their decision when ALL of the interviewees have finished speaking and have left the room. If I were an interviewer, I'd probably only remember 1) the best dressed, 2) the exceptionally pretty or (unfortunately) ugly, 3) the last speaker, and 4) the most unique speaker.
Anyway, it was time to go into the room and to my surprise, it was actually a smaller function room partitioned into 3 with the type of makeshift partitions that you see in exhibitions and some clinics. My group was led to a row of seats arranged in in a curved line facing a panel of 2 interviewers. One lady and one gentlemen. The lady looked young and very friendly. The gentlemen looked more stern, and did not really respond when I greeted them with 'Good Morning'.
When we were all seated, the lady welcomed us and described this round as "the fastest round". The requirements for this round were:
- Give a brief introduction of yourself
- What mobile phone are you using currently and why?
I was the first to begin, and what I said went a little something like this:
Good morning, everyone. My name is Samantha. I'm 23 this year and I've recently completed my studies at NUS. The mobile phone I am using currently is the iPhone 5. I chose this phone because I strongly believe in what the company, Apple, stands for. They believe in challenging the status quo, and their slogan is 'Think Different'. I believe in this as well, and that in everything we do, we should try exceeds expectations to achieve excellence. Thank you.And with that, I had sealed my fate. The candidates in my group took turns to give their responses, and some, I must say, were pretty good. I thought I had a pretty good chance at getting through this round because most of the other candidates talked about the phone's camera, or applications or other functions - but I talked about the company behind the product (loyal right, no?) But anyway, when all of us had finished responding, we were ushered out of the room and had to wait outside for the results.
As it turned out, only the lovely sweet girl sitting next to me (the one on her 5th attempt) managed to clear this round! I could literally see the jaws of the other candidates dropping when a staff member handed us all our application forms back. Only 1/10 of my group made it to the next round.
To be honest, I didn't expect myself to not make it even through the Round 1. But I guess, if its meant to be, it will be. Some people may say, 'Oh you didn't get in because you sounded too confident!' or 'Your answer was too aggressive!' or maybe even 'You were the first to speak, that's why.' But looking back at what I answered during the interview, I'm glad I stayed true to myself. It was me, and that was the answer that felt right. :)
I'm also extremely happy for the girl who advanced to the next stage. She's a genuinely caring and people-oriented person, and it would be great to have people like her representing the face of Singapore's national carrier.
I will definitely be trying again the next time they have hold the interview, because I have never felt so motivated in my life to enter any profession. I hope that the next time, I will be successful, and I can share with you more about the rest of the interview experience.
Till next time, I hope you lead a wonderful life! :)
