ONLINE APPLICATION (Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, Photo)

ONLINE APPLICATION ( 1st STAGE ) 

You can apply for an open day or assessment day as part of the application process. All applications should be made directly to the airline’s own career websites. Visit their respective ‘Careers’ page to obtain application guidance and requirements. Then you may be e-mailed with further detail to continue the application process and possibly be asked to attend an assessment or come to a walk in off the street type interview. Alternatively, you may be contacted by phone out of their discretion. When you want to apply for a job as a cabin crew, you not only have to complete a questionnaire from the airline, but you must also submit a cover letter, resume (curriculum vitae) and photos.

A. COVER LETTER

The Cover letter accompanies your resume and is used to establish a contact relationship with the appropriate person and lead them into wanting to read your resume. Again, I reiterate that as time goes by and online applications become more prevalent, it becomes necessary to provide a cover letter to stand out among applicants. However, be directed by the individual airline application requirements. If you can submit one, do so, because cover letters can be such a powerful tool.

The cover letter is designed to give the recruiter a brief snapshot of what you have included in your resume and highlight your best points. Take your time in writing this cover letter because if it doesn’t stand out, the recruiter may never even bother to read your resume, especially if there are many applicants for the position. For this reason, you should find a sample cabin crew cover letter to help you in this task. A simple online search will give you many such cover letters that you can read.

When you find the sample letter that really appeals to you, you are not permitted to copy it directly. You must make it your own so that your individual personality comes through in your application. There are some basic hints to help you in writing the letter. For example, from the sample cover letter, you will see where you should place your name and contact information. Be sure you include your home address, contact phone number, and your email address so that the employer does not have to waste time getting in contact with you should you be called for an interview. Your cover letter should not be any longer than one page. You should be able to condense everything about you in three or four paragraphs. It is a good idea to explain a little bit about your experience and why you are seeking to become cabin crew with the airline then go on to tell them a little bit about yourself and what you can offer. Be positive and don’t let modesty prevent you from mentioning your strengths, and never apologize for lack of experience as this will only draw attention to it. Close the letter saying that you welcome the opportunity to meet with them to discuss the opportunity further. When you complete the body, the closing should consist of one word “sincerely” or “Faithfully”, this makes it formal. Leave a space between the closing and your typed name so that you have room to personally sign the letter. In your cover letter, you should not beg for an interview. Simply stating that you will be available for an interview is sufficient. You should never mention what salary you expect to receive, but if this is mentioned in the job posting the best way to cover it is to say that salary is negotiable.

Writing a cover letter for any job application can be a frustrating experience, but none more so than writing a cover letter for cabin crew jobs. This is because you want to give the recruiter through look at your skills and qualifications. Since a cover letter is intended to be just a snapshot of what you can bring to the position, you often have difficulty deciding what to put in this cover letter and what to omit. You do have to do a good job of selling yourself to the recruiter so that you will advance to the next step getting that all-important call to come in for an interview. You don't only have to market your skills, but writing a cover letter to apply for a job as a cabin crew means that you must demonstrate you have the personality needed to interact with passengers and crew. Summarize your experience as a cabin crew in other jobs by simply telling the types of jobs you have had in this industry and your total number of experience in years. If you have held a leadership role in the past, make sure you include this in your cover letter because it will show the recruiter that you are interested in advancing your career. This will give the recruiter a brief glimpse of your qualifications in this area of expertise. Since cabin crew are required to have a high level of education in addition to the specific training needed for the job, you do have to include this information in your cover letter.  If you have a university degree, you will have a better chance of being noticed than a person with a two-year course for example. Therefore, it is important for you to place your level of education front and center in your cover letter. Your experience in customer service is almost as important as your education and skills when applying for a cabin crew job. You do not need to go into detail, but if you have dealt effectively with difficult passengers or if you have been on flights where passengers panicked because of problems, you should give a brief outline of these experiences in your cover letter. There is no doubt you will have a chance to elaborate further when you are called for an interview. If you speak any foreign languages, you should list them in your cover letter. Since being bilingual in one of more languages is a skill most airlines are looking for in cabin crew applications, this will give you a foot in the door. When you can converse in languages other than English, you will be a great prospect for a position as a cabin crew on overseas flights.

a. Cover letter structure:

1. The cover letter should be fully dated and addressed to the right person using their appropriate title and full business name, complete with their postal address. If you don’t know their name, use Sir/Madam and continue by using the person’s name: Dear Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. (Surname) or Sir/Madam if name is not known.
2. Give a brief introduction of the topic of the letter which is the job that you are applying for and if the position was advertised, then reference it.
3. This should be followed with a brief benefit statement of your qualities and why you would be great for the position. If you are responding to an advertisement, bullet point each given selection criteria and express your qualifications appropriately.
4. Follow this with a brief paragraph stating your intentions, goals, and desires with the company and express them as benefits to the company.
5. Complete your cover letter with:

• Yours sincerely if you have addressed your letter to a name and
• Yours faithfully if you if you have addressed your letter to Sir/Madam.
• Sign your name above a typed signature line.

b. Your cover letter should:

1. Be in Arial, Tahoma, Times New Roman or Georgia font.
2. Be in 10 point font minimum or preferably 11 or 12 sized font.
3. Be in black print on crisp white paper only. It is the easiest of any color combination for the human eye to read.
4. Use bolding, underlining, bullets and indents for highlighting (sparingly and effectively).
5. Use white space intelligently to make a point or make readability easy.
6.  Be accurate and perfect, no spelling mistakes, no smudges.
7.  Do not use picture graphics.

EXAMPLE : 

B. CURRICULUM VITAE

The Curriculum Vitae (CV), also known as a resume in American English, is presented by the applicant and outlines aspects of the applicant’s history. It will include personal details, an outline of key qualities as well as skills and career objectives, education, additional training, work experience, interests and references.

Your resume is competing with literally thousands of others, so you have to be brief, concise and to the point. Do this by choosing your words very carefully. Your resume is an all about you, your silent salesman, it is literally a sales letter about you.  Remember, features tell and benefits sell.

On the resume, make it clear and uncluttered, if you have had any previous customer service experience, then this is a very good idea to have at the top of your resume. Remember, if you haven’t got any previous customer service experience it is not a problem, you’ll probably strike them with something else. If they think they can train you in customer service, they will do it.

Put the customer service experience in the first row of working experience of curriculum vitae. For example, if you work for "Yummy Pizza" where you are a waitress. When you are filling your online application, on the job description you may say :

Now close your eyes and imagine this person. She sounds bored with her job, doing it mechanically and describing only the physical actions involved. She doesn’t sound like she likes her job. You may instead say:

Once again, close your eyes and imagine this person. She is smiling welcoming and knowledgeable. Which would you consider a more professional and happy worker? When you talk about what your job means, put yourself in your customer shoes. Almost any job could be expressed beautifully from the customer’s perspective.

Avoid stating facts of what your daily job assignments consist of, such as “move tables”, “give menus”, “clean floors”. Instead use customer words such as “reassigned the restaurant setting whenever necessary”, “distributed menu cards and presented the daily specials”, “follow that restaurant cleanliness was respected at all times”.

See the above example from our Yummy pizza waitress and adopt it for your field and experience. Make it easy on the people who read your online application to call you for an assessment and choose the right words when you present your experience.

       a. Curriculum vitae structure :

1. 90% of resumes are in Times New Roman, so be different and stand out. Your resume still needs to be very easy to read, however. Arial, Tahoma or Calibri are good font alternatives.
2. Font sizes of 10, 11 or 12 only for text (Larger for headings or effect only)
3. Black print on crisp, white paper only. It is the easiest of any color combination for the human eye to read.
4. Forget graphics unless they have an absolute purpose
5. Use bolding, underlining, bullets and indents for highlighting (sparingly and effectively).
6. Use white space intelligently to make a point or make readability easy.
7. Include full contact information (including an e-mail address if you have one).
8. Your work experience, education and other qualifications such as volunteer activities, training, projects, and courses, should be listed in reverse chronological order.
9. Target your resume at the cabin crew job and the airline you are applying to identify the skills you have that most closely match their requirements.
10. Refer to references only. (Your references rarely get you the interview, but your resume does. Your references are only needed to reaffirm your resume or confirm the findings of an interview). Don’t use the wording; “available on request,” but rather “documentation available at interview.”
11.  Write with the reader in mind target their selection criteria and adapt your resume contents to suit.
12.  Accuracy and perfection are absolute musts. No spelling mistakes and no smudges
13. Ensure the information you include is up to date.

EXAMPLE :

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C. PHOTO

You are required to submit a passport sized photo and a full length photo. If you can have these professionally taken in a studio, that is very good. A very important aspect of your online application is submitting the best photos. A picture says a thousand words. A good photo will maximize your chances for a successful online application. I suggest you to go to this website: www.studioimages.co.uk/emirates/ and facebook: Photolista Studio or www.photolistastudio.com

        a. Passport Size Photo

            The guidelines:

1. Your head should be center framed with full face, front view, eyes open, with a natural expression and against a plain white or off white background.
2. There should be no distracting shadows on the face or background.
3. Your photo must show a full head from top of hair to bottom of chin, height of head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm).
4. Make sure eye height is between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3/8 inches (28 mm and 35 mm) from bottom of photo.

        b. Full Sized (10×15 cm) Photo

             ​Here are some points to keep in mind:

1. Chose a light background, without furniture, plants or objects of art visible in the picture.
2. Ladies, wear makeup.
3. Smile.
4. Business attire means:

• For Ladies, A Suit or a blouse, knee length skirt, panty hose and high heels. Your hair should be neatly tied in a bun. You can also choose a professional looking dress.
• For Gentlemen, A Suit, shirt and tie and polished shoes. You should be cleanly shaved and your hair combed back.

5. Stand tall and proud
6. For the full length picture, both arms and legs must be visible

             Here are some points to avoid:

1. Wear fashion statement clothing such as jeans, scarf, T-shirts or boots.
2. Forget to check the length of your skirt. It will have to be mid knee or mid-calf and no longer or shorter.
3.  Metallic strong make up colors such as purple, blue or green.
4. Wear your hair loose, especially if it’s very long. If it touches your shoulder, it should be tied back. If you have a bob or a pixie cut, style it smartly. No spikes, gels or overdone fringes.
5. Wear bulky jewelry such as glass or beads, thick necklaces, big earrings or too many bangles.