Cabin Crew CV – how to write a winning resume!

Your Cabin Crew CV NEEDS to stand out from the crowd! There is a LOT of competition for cabin crew jobs and many people don’t even pass the first stage because their CV is not good enough. Therefore it is really important take the time to make sure your resume is perfect as this is a really important stage of the application. But how to know what to include? Read on for tips, as well as a sample resume!

Useful read: Attending Etihad/Emirates Open Day/Assessment Day!

What is a CV?

A Curriculum Vitae (CV) – also known as a resume, provides details on previous education, jobs and experiences that the applicant has that are relevant and beneficial for the job they are applying for.

Why it is so important to write a good CV

• The CV is the first stage recruiters use to screen and select applicants.
• Often the CV is the only thing the recruiters have to go off when deciding who to select to go through to the next stage.
• If your CV looks professional, the recruiters will want to carry on reading.
• If your CV is not presented well, or things aren’t clear, you probably won’t get invited to the next stage (cabin crew assessment).

Recruiters will NOT read your whole CV. They will merely skim it for information.

Most recruiters spend on average about 20 seconds looking at a resume and make a quick decision: yes or no.

Getting your CV right therefore is crucial to increase your chances of being selected.

But how are you going to make sure your CV goes in the yes pile? Let’s look at the basics first.

 

Presentation of your CV

• Use an easy to read font such as Times New Roman or Arial.
• It is good to use a CV template to create your CV to help you to write it and to give it structure. You can find many free resume samples on Canva. Alternatively there are templates in Microsoft Word on your computer. I like the ones on Canva though as they are more eye-catching and look really professional.
• Keep the CV to one page only! Even if there’s lots you want to write, you need to show you can be succinct. Any longer than one page and it will most likely lower your chances of getting selected.
• Use formal and clear language and write short summaries as opposed to lengthy explanations.
• Proofread, spellcheck and get somebody else to read it too so you have no spelling or grammar mistakes!
• Print the CV on plain white paper. Do NOT fold the paper. Keep it in a folder so it stays unmarked and crease-free.

Here is a sample flight attendant resume. Have a look through it (you can download it on the link below if you wish). Then we will go through it step by step to help you write your cabin crew resume.

 

When you read through it, keep in mind that the flight attendant CV should be tailored to the skills and qualities a flight attendant requires. You need to show the recruiters that you already have the qualities they are looking for!

Sample Cabin Crew CV

You can click here to view a larger version of this sample resume.

Download Sample Flight Attendant CV (PDF File).

What to include in your flight attendant CV:

1. Personal Details:

You must include your name,
Email address,
Phone number.

Include your personal email address and not your current work email. Make sure the email address looks professional. It should be your name eg: yourname@outlook.com as opposed to something like groovychick@outlook.com. This looks quite unprofessional. If you don’t have an email with your name, set one up.

Whilst it is not mandatory to include it, many airlines (particularly in the Middle East) like you to include your nationality, where you are from, and your date of birth/how old you are as they do have certain restrictions and criteria they adhere to when selecting applicants. So it is best to include this information.

Photograph

Many airlines also like that you include a professional close-up photograph (head and shoulders) of you on the CV. This helps the recruiters remember you and see whether you look suitable for the role. In the picture try to look like a flight attendant as much as you can (hair neatly tied back for girls, makeup and lipstick on, and make sure you are smiling!). You should also wear business attire for the photo. If you don’t have a picture, don’t worry. But it’s a good idea to get some professional passport sized photos done as they will usually require you to provide some if you are successful.

2. Work Experience/Professional Experience

Put your current job first so the recruiters can immediately see your current work status. Then work backwards and list your previous jobs in reverse chronological order. If you’ve had a lot of jobs, just put 4 maximum, so you still have space on your CV for other information. If you haven’t had many jobs (you’ve just finished studying for example), put down any part time jobs you had whilst you were studying or any volunteering jobs or internships you did.

• Write the start date to end date of each job (include the month and year). For your current job just write eg: Jan 2019 – present. For all previous jobs write the month and year eg: Jan 2018 – Jan 2019. It is important to put down your dates of employment so the recruiters can see how long you’ve been employed in that job. If you’ve changed jobs every few months, it might ring alarm bells for them that you don’t tend to last long in jobs.
• Include the company name and your job title/position within the company. Also include the city you were working in.

 

• Write a brief description of your position and your responsibilities.
• Write in bullet points so it is easy to read.
• Aim for around 4 short sentences for each job role.
• Make sure to include the transferable skills you gained that can be applied to flight attendants.

 

I have included a couple of examples below of different jobs. You will be able to see how I have mentioned what tasks I did in the job, but also skills that relate to qualities that are needed as a flight attendant!

Example 1:

Senior Radiographer
Aug 2009 – Dec 2014    
Guys & St Thomas’ NHS Trust, London.

– Worked 15 hour night shifts in a fast paced Accident & Emergency Department, displaying professionalism at all times, whatever hour of the day.
– Managed a team of 6 on several occasions, prioritising workflow and providing advice for colleagues.
– Coached students and junior members of staff one-to-one on a daily basis.
– Outlined areas for improvement and developed and delivered a successful training program for staff. 

You see how in the bullet points I have stated what I did in the job, but also I have touched on what qualities I possessed as a result. I made sure the qualities related to what qualities a flight attendant is expected to have. For example – I have said I can work a busy 15 hour night shift. Often you’ll be required to work on long overnight flights, so by including this I am demonstrating I will be competent to do the cabin crew job!

I mentioned how I coached junior members of staff and provided advice to colleagues. This shows to the recruiters that I am approachable, people come to me for help and that I am a team player – again, all qualities desirable for a flight attendant to possess.

Example 2:

Waitress
Jan 2004 – July 2009   
Chef & Brewer, Coventry.

– Serving in a busy restaurant in which full table service was required gave me the ability to demonstrate excellent customer service skills and to work under pressure, both independently and as part of a team.
– Also worked on the till and was involved in collecting deliveries and taking stock counts.  
– Responsible for liaising with staff at Head Office and for cashing up at the end of each shift.

Previous hospitality jobs always go down well when applying for cabin crew jobs. It shows you have experience in customer services, and can cope in busy environments and have good teamworking skills. The sentences above show I had a level of responsibility in the role, looking after the money and stock. This demonstrates trustworthiness.

3. Education

Only include your highest qualification. If you have a Degree, there is no need to include your high school qualifications too.

Include the dates you attended, what qualification you received, and the name and location of the school/college.

4. Transferable Skills

Think of 3 or 4 of your best qualities: qualities that are relevant for flight attendants to have.  Make sure they are what YOU think are most important for flight attendants to have (there are no right or wrong answers). Writing any more than 4 will not look genuine and will just start to look like a list so the recruiter will lose interest when looking at your CV. By identifying just 3 or 4 your resume will stand out more. Write the skill in bold and then a sentence demonstrating how you possess this quality.

Some examples of good transferable skills you could include are:

• communication
• approachable
• professional
• teamwork
• responsible
• adaptable
• problem solving
• customer service

There are many other qualities you could include though, don’t limit it to just these ones!

Underneath this key word, demonstrate to the recruiter how you possess the quality. I have included some examples below, using my healthcare job to demonstrate how I display the relevant skill.

Communication

 – Communicated effectively with a variety of patients (adults, children, children with learning difficulties), often  whose first language is not English. Effectively communicated between management and staff, both written and verbally.

Time-keeping

– Ability to maintain professionalism whilst working under pressure, both independently and as part of a team to meet deadlines and targets.

Teamplayer

– Always provide support to my colleagues and pay attention to detail. Worked as part of a team on a daily basis: working together to the best of our ability was crucial to get the job done efficiently.

Initiative

– I successfully managed various unexpected problem-solving situations encountered where I had to think on my feet and use my initiative. In these demanding and often stressful situations I always remained calm under pressure. I often worked with critically unwell patients and regularly had to provide emergency care and so I had to always think quickly and remain calm even in very stressful and unpredictable situations.

Strong interpersonal skills

– I have always worked in jobs where communication and customer satisfaction is very important, including working as a retail assistant, waitress, healthcare professional, and as an English teacher. Through this I have developed exceptional communication skills, working with a wide range of people and providing the highest level of personalised service to them.

Adaptable

– Was often required to work at short notice, demonstrating my level of flexibility.

 

You see how every point can also be applied to a flight attendant’s job? Needing to be a team player, communicate well, use your initiative – all these are essential skills to become a cabin crew. If you show the recruiters you ALREADY possess these skills, you will have a much greater chance of getting through to the next round as they already think you are capable to do the job!

Other qualities you can include on your cabin crew CV

If you have something that will be particularly useful to the airline let them know! Do you speak several languages? If so, include this! Sometimes airlines are opening up a new destination and so need crew who are language speakers for this country, so always include any languages you can speak. PLEASE only include this if you are fluent in the language! I cannot stress this enough. Do not say you are fluent in Spanish if you only know the basics. I know crew that have got fired for this, because when a medical emergency happened and they couldn’t understand what the passenger was saying in the foreign language, they were unable to help them. Your language skills are not there simply to do a welcome announcement, but to potentially save their life.

Have you taken several First Aid courses? Are you a trained Healthcare Professional? These are all useful skills to have onboard, and can set you apart from others, so include this. I know for sure my healthcare background was a big plus in helping me secure my job as a flight attendant.

What not to include:

There is no need to include your hobbies. Keep the CV professional.

At this stage references do not need to be provided, so there is no need to include them on the CV. Usually references will only need to be provided once you have passed the final interview. You can always write at the bottom of your CV “references provided upon request’ if you like. Before you put your boss down as your reference, check with them first so they will be prepared if they get contacted by the company.

 

Now you have your CV, you can use the same CV to send to several companies if you wish. When applying online, many airlines also ask for you to send a cover letter too. This is your chance to really tailor yourself to the qualities the specific airline asks for. The most successful applicants are always the ones where the applicant has taken time to read the job specification and incorporate the key qualities into their cover letter.

Why people’s CV’s get rejected

• font too small and hard too read
• poor grammar and spelling mistakes
• CV looks unprofessional and rushed
• low level of English

People don’t get rejected because they haven’t worked in aviation before. Whilst of course, previous experience is very beneficial, many airlines employ applicants who worked in a totally different field to aviation before. Don’t think of yourself as being at a disadvantage, instead think of all the other qualities you have gained in your previous jobs and how they will complement the role of a flight attendant!

 

To find out everything about what to expect at a cabin crew open day/assessment day, click here!

And if you would like to read more about being a flight attendant and the pros and cons that come with the job, click here.

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