What to expect in UNITED interview?.................................................................

[tulip007]

hey, guys


I am going to interview at UNITED next week for FA position in Chicago, IL.

They said that the interview is 3 hours long and it's one-to-one interview.

Does anyone have any info on what to expect in interview?

Are they gonna tell me If I am hired or not hired right after interview?

What else they do in whole 3 hrs. besides asking questions?



thanks.....................................................

 

[Imagolfer]

hey, guys
I am going to interview at UNITED next week for FA position in Chicago, IL.

They said that the interview is 3 hours long and it's one-to-one interview.

Does anyone have any info on what to expect in interview?

Are they gonna tell me If I am hired or not hired right after interview?

What else they do in whole 3 hrs. besides asking questions?
thanks.....................................................

Run.....don't hide!!!

Also, I don't think any company will tell you "your hired" on the spot..this is not "The Apprentice". Honestly, why would you want to take a job making $20K a year for a company who just got out of bankruptcy with a horrible business plan

 

[seajay]

Here is some information about the interview process that I cut and pasted from another site, then modified and updated. United is not hiring for ORD right now, but I think what you are saying is that your interview is in Chicago. The first interview will be with a company called Spherion. I don''t know exactly how it goes, but here is what was posted on the other site:

They ask you to give your name, where you are from, and why you think you would be a good flight attendant. They are looking for good appearance. (For women, a nice dress or a suit is appropriate. For men, a suit is required. They are very strict about this. Don't bother showing up unless you are in full business dress. United is a very conservative company, so sticking to the blue, black, grey family of colors is my advice. Your interview day is not the time to radically experiment with your wardrobe, hair color, or make-up. Ladies, make sure you are wearing tasteful make-up and pantyhose.)

They are also looking to judge how well-spoken you are and what kind of personality you have. Relax, take a deep breath, and smile. They want people who look approachable and friendly. Don't ever trash your previous employer, but talk positively about people you've met or worked with, how much you enjoy serving customers, love to travel, can stay up at all hours and switch time zones... Attitude is everything. At this point you are just trying to get invited for a second interview.

If you are successful at this first interview, within a week or two you will receive a letter inviting you to a group interview in Chicago at Headquarters. They will send you instructions for how to get checked in at the airport. You will fly to Chicago and return the same day. There will also be instructions on how to proceed to the interview site by taking an employee bus. You start the interview session in a group of 10 people or so. They give the group a task to complete in 15 minutes. They are looking to see how well you can interact in a group, whether or not you participate, and what kind of a crewmember you would be. [Keep in mind, as a flight attendant on a widebody aircraft, you will have to be working as a team with 10-15 other people and it can be a long flight to Sydney if you're arguing with everyone on the crew. ] You don't have to be the one talking the most, but you should be participating and offering ideas and constructive criticism when needed. After this is completed, they will call each person in for a one on one interview. This usually consists of about 20-30 minutes of basic interview questions with a few scenario driven questions thrown in. (Ie. You are at the end of a meal service and you have run out of meal choice. You only have beef left and someone tells you they are a vegetarian. What do you do?) After your interview is complete, you are sent home.

If you are successful after this, you will eventually be sent to the closest Medical facility for a physical. They will do a standard work physical and drug and alcohol screening.

If you speak a second languge, you will most likely be given preference in hiring. (Asian languages are more coveted at United due to our route structure and they are hiring Arabic speakers now, but they will still give you preference if you speak any other language - Polish, Italian, whatever you speak.)

Hiring age for United is 21 and 2 years of customer service experience is required. The pay is about $20K the first year ($23 or 24 including per diem) but if you are local in one of the areas they are hiring for (currently BOS and LAX) and can make it through the first few years it does get better. The job is no longer glamorous but it is interesting and different every day. One tip: don't even think about commuting. They are looking for locals or people who can relocate to a domicile city.

United also likes to hire older, second career applicants, so if you feel that you are too old to be applying, you're not! If you have some good life experience, that usually enhances your ability to be a good flight attendant.

They are looking for things like: flexibility and adaptability, passion for customer service, dependability (don't be late!), professional appearance, teamwork, high standards, honesty, great work ethic and cultural sensitivity.

I hope that helps, and good luck! United has been through a difficult time but the training is great (you will get a check for $1500 at the end if you pass everything, go on to an Operating Experience flight and accept the job offer) and the people are very nice.

 

[tulip007]

thanks a million,
Seajay...................now, I am not tensed about Interview.......................thanks again for such a great info.

 

[boxer]

I'm sure that the advice you got from Imagolfer was helpful. There are many on these boards who love to rain on people's parades. Don't pay attention to their bitter diatribes.

 

[laura62]

tulip007
If it is your first interview with Spherion, expect to wait a 'very, very' long time in the lobby before your interview begins. Two friends of mine waited 2 and 3 hours past their scheduled interview time. Both were in the actual interview itself for approximately an hour. They told me some other interview-ees said they were finished in 10 minutes.
Both were asked to stand and read a 'safety announcement'. Both were asked when it was "ok to break the rules".
One was invited to a second interview the next week, right there at the first Spherion interview. She has to complete a pre-employment application on-line and some other computer work and was told the interview at United headquarters may last 4-8 hours. If she was successful at that point she would be sent right away to United medical for a medical evaluation.
My other friend was told he would hear back in "2-3 weeks". He is not hopeful.


As far as commuting, they apparently are hiring people from "out of domicile" as they can't get enough qualified applicants. This straight from the mouth of a new hire I worked with who does a double commute from Florida to IAD via BOS.

I wish you the best of luck. Yes, things have changed in the 20+ years since I became a flight attendant but I still consider it one of the best jobs in the world.

 

[tulip007]

hey,
laura62


thanks a lot for the detail info on SPHERION interview.....................now, I know why they say expect atleast 3 hrs. for interview @ SPHERION(1-2 hrs. in waiting)......LOL...............they also say that book your return flight atleast 5-6 hrs. later after interview, coz if yr interview is late u can still make it to the airport for return flight.................

 

[seajay]

A few more words about commuting. Of course there are new-hires who are trying but it is dangerous. The primary causes for both resignations and releases thus far among new-hires are issues around dependability - missed trips due to commuting are not going to be ok. Almost everyone who thought they would try it are wishing they had not. Even folks with more seniority are having great difficulty, with very, very high load factors. It's a recipe for stress if not disaster!

This is why UA is giving prioty to local residents and those who are willing to relocate. If someone is a fabulous candidate they will still be considered no matter where they live, but the local candidate will have the advantage.

Unfortunately, there have not been enough qualified local candidates who pass all of the pre-screening and interviews to completely fill any class entirely with locals. But with 80,000 applications and growing, it's not a lack of applicants!