Assessment Day

This is where the real thing starts!! Waking up on the next morning couldn’t be easier. I was so excited for the first Assessment Day with Emirates. I have read so many blogs and experiences from Emirates hopefuls on the Facebook group that I already knew what to expect.

Some important tips you should remember:

1. Make sure your business attire is well pressed
2. Be friendly and stay positive!
3. Smile & mingle with everyone. Don’t treat this as a competition
4. Eat your breakfast to begin the day
5. No cell-phone, put it on silent mode or like me, I put it on flight mode
6. Listen to the instructions carefully and do exactly as she asked

I wore the business attire and tied my hair up in a bun, exactly like at the Open Day. I arrived at 8:00 AM in the hotel, freshen up in the bathroom and met some girls I knew. Mingle, mingle, and mingle. The time you walked in to the venue, you are already being ‘judged’ from head to toe, so please be kind and polite, smile to everyone you met, even with the hotel staffs in the parking lot. Smiling releases some sort of endorphin, that body natural opiates designed to relieve stress and enhance pleasure. You can also eat sweets to calm your nerves (this tips comes from my mom!) At 9:00 AM, the recruiter came and handed us a few sheets of stickers with our reference number and name on it. I took mine #55 and put it on my blazer. From + 250 people who showed up on the OD, only 103 people who got invited. After we all got our stickers, we went into the same conference room like yesterday, I managed to get the second row again, I sat up straight, smiled and looked around the room, feeling glad because everyone got their seats now :) The recruiter introduced herself again and explained how the day would be like. She would start by playing videos and present to us about the company and living in Dubai, divide us into groups for the activities, arm reach test, and English test. It usually takes up the whole day. Of course we all want to stay there the entire day.

Video about Emirates Cabin Crew & Presentation

Here is one of the videos they are playing in the beginning of my AD. I kept on smiling throughout the videos, imagining myself wearing that red hat and wearing the uniform, I felt great already.

After playing the videos and presentation, she asked if we had any questions to her. My suggestion is you do NOT need to ask questions only to get her attention, because what you would ask mostly are already answered in the videos, or printed in the paper she gave out the day before. Some people raised their hands and asked questions that actually we can easily find the answers on the paper already, I’m sure the recruiter had a thought that he/she didn’t pay attention to the videos or haven’t read the paper thoroughly or maybe they came late and didn’t get the paper. We don’t want that. So please do your RESEARCH before, and it is better to ask questions here or on the forum or everywhere else but during the OD/AD, unless you have a very important question that you can’t find the answers anywhere ;) After less than 30 minutes of the presentation and Q&A session, we were instructed to leave the room while the recruiter would divide us into groups for the next stage. She came out, and put a paper on the door with the timing for each group. From 103 people, we were divided into groups of 20-25 people. My number is #55, so I was on the third group and had to wait another 2 hours. I went to a coffee shop with some friends to get some drink and chatted a bit.

Group Activity: Object Picture Card

Around 11:15 AM, it was our turn. The recruiter invited us in and asked us to sit in circle according to our reference number (in numerical order). I sat and put my bag at the back of my chair and my hands on my lap, smiled to two girls next to me. She paired us in a group of 2 with people who sitting next to us and gave out a picture for each group.

Tips: Try to find an idea to use the object for a safety/emergency or security reason. Some examples of the object picture cards are: pillow, eye mask, apple, umbrella, lipstick, high heels, flip-flops, starfish, paper bag, mirror, chewing gum, bucket, flash light, candy, flower, vanilla, tooth brush. i.e. Use an umbrella upside down to carry water to put out fires in emergency situation

Basically it’s just a random ordinary objects that we should think of an out-of-the-box and creative ideas of using them differently. The purpose of this activity is to see how we discuss with each other, present ourselves well, and of course to see our posture and our fluency in English while presenting the ideas. I got a picture of a brown paper bag. Firstly I introduced myself to my partner and she did the same. And we started to discuss the other purposes of paper bag when the recruiter started to move around. Of course we were smiling to each other like crazy and laughed when we had crazy ideas. I got an idea to use a paper bag for a kids party by making holes on it and wear it as a mask. My partner came up with 2 ideas, to make it crumpled & use it as parts of stone-like decoration for a party and cut it into parts to stick on a dress. I somehow disagree with the second idea and told her without over-powering the discussion and stay relaxed. She said that she would use the second idea, so I accepted that. After 10 minutes of discussion, the recruiter instructed us to present the idea of EACH person, so everyone have their own chance. I stood up and took a deep breath. I greeted not only the recruiter, but also everyone in the room. I smiled and made eye contact with everyone. Holding the picture and showing it to them, I spoke loudly and clearly to explain my first idea of using the paper bag as a mask for kids party, they laughed, I took that as a good sign (the recruiter has a very flat expression though). Then I introduced my partner who’s going to explain the second idea. You don’t need to ramble on and on about it or trying to make jokes here. Make sure you speak clearly, not too quick as well. When we finished the discussion, the recruiter asked a volunteer to collect the cards, the only guy in our group helped out and we were asked to leave the room and came back in an hour, she will put the result on the paper and stick it on the door. Other recruitment event also have another group activity which is Emirates Destination Cards, where you should discuss with your 2-3 partners in a group where you will be given a picture of a destination where Emirates fly to, and 1 person as a representative of the group have to present to the floor about what you would suggest people to do or places to go in the city. I didn’t have this on my AD. After waiting for an hour, exactly on 12:15 PM, she went out and put up the result. Round 1 cuts from 103 applicants to 51.

Arm Reach Test & Group Discussion: Hotel Manager Scenario Case (or role-play)

At 1:15 PM, she divided us into larger group for a group discussion. When we entered the room, we saw this white paper attached on the wall. She explained that we should be able to reach above the line while tiptoeing. She called us one by one, we had to take off our shoes, unbutton our blazer or take off our blazer, tiptoeing and reach above the line confidently. She also asked if we had any tattoo and scar or birthmarks. One girl didn’t make it because she barely reached the line :( Now on to the group discussion, you will be assessed on several competencies: team-work, listening, time management, initiative, enthusiasm, and decision-making or problem-solving skills. Each of us were given a card of the scenario. It is about a hotel manager where there are 8 customers who complained because they don’t get the room they have paid for due to a system error. You should solve the situation by deciding which customers who can get 2 available rooms. You must give reasons on your decisions.

There is NO right or wrong answer for this case. You only need to smile by trying to offer a compensation for their complaints in a quick and respectful way

8 customers are coming from different background: a celebrity, a loyal customer, a politician who had to attend a meeting held at the hotel, a family with infant who needs to stay at the hotel for medical visit to a hospital near by the hotel, a guest who complained because the bathroom flooded and demand a new room, a newly wed couple on their honeymoon, a blogger, and a CEO of a famous hotel. We started to discuss with each other, everyone came up with different ideas and reasons why they turned specific customers away, it is VERY IMPORTANT to listen to everyone’s ideas and don’t interrupt when someone is talking. Disagreements are fine, as long as you can say it politely, for example: I understand your idea, but how do you think about my idea if we…. Don’t be too talkative and speak up all the time, but also don’t be too shy and reserved. Try to stay in between, you can also offer your help to be a time-keeper, as the recruiter gave you 10-15 minutes to achieve a decision. Most of the people in the group had made their decision to give 2 available rooms to: the loyal customer and the family with infant who needs to visit a hospital near by the hotel. When the recruiter asked us whether we all agreed to this decision, we all nodded except for 1 girl who said that she had different opinion and she would pick the family with infant and the guest who already stayed in the hotel but complained and demand a new room. The recruiter had no problem with it, then once again she asked to all of us if we all agreed. We said yes and nodded at the same time. Suddenly the recruiter asked a question what the reason we picked the family with infant? And she addressed it directly and called MY name!! Still a bit shocked, I managed to answer calmly that due to medical reasons it is important to accommodate the family, because the hospital is near by the hotel, so it would be easier for them to commute. She smiled and asked us to leave the room. It was almost 2:00 PM when we got out of the room and I haven’t had a proper lunch, so me and some girls from the group decided to have lunch and talked about how we went back then. I couldn’t really think if it is a good thing or not that the recruiter called out my name, maybe I didn’t speak loud enough, or maybe I was being too quiet, I couldn’t figure it out, well it’s already been done, I prayed really hard that I make it through. One hour later, the result is out, attached on the door was the paper with only 36 applicants who made it on the second round. Oh, and the girl who disagreed with the group also made it to the next stage :)

English Test

If English is not your native language, you are required to take the English test There was no essay, I’m pretty relieved about this. So I had one hour to finish the test which consists of a half-page long passage and questions regarding the passage we just read, another short passage with underlined words where we have to match them up with the definitions to test your vocabulary, also options of missing words/sentences to be filled into a passage. That’s all about it. Some questions were pretty tricky though. Practice your English if you’re concerned about it. I found this link if you want to practice on your vocabulary or grammar. Hope it helps!! The recruiter took almost 2 hours before she came back to the conference room to announce the result. This time she didn’t write it on a paper, instead of she asked the applicants with numbers she called out to enter the room. My number wasn’t on the list, I was disappointed and thought it had ended for me. We were all waiting outside of the room, being speechless and clueless about what had happened. Surprisingly the applicants who were being called into the room unfortunately didn’t pass the English test, so the rest who stayed outside the room apparently the people who were succeeded the English test. We all cheered up happily (and also pretty loud). Then the recruiter calmly said: cabin crews are expected to be able to control their emotions. 22 applicants (including 2 guys) made it to the FI

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We were invited into the room and few papers were provided for each of us. A tattoo and scars or birthmarks declaration form where we have to sign and some papers like Cabin Crew Pre-Joining Administration Form, including a list of documents and photos we should bring to the FI. 22 applicants were divided into 4 days of FI. The recruiter gave us 4 papers with date and time to fill in. I picked out the fourth day (also the last FI date) which was Jan 2nd, 2015. On Dec 31st, 2014, I got an email from my recruiter, stating that she had to return to Dubai immediately, therefore she had to postpone the January interviews until further notice. I was really shocked, apparently the waiting game had already started for me. The closest AD will be held on mid February so I was guessing my FI would be around the date. And I was right. Early February I received an email for my FI invitation that will be held on Feb, 23rd, 2015 at the same venue. I replied immediately confirming that I would come :)

Open Day

The day before the OD I made sure I have my outfit well pressed, all my documents and photos in one folder, polished shoes, black pens and a notebook in my bag. I remember the night before, instead of going to sleep earlier, I could barely fall to sleep, no matter how well-prepared I was, I still had that nerve-wrecking feeling which is totally normal, because this is something that I’ve been dreaming of.

Top tips before an OD: go to sleep early! Period.

Some cabin crew even said being on time is being late, you have to be at least showed up 15 minutes before the scheduled time.

To be early is to be on-time

To be on-time is to be late

And being late is unacceptable

I got up that day at 5:30 AM, the hotel is located one hour drive from home. The OD starts at 9:00 AM. I wanted to be there by 8:00 AM so I have time to park my car, freshen up, mingle and get to know some people there to calm my nerves. I finished taking a shower, fixing my makeup and hair bun in 1 hour. No matter how nervous you are, try to have a breakfast to start your day as you wouldn’t know how long you’re going to spend at the venue. I arrived at the venue 7:40 AM, parked my car and sat around 15 minutes in my car to relax a bit and then made my way to the venue. To my surprise, at 8:00 AM the venue was already packed with beautiful people wearing their most impeccable make up and tailored suit. I smiled and greeted literally everyone and stood next to a sofa, started to chat with a lovely Korean girl who traveled all the way to Jakarta to attend this OD.

When the time showed 9:00 AM, the recruiter came and walked into the conference room, we all started to line up in front of the room, without knowing what would happen next. Luckily me and some girls I made friend with earlier gathered close to the entrance of the conference room. When the recruiter came out, she handed us a paper consists of information about Emirates salary & benefits, allowances, accommodation, annual leave, and health insurance and a form to fill in our applicant reference number, personal contact details, and whether we had attended a FI with Emirates or not before.

Afterwards, we entered the conference room where there were only 100 chairs set up, while I supposed there were more than 200 people who attended that day. So many people ended up standing in the room. I am lucky to be seated at the second front row, I sat up straight and smiled all the time. The recruiter was by herself, she introduced her name and where she came from, also explained that she was once a cabin crew before she finally worked as a recruiter for total 8 years of working experience with Emirates. How awesome is that!

She was very surprised to see that MANY people turned up at an AD (it was supposedly to be an AD, written on the website “by invitation only”). So she decided to turned the AD into a CV drop-off event (OD). She didn’t play the video to introduce Emirates airline like in many OD is because of the number of people who turned up and (again) she was by herself. She went straight to the business and explained that we should make a line and have our CV, a photo, and the filled-in form ready. NO cover letter needed, NO invitation needed. We were also asked to line up about 2 meters before her desk because she would ask a question or 2 while we hand her our CV. People who will be shortlisted and invited for the AD will be called around 5:00 PM, she pointed out that she would NOT leave any message or voice mail, only a 1 minute phone call or maybe less, informing that we are shortlisted and our reference number to be used during the AD.

I spent almost the whole morning standing up in my pointy pumps. I didn’t really want to become the very first people who handed in the CV, but I also didn’t want to stay as long until the very last ones. So I was a bit in between, after 2 hours she asked for a 5 minute break and then she came back to continue. So I handed in my documents around 11:40 AM with half of the candidates left in the room. When I walked to her desk I smiled and greeted her “Hello, how are you?”. She answered back and quickly asked my documents and asked me to fill in a form where I should list down my name and phone number. While she flicked through my papers, she asked “what do I do for work?”. I answered briefly and straight to the point, “I worked in a food & beverage business for over 6 years as a purchasing manager and my job description includes, bla, bla, bla” And that’s it. I thanked her for her time and wished her a very good day.

Don’t treat the recruiter as someone who would only take your resume. BIG NO NO! Be kind and polite, smile to her, and sincerely thank her for her time. It will be very much appreciated!

I walked out of the room feeling confused, I was stuttering because I was really nervous. I kept on thinking I should’ve said better and decided to sit in a sofa, talking with some people who still waited for their friends. I texted my friend who apparently about to head back home, so we met up at the lobby and I wished her good luck and headed home.

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Waiting for the call that afternoon was very intense. My phone signal at my house isn’t that great, I should put my phone in a certain place and I made sure I turned up the volume loud enough so I wouldn’t miss a single message (read: call). I was very sleepy so I decided to take a nap.

5:00 PM and still nothing, I was getting devastated.

When time turned 6:oo PM, I was watching my phone and praying that a call would come up. And 2 minutes later, there it was an unknown number +6221 (must be the hotel’s number) showed up and I picked up. The recruiter called me and advised me I should come up tomorrow at 8:00 AM with #55 as my reference number. “See you tomorrow”, she ended up the phone call in 18 seconds.

I was so excited that I jumped around and shouted to my mom in another room, also texted my friend who still hasn’t got the call.

She finally got the invitation for the AD by email via the recruiter’s phone at 7:00 PM!! I’m really happy for her and off we went to bed.

The Beginning

The idea of joining as a cabin crew in Emirates started become more appealing for me after I did my research. Reading blogs for personal experiences, stalking Instagram (I know how scary that sounds) through the hash-tag #emiratescabincrew for gorgeous pictures of cabin crew around the world, and learning the perks & benefits I would possibly get. So I opened the Emirates website to start this process and decided to apply online.

You are not required to apply online, however I suggest you to do so before attending any OD or AD that will be held around the corner. For an AD, you will need to bring an invitation by email which can only be obtained by applying online. You will also get your applicant reference number, to be used on filling in a form that will be given on the AD. Anyway, you are required to have an online application once you reach the FI, so your application can be linked into the career website where you can look up on your application status.

As easy as filling a form, uploading photos and CV or resume, you will finish the whole online application within minutes. I even uploaded  a full body picture and a photo ID I had from few months back, because I haven’t made ANY formal photos by that time. I only thought about applying online and that’s it. You can always update it later with most recent CV or photos if you wish.

Here is an email you will get after applying online:

Basically, they thanked you for your interest in the position and applying online through the website. It says that if you haven’t got an invitation after 6 weeks, your application is considered unsuccessful.

Don’t worry though, I know some people who didn’t get invitation but still gave it a shot by attending an OD (or sometimes AD) to try their luck and finally made it through :)

Some people keep on checking their online application status, while I had no idea back then. So you might get “Application Received” or “Application Under Review” once you submitted your application online. There are various status that I didn’t experience, but from what I learned it doesn’t really matter, just stay positive.

I got lucky to have received my invitation only in 10 days after I applied online. I think it’s because the AD that will be held in my hometown happens to be scheduled within a month. Some people might need to wait longer to get an invitation only because the AD will be held in another 3-4 months since they applied online. Normally the invitations are sent on a closer date to the recruitment event that will be held near you. I am thrilled when I got the email, this is what an invitation email looks like:

As it stated on the email, you should bring your updated CV, photograph, and a copy of this letter. They don’t mention the specification of the photograph, but make sure you prepare a formal photograph, whether it’s full length or a passport size.

After I got the invitation, I’m getting more serious in preparing everything I need. From the most important things like documents and photos, to the smallest details like nail polish and red lipstick. I want to make sure that I’ve done my homework to the recruiters by showing that I put my attention into the details. Well, unlike any other job, you are basically judged by your appearance. 
In the middle of hectic weeks between work and practices, I managed to gather as many information about what to expect in the process, bought a new white shirt, black shoes – simply because I don’t have one – and red nail polish & red lipstick to compliment my whole look.

Not only learning what to expect on the OD or AD, but also to possible questions that they will ask, talking about positivity ;)

101 Quick tips on abbreviations you will find during the process:

AR (Application Received) : well stated

AUR (Application Under Review) : your online application is under review by the HR in the Emirates Head Quarter

OD (Open Day) : more like a CV drop off event

AD (Assessment Day) : shortlisted candidates on OD will be invited to attend to the AD, usually on the next day for various group activities, arm reach test, and English test

FI (Final Interview) : those who made it passed through all the stages on the AD will be scheduled for an interview in the upcoming days. Like any other job interview, 1 on 1 interview (can be 2 recruiters as well)

IC (Interview Completed) : your documents have arrived in Dubai for further deliberation by HR or recruitment coordinator

OH (On Hold) : an email stating your application has been successful, but due to the training college is fully booked at the moment, they will contact you for a formal offer later in a few weeks up to 2-3 months

UM (Unsuccessful Email) : I wouldn’t want you to accept this, as it is stated, your application has not been successful, and usually there is a waiting time of 6 months after the FI before you can apply again

JFIP (Joining Formalities in Progress) : Once your online status changes to this, CONGRATS! Meaning that your GC is on your way, so better keep your phone on the loudest volume and stick to it in these few days

GC (Golden Call) : the call that everyone is waiting for!! They will congratulate you and ask if the date they offer for you to join is ok with you or not. If you can’t accept the offer and wish for a different date, they will help you.

DOJ (Date of Joining) : the date when you will fly to Dubai and start the training in a few days after you arrive

FA (Final Approval) : you will receive an email after the GC to give you information to log in to the Selected Candidate Portal, complete all the necessary forms and upload it on the portal. Then you will get FA by email with a subject Advise to Resign ;)