"This diary is my kief, hashish, and opium pipe. This is my drug and my vice." - Anais Nin
email me
sarah.manila@yahoo.com
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iheartMNL in Facebook!
I’ve created my very own Facebook account for sarah.manila, so do add me up!
email is - sarah.manila@yahoo.com
xoxo,
iHEARTmnl
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FA Wannabe Bloggers Day Out!
Pre-Assessments, Impact interviews, One-on-one’s, Prepping, Prettifying, shopping for the Killer Outfit - with Killer heels to match, researching and endless REVIEWING…
Trying our hardest to get our dream job, wishing for that one day when we would grab our luggages and head to the nearest airport and catch a flight to Dubai, or Qatar, or Abu-Dhabi (im sorry for my bias on Middle-Eastern Airlines!haha). The Application process can indeed weigh us down, especially when we dont get an invitation for the “2nd round” or for the final interview. And I’ve said this many times, I really really genuinely find comfort in you guys. Blogging has helped me cope up with sadness, or when I’m anxiously waiting for something spectacular to happen - like getting news of another O.D.
And so..
TOMORROW, March 5, my friend and now a fellow blogger, mai, will be having a blogging date at Coffeebean Trinoma! :) So if you’re just in the QC area, let us know and lets have coffee ad share stories together! :)
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The Qatar Open Day
I got my first taste on the OD scene in no less than the 5-star Diamond Hotel for the “world’s 5-star airline” Qatar Airways last Saturday Feb 27. I was also looking forward to my friend Mai’s very first experience of applying to an airline, and meeting other FA wannabe bloggers. I mentioned in my previous post that my dad was arriving Friday night, and because my mom and I had to pick him up 11pm-ish, we decided to stay around the Malate area so I wouldn’t be late the next morning. We checked-in at the Pearl Garden Hotel around 12am, and I think I managed to get a shut-eye at 3am.hahaha I honestly was so nervous because I was expecting a full-blown interview but that wasn’t completely the case!
The following morning, I forced myself out of bed at 6am so I can have a good buffet breakfast, and waited for my good friend Mai to arrive. We were meeting up in my hotel, so we can both go to Diamond together. It was her very first time applying for an airline, and I was so excited to have her join me (More on her experiences in tumblr page which I re-blogged in my previous post).
We left the hotel at 8am and arrived at Diamond in less than 5mins. Pearl Garden is actually just 3 blocks away from the Diamond. Anyhoo, when we got there, we were surprised by the number of applicants in the lobby. We walked towards the ballroom, registered, and went inside where almost half of the seats were already occupied by applicants. The room was completely jam-packed by 9am. A Qatar representative (I later found out from Mai that she was Bulgarian) wrote guidelines in the whiteboard in front and finally spoke in front saying that it will only be CV submission and not the formal interview; shortlisted candidates would receive a call around 7-8pm; wear corporate attire- short sleeved blouse and a knee length skirt (plus hair shouldn’t be teased) etc. They were really organized and we didn’t feel the long line because we were divided into 3 groups (3 recruiters to submit our CV’s to). We were seated in the 3rd group – the Bulgarian representative. It went pretty quick as soon as the submission started because she only asked 1 question : “what are you doing now?”. I mean seriously, how can you screw up answering a simple question right? But I didn’t get the call L boohoo…
Mai and another friend (who I knew from the Emirates pre-assessment ) noticed Ms. Bulgaria segregating resumes to 2 piles. Mine was placed on the bigger pile – bummer! But I was so proud of Mai because hers was placed on the lesser pile, and she indeed got the call – around 5 pm.
That was pretty much how it went. It was that quick. I heard from PEXers that the other 2 groups were asked at least 3-5 questions, thus giving the recruiters a chance to get to know the applicants more. As for my group, I guess the assessment began as soon as we stood up from our chair.hehehe Read more about the “assessment” day in Mai’s blog, she got the magic call and made it to the 2nd level!
Oooh! I forgot to mention about my online poll on which photo I should submit – the 2nd photo won by a landslide!hehehe
To Joanne - You’re pretty in person!hehehe Next time, we’ll definitely meet na tlga.hehe
I want to congratulate all the FA wannabes who made it till the Final Interview and the ones who got offered the contract, especially to J-boy who went to the Singapore O.D., Congrats from sarah.manila! xoxo You make us proud!
Link reblogged from Journeys of the lady FA.. Flight Aspirant! :) with 2 notes
MAI's new blog and new post about the Qatar OD. →
Hi Everyone! My friend/ ex-co-worker/and fellow FA dreamer has a new blog! Here is her latest post about our experience at the Qatar Open Day in Diamond Hotel last Saturday Feb. 27! *click link to redirect to her tumblr*“Hello FA’s!”
Love the sound of that! But unfortunately.. I didn’t quite get in there yet.. but I’m not divulging the juicy details just yet. =D
Yesterday, my friend Sarah, and I went to Qatar Airways Open Day at Diamond Hotel. We got there around 8:40 am but we were already up and about,…
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HELP!
So i have 2 photo options, both from Great image, both costed me P550. I tried to copy the pose in “How to Be an Emirates Cabin Crew” on the left photo, however, it turned out with me looking like a paperdoll! The photo on the right, is a little awkward..
so what do you think? Which photo should I pass?? :)
*Thank you to Fa-mommy for being so generous enough to share her book with all of us! I was sooo surprised to receive a hard-bound book last monday :P muah-muah!!!
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Officially has begun
Only 1 week till the Qatar Open Day and I know everyone has already started preparing for the much dreaded yet anticipated interview process. This would be my first time to attend a Qatar OD and I’m very excited that it will be held at the 5-star Diamond Hotel. As much as I want to spend a night at Diamond, I can’t afford it, so my dad (who I’ll be picking up at the airport the night before the OD), mom and I will be staying at a nearby hotel. I’m thinking Pearl Garden?? Saw the website - completely blown away by the interior which was classy and done tastefully for a relatively inexpensive hotel. However, I’m still keeping my options open to the neighboring hotels at Mabini St., since they’re closer to Diamond.
So how do you prepare for an open day? Let me share you what I have started doing:
1. Research about the company – This will show that you want this job enough that you have dedicated time to do your homework. Doing this also helps you answer questions like “Why do you want to work for our company”, “What do you know about our company”.
- Mission/ Vision/ Slogan
- Airline’s Category – their fleet, equipment
- Its competitors
- Names of Senior Mgt. Team
- Accounting Stuff – Annual Operating revenue for the previous year, growth with respect to revenue
- Employment – growth rate, how many employees do they have? How many flight attendants do they have?
- Primary Route – how many destinations do they fly to?
- Their New Destinations
- Watch a presentation/video – If they have one about being a cabin crew you definitely have to watch and observe how their cabin crews speak, move and how they think. Your goal is to one day stand side by side with those cabin crews and have people think that you belong!
2. Think of ALL the possible questions you can think of, and have an answer to ALL of them. It’s better to be OC and prepared than mapahiya in front of your employer just because you didn’t prepare and you couldn’t come up with a single thought process. I also have to add that you should be able to answer current events questions as well.
3. Update your resume – make sure all your recent trainings have been included, review your cover letter, make sure your contact details are easily read, etc.
4. Perfect your Introduction – sometimes kasi dito pa lang they judge you na, and sometimes din introduction pa lang sablay na. And I learned this when I attended Pal’s impact interview. That’s why I couldn’t stress the importance more enough.
5. And PRACTICE speaking in front of people, or in front of a camera, or a mirror or whatever will help you assess your performance.
6.PRAY!!! – Yes prayers can move mountains. Faith can get you anywhere. I believe that God hears all of our prayers and He grants us our wishes in the perfect time that we most need them.
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Soulcard Reader
I’m feeling a little depressed today, I called IPAMS (the agency handling Emirates) to ask if i can reapply for the March Assessment Days, and without asking for my name and the date I last applied, she just said: “After 6 months”. Confusing lang, coz when I called IPAMS last saturday, i think I spoke with a different person, sabi niya I can reapply after 2 months. I went for the preliminary screening last Jan.27 (wednesday) and will blog about it very soon. Ugh… I hate feeling stuck, and I hate the wait…
However…
I’m excited for wednesday - I’m finally going to have my session with Soulcard Reader. My friend and I have been trying to get her for months and she only replied to us for scheduling last night! woohoo! A lot of people have been saying that she’s really good, and I cannot wait to hear whatever she sees in me, what I have been and what I can be.
For 20-something people like me - grabe pala ang quarter-life crisis!hahaha You can’t emote all the time because you start getting all the responsibilities but then at the back of your head you want to do something greater than what you are doing. Hindi ako mapakali. Ganito kaya ang nafi-feel ng magiging successful?hahaha I need clarity. or Maybe I already know what i wana do, but I just need to hear other people’s affirmations. I need to hear someone say that I am meant to be a cabin crew, despite me being 5’2, despite me being boyish and so unrefined, despite me not appearing to be the ideal candidate.
Kayo ba? do you have your own set of insecurities?
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I was in PEX thread last night and found out that some people are going to have their interviews at Philippine Airlines today, and so I got inspired to recall my own PAL experience. Last year, a friend of mine has just recently been part of Pal, and we were messaging on FB about my interest in becoming a cabin crew like her. And so last December, I decided to submit an online application at PAL.
Come January 2010, still no call, I decided to go directly to Pal to leave my resume. I think I was in EDSA that time (on the way to PAL office) when I received a surprise call! It was a representative from Pal and she did a mock interview. She asked the basics like age, school, height, vision and if you wear contact lenses, and scheduled me for an interview on the 11th (Monday).
January 11, 2010, my scheduled interview for PAL. I arrived at the PNB bldg. along Macapagal Road. A lot of people were already waiting at the lobby when I arrived around 7-ish. Everyone got up as soon as 8am hit so I walk along with them to PAL office. When we finally got inside, we were led to a room where the interview was going to take place. There were several chairs and a whiteboard in front, more like a classroom setting, so I assumed we were going to have to speak in front of everybody. The head of HR went inside and gave us forms to fill up, she said that if we qualify, they would still have to check the information written there and will be considered temporary information until validated. So I filled up my form, asked a seatmate if she had glue so I can attach my 2X2 photo, and waited until the HR and another person from their team went inside (an ex cabin crew). The HR head then went in front and explained the hiring procedure, the steps we needed to take, a brief overview of training, salary etc., and described the qualities they’re looking for in a candidate. It seemed like a 30-minute talk, but I’m pretty sure it was that long.
The Impact Interview: We were called randomly (which was such a relief coz I was seated in the front row!hehe) We were asked to speak in front for at least 3 minutes, then walk towards their (“the judges’”) table, show them our teeth (not just smile ha, as in open yung mouth), and then face left and right, turn around so they can check our legs, and then remove our jacket so they can check our arms. After that we went back to our seats and waited until the last applicant has done the routine. Once everyone was through, we were called individually and were given a sheet of paper stating whether we got in or not or if they would consider us but not at that moment.
Out of 30-something applicants, only 2 people got in: a girl who is a trainer at Fitness First, and a guy who dubs for television and is a natural comedian. So what made them stand out? (For me lang ha..) The girl mentioned that she’s a nursing grad, kaya kahit na she’s not practicing her profession, nagagamit niya yung skills niya sa Fitness First when she checks Blood Pressure of her clients or when she assists them. She was so calm the whole time she was speaking, didn’t make any necessary hand gestures like I did!hehehe and she speaks very well. The comedian guy was the total opposite; he was out there – cracking jokes while selling himself. Out of all the male applicants, he had personality, and he didn’t look terrified or worse, uninterested like the other applicants.
Why didn’t I get in? I definitely made a lot of boo-boos! Actually it was really embarrassing that I wanted to kill myself after. When I went to speak in front, I wanted to stand out, eh the speakers before me didn’t greet the HR head and the Guest, so I did! Kaso, mali nga lang yung nasabi kong pangalan nung guest (who was an ex cabin crew)! Grabe talaga.. no wonder she had a raised eyebrow and she had to give me “that look” the entire time I was speaking in front.hehehe so aside from appearing a dumb-ass, hindi din ako prepared. Like I knew I was going to speak in front because I have attended a PAL interview many years back, but I still didn’t prepare. So yea, it’s been years since I tried applying for a flight attendant position and I really blew my chance at Pal.hehehe Anyhoo.. there’s still August.hehe
Tips coming from a non-tourism, non-medicine, non-aviation grad: It doesn’t hurt to practice your introduction. Every interview has a “Tell me about yourself” question. Why don’t you really think about your answers and prolong them till its 3 minutes long, and practice! Practice in front of the mirror, practice with a friend who’s willing to give you critique, or better yet video-tape yourself so you would see how you look like and what gestures you do that you’re unaware of. Wear something comfortable – coz it’ll show, and isn’t it more uncomfortable when you’re wearing something masikip/skimpy/wrinkly tapos you have to speak in front pa??hehehe
Well, yun lang naman. The drill was pretty simple, and if you think you have the height, and the weight that’s proportionate to your height, if you have a killer “Introduction speech”, an elegant walk, a calm and composed demeanor, then you might just nail that PAL impact interview! To my fellow January batch of applicants, see you all in August :P
Link
click for Qatar OpenDay details thru IPAMS →
I know everyone’s excited about this! Heard stories about the Cebu OD, pero alam ko mas madugo ang Manila OD!hehehe Is anyone checking in at Diamond on the 26th? message me para may kasama ako :)
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