Wondering what to wear to your Cabin Crew Final Interview? New research could give you the formula for success…
Generally speaking, I like to think that succeeding in a Cabin Crew Final Interview should be all about the things you say – Proving you have the qualities, skills and experience that make a fantastic flight attendant. But I have to admit that there are a lot of other factors that could lead to success… or possible failure.
The way you behave, your body language, the connection you make with the recruiter and how you present yourself can all have a big impact on your chances of success. After all, an airline recruiter is just like the rest of us – they judge candidates based on small subjective factors. I’ve spoken about this before – in an article about ’emotional contagion‘ and on whether you are ‘culture fit’.
But a new study from SmartRecruiters – an online recruitment platform – suggests that what you wear (or more importantly, the colour of what you wear) could also have a big impact on your success. Their research discovered that 70% of interviewed candidates who were offered a job, wore an outfit that was mainly black.
The study looked at 180 candidates who were successful and 1,800 candidates who were ultimately unsuccessful. Of the rejected candidates, only 33% wore black outfits to their interviews.
I’m slightly in two minds about the results of this research. I’ve worn black outfits to the Final Interview and been offered the job – But I’ve also been just as successful wearing a grey outfit and a dark blue outfit. My gut feeling is that the colour of the outfit you wear isn’t what helps create success but rather the image that it can ultimately portray.
Airline recruiters are conservative and professional people. In many ways, a Cabin Crew interview is just like an interview for a bank. Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for candidates who are professional and immaculately groomed. A classic black business suit screams professional like nothing else.
There’s one more interesting takeaway from the research – 78% of hired candidates rated their physical appearance as “average” or “slightly unattractive.” That compared to 66% of rejected candidates who rated their physical appearance as “attractive” or “very attractive.” Sometimes less is more.
It can be tempting to wear an outfit that is really eye catching – To “grab the attention of the recruiter”. Or perhaps you wear bold colours and bright makeup to stand out from the other candidates. In reality, a more modest approach could actually increase your chances more than any snazzy outfit or hairdo.
My formula for success…
No need to worry – you don’t have to go Gothic to pull off this look:
Wear a classic and immaculately pressed business suit in a dark colour. Pair it with a plain and light coloured shirt with plain shoes. Ladies should always wear hosiery in a shade that is appropriate to the image of the airline. Ensure the cut is conservative and modest.
