The return of 5J

You read that right! Cebu Pacific's back in business (in terms of OD's).

Equipped with a cinnamon roll and a bottle of soy milk for breakfast, I venture off to cyberland to start my day. The reason why i'm munching on this as i'm typing is because I just woke up and I need the sugar to energize me a bit. Though, I don't think I need the extra kick anymore. Why you ask? Well, I was browsing thru the web hunting for jobs (roarr) and then I came across a 5J link in jobstreet.com. I clicked on the link and waited for the page to load up whilst gulping down my soy milk. To my surprise, after seeing the page, I find myself officially awake after reading the word MALE! The mere fact that they're re-hiring MALE flight attendants got me all giddy and hyped up already. They haven't had an opening for male cabin crew in years!

Another bite of the roll and I don't think i'm feeling the effect of the sugar anymore; it's overpowered by the news my brain just absorbed.

I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT. Seriously.

I'm pretty sure though that the venue for the assessment is gonna be packed up with testosterone-filled-individuals because 5J has been depriving us guys (men) for so long that the tension has finally built up and it's ready to burst!
"uh-oh" is the only term I can use to verbalize this mayhem i'm fore-seeing. 5J employees, brace yourselves!

So yeah, go ahead and get yourselves ready for the assessment day and spread the news if you wish.

Here's the link by the way.
http://ph.jobstreet.com/jobs/2010/3/j/80/2334403.htm?fr=J

CNN Business Traveller

I was able to catch the flight attendant episode of this show hosted by Richard Quest wherein he had a crash course on how to be a cabin crew and he even took the challenge to actually act as a flight attendant in a Gulf Air flight headed to DXB -- that lucky bloke!

Initially, you can see him in the training academy wherein he was with other cabin crew trainees whilst undergoing training. They were trained on service, safety and how to properly yet professionally present yourself. Quite interesting really specially when they were role playing different potential situations that may arise in flight; such as: turbulence, ditching, etc.

Next, you would see him in a real GF flight departing from Bahrain and he was actually participating in the service whilst being judged by a senior cabin crew member/trainor. He was actually sorta shaking a bit while he was serving bread to the Arabs haha he still remained his professionalism though which is quite excellent on his part.

It was great to actually get a glimpse of what I'll be doing in the future. Training seemed fun yet challenging and they seriously train you to be at your best. Also, the mere fact that we will act as a beacon of safety and comfort for the passengers makes it really exciting yet it also entails that flight attendants really carry a lot of weight on their shoulders and not everything is glamorous. Nevertheless, I'm ready for it! All I need to do now is to manage to land a job for an airline (hopefully EK).

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for that day to come.

'til then, see you guys at the skies!

Peek-a-boo

I've been peeking at my email account yet I was unexpectedly booed in the end.

If only the refresh button on my browser was alive, i'm sure it would have butchered me by now since I've been "pushing its button" every 5 minutes for the past 2 days. I've been doing this because we were advised by IPAMS that we would be receiving the invites for the AD within the week if qualified or not.

I guess my initial attempt was uneventful.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to receive one. I'm guessing it's because I lied about my age and they must've found out that I'm really 20; another theory could be that they have decided to place me in the April assessment since the slots might be full for the March AD. I would definitely go for the latter if ever my presumptions are accurate. I'm not sure though, those are just theories of mine.

Oh well.. I still don't know where I went wrong. The interview with Miss R went really well. Hmm... was it because I still don't have any work experience? Or because they noticed my scar? WTF I don't wanna think about it anymore! haha my time will come soon.

Oh yeah, I'm still going to end this post with the final line below since I still have high hopes of getting that cabin crew slot in Emirates!

See you guys at the skies! (soon of course).

Dream, do come true

I had a wonderful dream last night! Guess what? I dreamt that I qualified for the Emirates assessment and I actually made it to the final interview! I was all excited, hyper and I had goosebumps all over. We were only 3 applicants who were scheduled for the final interview; 2 dudes and 1 gal.

So yeah, a day before the finale, my tooth chipped off (I don't really remember how it happened, it just did. haha). I'm not kidding! Then I became so paranoid because a smile is very important for Emirates and having a missing tooth could possibly lead to rejection! So.. I called up my dentist if it was possible for him to meet me on the same day to have my teeth fixed. He agreed to it and he had it done. hahaha

Then all I remember is that I was being interviewed by 2 female Emirates recruiters (I can't recall their nationalities anymore) and I could see smiles coming from their faces. Then on the same day itself, they gave me CD's of Emirates and advised me to go have my medicals done (The process isn't really like this since you'd have to wait a couple of weeks after the interview to find out if you're in or not but I have no idea why this was the scene in my dream). Which means I passed! HAHAHA and then, all of a sudden, I woke up.. ugh. Couldn't I cherish that moment a couple of minutes more?

But yeah, like I said.. it was only a dream. Strange eh? Well I sure hope it would come true. NO, allow me to rephrase that.. It WILL come true and I soon will be flying proudly with Emirates. woohoo!

----

My personal interpretation of this dream and why it happened:

Perhaps i'm just excited for the Emirates assessment day that's fast approaching. Though I still haven't received the email yet, I firmly believe that i'll be a cabin crew for Emirates. Maybe my sub-conscious mind feels the same way that's why it allowed me to dream of a fantastic dream last night which will soon become reality! hahaha

Also, It's been a loooong time since I was able to vividly remember a dream. Could this actually mean something? hmmm.. we'll soon find out.

I sure can't wait to finally live that dream!

See you guys at the skies!

Pacific Jet

Okay, backtracking again..

Last week (04 March, 2010)


I had an assessment for Pacific Jet (it's a domestic carrier in the Philippines). The day before the assessment, I had to prep up all the documents needed and i was hella excited since this would be my first ever assessment for a cabin crew position. So yeah, on the day of the assessment itself, I arrived earlier than expected (as usual) since it's best to make a good first impression. I was actually surprised that I was the only applicant in the waiting area. So.. I grabbed a newspaper from the desk and started brushing up on the current events. You never know if the interviewer would ask you a random economic question or what not so it's always a better option to be prepared.

After 15 minutes or so, I was called by the HR personnel (Miss G) and she lead me to another room wherein they checked my height, weight, skin and teeth. I have a tiny scar on my face but luckily it's not that visible unless you carefully stare at it. Fortunately, the person who was assessing me (Miss B) wasn't able to see the scar. phew! They then asked me if I had any tattoos or birthmarks; I said no. She then handed me a questionnaire because I had to take the exam. The exam was quite simple yet tricky. It was composed of situational stuff on-board the aircraft and they were testing your decision making skills. After the exam, I had to write an essay with the topic "Who am I?". It took me around 15-20 minutes to finish the entire thing because I was starving like hell!

After the assessment, I asked Miss G if I would still be interviewed today. She said that she would still check my documents and my essay and if successful, they would schedule me for an interview the week after. I nodded, said my thanks and proceeded to the nearest food stand. I was seriously hungry. haha

09 March, 2010

I finally received an email notifying me that I passed the assessment and that I was scheduled for an interview at 0100 hours the next day. They also advised me to bring a swimming certificate and a photocopy of my passport. (I found it strange that they're asking for all these documents wherein i'm still in the interview phase. weird, yeah?)

10 March, 2010

I was in the office at 1230, equipped with a satisfied tummy and a swagger of confidence and charm. haha I was ready for the interviews. bring 'em on!

I was lead to the same room where I took the exam and then I was introduced to the HR Director (Miss E). She was nice but she was the type of interviewer who's poker faced. I swear! I tried cracking jokes and I tried to enchant her with my captivating charisma (HAHA you guys might think i'm too full of myself now) but I don't think it worked. She hardly shattered that stern facade of hers. Anyway.. the interview went well. I noticed though that she was checking and verifying my intentions in joining the company. Also, she asked numerous questions related to loyalty and she wanted to really see if I would be committed to them or not. I liked the fact that the interview was very personalized because she specially made a sheet of paper for the questions she was going to ask me (which means she was prepared, VERY prepared) with my name on the top of the sheet. There were around 4-5 questions in a bullet format and she would base the questions there and then scribble stuff on it whenever I would open my mouth to speak. So yeah, the interview lasted for 30-40 minutes and she told me to wait outside.

After waiting again for another 10 minutes or so, Miss G lead me to another room (It was like a maze!) wherein I was going to have my final interview. She wished me luck before she knocked on the door and I wasn't expecting to see three middle-aged men waiting for me. It was a panel interview with the top executives of the company.

I would like to believe that the final interview with the executives went well. The interview lasted for almost one hour and they asked tons of questions! (when I say TONS, expect the unexpected. Seriously) After the interview, they made me read a sample in-flight announcement (both English and Tagalog) and then they made me walk from one side of the room to the other.

Everything went smoothly until they finally talked about the training. They're asking for Php 40k as a guarantee that I would be loyal to the company for 2 years. (No wonder Miss E was checking on my loyalty too!) Since they would be shelling out cash for the training (which apparently is gonna be somewhere in South East Asia) which will last for approximately 40 days. They would return the Php 40k upon completion of the 2 year contract. When I asked where the location of the training will be held, they rebuffed me by saying "We will give you an allotted time to ask questions later". So I jokingly said "Sorry to have jumped the gun then sir".

What's baffling is that they aren't really operational yet. Whenever I would inquire about their business plan in regards to the target launch date, they just respond back by saying "We can't discuss this information to you". Also, whenever I would try to ask something else regarding the company they would answer back with the same sentence.

Finally it was my turn to ask questions. I had a lot to ask because I was starting to get really confused and concerned with the offer being handed to me. When I was about to ask my first question, Mr. A rebuffed me again and he said "We're only going to allow you to ask a maximum of 2 questions because we're running out of time". In the back of my head I was like okaaaay, that's quite odd. So the first question I asked was "Based on your business plan, when is your target launch date?" Mr. A then said "soon". I personally didn't like the sound of that because it was very vague so I then followed up by asking "Sir, could you please give me a specific timeline?". He then said "We can't disclose this information to you yet". I was starting to smell something fishy already because they kept on evading my questions; specifically that one. That was my third time to ask the same question (the first 2 times he rebuffed me) and now, when it was finally my turn to ask.. he just evaded it. So I was like "very well then, where will Pacific Jet fly to? What are the destinations?" I knew it was a domestic airline but I wanted to know more details because I tried to google about it though nothing came up about their destinations. He then answered by saying "Well, it's a domestic airline but it is also the company's dream to be a part of the international scene; perhaps in two to three years". Atleast he answered this briefly. I still wanted to ask more but he said "Thank you, We would need your decision by next week". I was like damn! he was dead serious by just letting me ask 2 questions. So yeah, I thanked them for their time and I headed to the reception to claim my I.D.

On the way home, I was really mulling things over. I didn't know what to do. My intuition was telling me NO because they were really vague and I honestly wasn't satisfied with what transpired in the interview (the part where they were evading my queries).

Well the thing is, I don't really want to commit to something that's uncertain. I might end up just wasting my time and other potential opportunities whilst waiting on them. Also, I understand that they would require a guarantee; i'm fine with that since it is quite logical on their part to ask for that because they're still starting out and what not but I personally wouldn't want to invest in something wherein i'm not 100% sure of what the outcome will be. Well, I clearly am aware that there's a bond but I don't think that it's right for them to charge me 40k right away and then they would return it 2 years after. For me, it's going to be more professional on their part if they would allow me to train with them first and then just charge me if ever I don't complete the 2 year contract.

My dilemma now is that there's a chance that I could be invited for the EK AD but there still is no assurance with what the outcome of that assessment will be (If ever I get chosen to attend it). Whilst i'm being presented a guaranteed offer for a domestic carrier right now but i'd have to shell out 40k and give them my verdict by next week. I'm stuck in a crossroad and I have no idea what to do.

Anyway, for Pacific Jet aspirants, this is what I experienced earlier. If you guys still want to push through after reading my story, by all means go ahead and try it out. Goodluck!

IPAMS at 20

I'ma back track a bit..

Yesterday (09 March, 2010)

I went to IPAMS for the Emirates Pre-screening. I was there at around 1:30pm and I was the first applicant who was there after lunch. Someone then approached me (Ms. F -- for future reference, i'll be using the first letter of the first name of the individuals who i'll be meeting during OD [Open Days]. I'll be doing this for confidential reasons). and then she asked for my CV and my photos. Upon giving it to her, I waited for a couple of minutes more and then I was called in.

Miss B then introduced herself, she told me to sit down and then she started to assess me. She was asking basic questions such as "Why are you applying for this position? How'd you find out about the opening? Why Emirates?". So I gave her my answers and she followed up with another set of questions.
Can you keep a secret? I lied! I seriously did. I was hoping that she won't ask how old I was because I'm only 20; BUT! i'll be turning 21 a week after the EK (Emirates) assessment. I was hoping they would still consider me but I called the office last week and they strongly implemented that i needed to be 21 UPON application and not upon joining. So yeah, I swear I was sweating like crazy underneath my shirt when she asked "how old are you" so I was like "twenty..uhhh..ONE" hahaha this may sound funny now but I was nervous as hell while uttering those words! At the back of my head I was wishing that she wouldn't check my birthdate. Luckily she didn't! And oh yeah, i was fortunate enough that my sweat didn't visibly show up and say "HELLO Ms. B, do notice me too!" hahaha so yeah.. then she checked my hands and my teeth then she made me stand and asked me to twirl (this was awkward but in a silly way haha) then she asked me to remove my shoes in order for her to check my height and weight. After we were done, she advised me to wait outside so that Miss R would assess me.

When I went back outside in the waiting area.. there were other applicants already (around 7) but I was a bit flabbergasted when I saw more men than women. I was expecting more females to arrive (more eye candy for me of course haha and NO I ain't a pervert! hahaha). So yeah, I was called back in after 2 minutes or so and then Miss R started to browse thru my CV. She asked numerous questions but she was very kind and professional in doing so. Most of her questions were quite basic though but it's still best to keep yourself up to date with what's happening in our world right now. There was one question where she asked "What can you say about the recession?" I wasn't really expecting that question but of course you'd have to think fast and share your thoughts. I think she did this because more or less these might be the type of questions that the recruiters would be asking during the Assessment Day. She also gave me tips of what to expect during the said day. She made it clear that the results of the pre-screening will be out before the 24'th of March.

I loved the fact that Miss R was very generous with her tips and ideas. You could really feel that she wants you to be a flight attendant and that she was more than willing enough to sincerely help you out. So guys who have plans in going to IPAMS to be assessed, Don't ever be terrified of Miss R. Hahaha.

So yeah, i've got my fingers crossed for this. I sure am hoping to be a part of the assessment. The waiting game officially begins!

To the skies!

I decided to create a blog out of boredom and for me to make better use of my "valuable time" haha. But seriously, I was inspired to do this so that my dreams of being a Purser would hopefully come true since i'm believing that it would happen, I'm acting upon it and soon my thoughts would manifest (this, my dear readers, is the Secret) hahaha. So yeah, it's also for my mum to be able to keep track on which part of the world i'm currently in or have been to if ever i DO become a Purser. So yeah..

This is dedicated to all FA aspirants. No matter what part of the world you reside in, we are somewhat connected since we share the same ambition. Woot woot!

March 10, 2010 baby! haha see you guys at the skies!