Corporate F/A Dispatch

Writing your resume and going out on interviews is stressful enough, but the process becomes even more difficult if you’ve been fired in the past. Employers like to see candidates with pristine job histories, but we all know that in the real world, this isn’t always possible. Maybe you were unfairly terminated due to race or gender issues, or perhaps you butted heads with what you considered to be an incompetent boss. Whatever the reason for your firing, you’re going to have to decide how you’ll portray the incident to future employers.

Practice what you’ll say

Job firings are never pleasant experiences – no matter how long ago it happened, you may still find yourself feeling angry, frustrated or anxious about the situation. However, if you let these feelings stew without properly addressing them, you’re likely to be blindsided by their return at the worst-possible moments – such as when you’re sitting down to interview for a new position. To prevent this from happening, talk about the firing with a close friend or family member until you feel more comfortable discussing the issues. Try to find some sort of understanding for your bosses actions, then practice how you’ll discuss the issue when it comes up in future interviews.

Don’t dwell on it

If you’ve been fired in the past, it’s bound to come up at some point in the employment process, whether on an application that asks for your reason for leaving or later on in the interview. The most important thing you can do post-firing is to move on and not dwell on the issue. Even if you feel you were completely wronged in the situation, no hiring manager wants to be caught in the middle of a ten-minute long rant on how your former boss was a total jerk. Instead of being understanding, they may wonder whether or not they’ll wind up having similar issues with you.

Instead, try to explain the reason for the firing as calmly and as succinctly as possible. This could be something as simple as, “My former boss and I disagreed over the best course of action for the company and decided it was best to part ways.” Try to leave your judgments out of it – you’ll come off as far more mature if you’re able to demonstrate empathy for your boss’s position and that you’ve learned and grown from the experience.

Talk to your former employer

If the bridge between you and your former boss hasn’t been completely burned, it might be worth it to try and contact your previous employer to see if you can come to some sort of common ground over your firing. In some cases, your former boss may be willing to concede that, although there were differences in your opinions, your work was good and your job performance acceptable. If things go well, they may even consent to being contacted by potential employers, eliminating a big black mark from your application.

Obviously, this won’t work in all situations. If you’re still too angry or unwilling to concede your own role in the firing, there’s no point in calling up your old employer – you’ll just re-open wounds that are better left alone to heal. If you aren’t able to talk about the situation without getting upset and invoking cuss words that would make a sailor blush, it’s best to just move on and write the job off as a loss. If this is the case, try to accept that no one’s perfect and do your best to move on with your life.

These days, job seeker websites like Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com are all the rage for would-be employees. But are they really all they’re cracked up to be? And if so, how can you best use them as part of your job search?

Well, to be honest, they probably aren’t the best tools for finding corporate flight attendant jobs. A quick search of Monster.com turned up only three flight attendant postings and nothing for “corporate flight attendant” more specifically. Similarly, Careerbuilder.com found just four results for flight attendants and none when the search term was modified further. In general, these websites tend to focus more on sales and managerial positions

However, this doesn’t mean that you should give up on them completely. These sites are frequently updated, so it’s always possible that the perfect job listing for you just hasn’t been posted yet. You can also use them to find related jobs if you haven’t yet completed the training necessary to work as a corporate flight attendant. For example, you may be able to find an administrative position with a corporate jet rental agency that will allow you to learn the industry while you’re in training.

Both Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com also offer a feature that allows you to post your resume for reference by employers. Employers can scan these listings by keyword and may contact you directly if your skills match a position they’re hiring for – even if they haven’t listed it yet. Of course, the standard resume rules apply here – so be sure your resume is free from spelling and grammatical mistakes. In addition, you may be able to post your resume with some restrictions in case your current employer isn’t aware you’re looking for a job.

When conducting your job search online, it’s best to go directly to the source – the websites of the specific companies you’d like to work for. To find corporate flight attendant positions in your area, use Google or Yahoo to search for terms like “corporate flight attendant + your area” or “business jet jobs + your area”. Get creative with your search terms – you never know which exact phrase will turn up the best results.

After you’ve identified a few good employer candidates, check to see if their websites offer a place where you can submit your application electronically. Many employers are adding this functionality, and some even allow you to save a resume in their system to make applying for future listings even easier. If the company you’d like to work for doesn’t have any current openings, try to get the name of the person in charge of hiring and send them an email containing your resume to keep on file for future job opportunities.

Of course, searching for jobs online is easy – after all, there’s no getting dressed up to drop off a resume and no stress involved in cold calling people to see if they’re hiring. But although your results may vary, many job seekers find that electronic resumes are no substitute for actual personal contact with a prospective employer. Calling or stopping by in person gives the company a better impression of who you are – if you impress them in person, you may be more likely to get an interview than someone they only know from an electronic resume.

Working as a corporate flight attendant is so much more than simply shuffling a beverage cart up and down the aisles. When you serve on a business jet, you’ll be expected to have an impeccable command of service protocols, including how to prepare and plate gourmet meals and serve fine wines and champagnes, all while maintaining a safe atmosphere onboard. That’s why many corporate flight attendants choose to pursue professional training to prepare themselves for the field.

Currently, there are only three FAA-approved corporate flight attendant training programs in the United States. One of these is the Professional Cabin Attendant Training program offered through Flight Safety International. Flight Safety is unique in that it offers a wide range of training opportunities, including programs for business jet pilots and maintenance workers on a wide variety of aircrafts. The company offers its cabin attendant training program in four different locations: Savannah, GA; Atlanta, GA; Teterboro, NJ; and Paris, France.

Flight Safety offers several different courses to meet the various needs of new and experienced corporate flight attendants. The first is a general course, called the Initial Cabin Attendant training course. This comprehensive courses lasts five days and covers everything from flight safety – including emergency situation training, fire fighting, unplanned and planned landing/ditching, evacuation, sea survival, aircraft terminology, and hazardous materials recognition. As a corporate flight attendant, you may be the only service member onboard – besides the pilot – so you may be called on to take charge in an emergency situation.

Flight Safety’s introductory course also covers the basics of corporate service protocols. Even if you’ve had experience as a commercial flight attendant, you may not be familiar with the level involved in plating, garnishing and serving the gourmet entrees expected by VIP business travelers. If you already have experience as a business jet flight attendant, you may find Flight Safety’s two-day refresher training course to be a great way to bone up on current safety and serving standards.

In addition to their introductory course, Flight Safety also offers several specialized one-day courses designed to supplement their original curriculum. The first is a Corporate Cabin Service class that’s designed to give you hands-on experience in serving meals on corporate jets. The course will cover many of the same topics as the introductory course – including meal planning, preparation and serving skills – as well as information on food safety, galley organization and security, and catering for international flights.

Flight Safety also offers a one-day course on general emergency training, as well as courses on CPR, First Aid and MedAire training. The general emergency course, just like the cabin service course, covers many of the same aspects as the introductory class, just in more detail. Medical and safety training is essential for corporate flight attendants – not only will you feel more confident in your ability to handle any situation you may encounter, you may also be able to command a higher salary as the result of your additional training.