I applied online. I interviewed at British Airways (Heathrow, England) in Aug 2017
Interview
Staff unfriendly and rude which is disappointing due to their strong views on high customer service. I thought I had done extremely well in the process but got sent home after the role plays. The way we were constantly told how lucky we were to be there was demoralizing. Even to be told that if we can't wait 6 months to apply again to apply to other airlines is highly unprofessional. They seem to be behind the times and stuck in their ways without room for expression. They sent us home by inviting us into a small room without the ability to sit down when they could have just told us there and then in the waiting area without getting our hopes up walking there and back . I don't see why they would not give feedback when they could give the form they were filling out during the process back to you. I could not tell you what they were looking for as many who I thought were strong candidates were sent home also. The recruiters need training themselves and need clearer voices. The presentation was presented by a man with a very strong accent who kept umming and stumbling. If I was stumbling during my announcement test, I would not have got through so I don't know how he got his job. Never to be repeated and I will be taking the recruiters advice on moving my talents to a different airline. Adios
I applied online. I interviewed at British Airways (Heathrow, England) in Aug 2017
Interview
Arrived pretty early as my flight was earlier than expected. Used the free staff shuttle to get from Heathrow T5 to Waterside. Met some other candidates and we chatted until about 11:45 when we were invited into the recruitment part of the building. First thing we did was fill out a quick form confirming if we had any tattoos/piercings and if so where they were. Then we waited about 45 minutes. There was lots of waiting around but I knew this would be the case so just be happy and bubbly and chat to people as you meet lots of friendly and nice people. Then in groups of 6 we did the reach tests. You had to be able to reach a mock-up of the overhead bins, then they measure your actual height, then you have to be able to hold the aircraft door's handle with your right hand whilst being able to touch a red tag on the ground with your left hand (a couple of people struggled here and they really to make sure you have a firm grip so I would advise a quick stretch beforehand), finally you had to sit in a cabin crew jump suit and buckle in and adopt the brace position (they show you how to do everything). After that we chatted more, there was free tea, coffee and water and a vending machine of snacks. We watched a short presentation on the company, it's history, motto, ethos and a bit more information about the role, what a typical roster looks like as well as the difficult parts of the job such as being away from home and fatigue. We were told not to see it as a competition for the role as there were plenty of roles for everyone, it just depends on the person.
Then myself and 5 others were called to do our group exercise. Pretty straightforward, we had to budget for a new route that was starting to Hawaii and choose what we should have to promote it. Cooperating and listening are essential here. You totally forget about the 3/4 examiners in the room. After that we did 1:1 roleplays which I thought were a lot of fun while others didn't. Basically you had to read out PA informing passengers of a short delay and that there had been a mixup with some catering options. The second part involved the examiner playing the role of a displeased business class passenger and you were the cabin crew.
After that we all chatted some more until a list of people's names were read out and taken into another room. Sadly we were told that this time we hadn't made it through to the next stage - the interview. I personally was quite shocked as I thought I had done very well in the activities, particularly in the roleplay as I was praised by the examiner for the manner I dealt with the situation. Approximately half of us hadn't made it through. There really was know way of knowing when our names were being called out on the list. A fair few people I was shocked had managed to stay, I only say shocked just because they came across as ill-prepared and quite overbearing whilst others had done so so much research into this and it was sad that we weren't able to showcase ourselves during an interview. Also they didn't even look at any of our documents - I assume they only did to the candidates who were successful in getting through to the second part of the AD. We were encouraged to reapply after 6 months and politely told it just wasn't our time yet ... but that our time would come! Overall it was an extremely pleasant and fun day. All the BA staff and examiners were lovely and I'm so glad I attended. I hope to reapply whenever I can
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at British Airways (Dublín, Dublín) in Feb 2017
Interview
You will have a phone interview, a F2F interview, and on the manager's discretion - a 3rd F2F interview. Up on the offer they will ask you for 2 references (prepare your references that it will be a tough several weeks for them, full of questions), and background check, which is the criminal record check for the past 5 years. If you lived in Ireland for the past 5 years - great, if not, you will need to request a CRC in each country you lived in over the past 5 years. The whole process can take min 4 weeks, sometimes longer. Do not rely on the first start date you are given as if your background checks are not over by that date, your start date will be postponed to a later one.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why BA?
What motivates you?
What demotivates you?
What is your understanding of the Inside Sales role at BA?
What do you do outside of work?