Common Flight Attendant STAR Interview Questions- AirlineCareer.com

How to Answer Flight Attendant STAR Interview Questions

Question:

Can you explain how to answer a “STAR” type interview question during a flight attendant interview? Thank-you.

Answer:

One of the most common types of interview questions you will encounter during an interview is the behavioral type (or STAR) question. This is a question that asks you for a specific example of a situation you have been confronted with and an explanation of how you resolved it. Human resource professionals now include these types of questions in just about every type of job interview, because past problem-solving performance is a very accurate predictor of future performance in any given job. Some interviews will consist entirely of behavioral interview questions, also known as competency based questions.

You should always try to be very specific using as much detail as you can during your interview. When you are referring to an event when answering a question, be sure to be very specific and do not speak in general terms. In a few words, tell them about the situation, your task(s), what action you took specifically, and the positive result or outcome. Your answer should always contain these four steps (Situation, Task, Action, Result or “STAR”) for optimum success:

Situation: Give an example of a situation you were involved in that resulted in a favorable outcome.

Task: Describe what tasks you were responsible for in that situation.

Action: Discuss all of the various actions you were involved in to complete the situation’s task.

Result: End your answer by discussing the results you were able to achieve because of your actions. Before you begin the interview, explain your strong points and determine how you will incorporate these points (with demonstrated STAR stories) into your answers during the interview.When answering with the STAR method, be very specific and always tell a story. Interviewers sometimes can be like psychologists. Don’t be surprised if you are interrupted during your story with questions like, “Why did you feel that way?” or “What prompted you to do that? By asking these questions, the interviewer is probing to determine what qualities you have. When telling your story, it’s always a good idea to use numbers. Rather than saying you were a plant foreman, say that you were a plant foreman in charge of ten people. If your story doesn’t end up as you originally had planned, and the end result is not what you had hoped for, just explain that this was a learning experience for you.

Before the interview, go over your resume and think about your life experiences so that you will be ready to discuss the STAR questions you might be asked.

Example of a STAR Answer

Situation: As a Marketing Director, I was responsible for attracting new customers.

Task: I noticed sales had dropped by at least a third over the past five years and I wanted to take action to prevent further erosion of sales.

Action: I designed a new email marketing campaign offering former customers deep discounts on our product line and met with my team to assist in preparing concepts for the mailing.

Result: With input from my team and a successful email marketing campaign to our former customers, we were able to increase sales by 25% in a one-year period.

Common Types of Questions

Here are some of the most common behavioral interview questions that you may encounter during a flight attendant interview that will require answers using the STAR method.

Give an example of a situation where you had to handle a disgruntled customer and the outcome.

Make sure your example shows how you used your strong communication skills and tactfulness to handle the customer. Do not ever suggest that you were rude or obnoxious. The interviewer wants to be reassured that you know how to handle a problem when confronted with one. In addition, it is important that your actions resulted in a satisfied customer who continued to support the company.

Give an example of a situation where you were not being supported by your employer and how you handled it.

Here your example should show that you were involved in a situation where you disagreed with a company policy, but continued to abide by it. The interviewer wants to know that you were loyal to the company and would not work in violation of any policy, rule or regulation.

Give an example of a situation where you had to go the extra mile to please a customer.

This is an easy question to answer if you have worked in customer service. Find an example of a situation where you went out of your way to ensure a customer’s satisfaction. Interviewers like to know that you will go above and beyond the call of duty to please a customer. In the airline business, customer satisfaction is a top priority. After all, customers equate to revenue; satisfied customers keep coming back and tell their friends about their positive flying experiences.

Actual Behavioral Questions

Here are some actual behavioral questions submitted by our members that were recently asked by airline interviewers. Some of these are variations of questions reviewed above.

Describe a situation in the workplace that you perceived to be unethical.
Describe a situation where you initiated a new policy or procedure.
Give an example of a situation where you had a conflict with another employee.
What was the most difficult decision you had to make in the past year?
Describe your best customer service experience.
Describe your worst customer service experience.
Give us an example of a situation where you had to deal with someone with a different ethnic background.
Give an example of a situation where you dealt with a problem that you were unable to resolve.
Describe a situation in which you felt empathy.

These are just a few examples of scenario questions that you may encounter in an interview.

For more on STAR flight attendant interview questions (and answers) along with over one hundred other types of interview questions, please order our book, “How to Answer Flight Attendant Interview Questions.”

Need a resume and cover letter? Download our new flight attendant resume and cover letter templates.

Good luck!

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