Interview Day - Part 1

I woke up early and had a light breakfast. I dressed in a smart but simple outfit, tied my hair back into a ponytail and slapped on a bit of powder, blush and lip gloss. I didn’t draw my eyebrows or use any eyeliner or mascara. I didn’t know how.

The walk-in interviews were scheduled to start at 9am at a hotel in town. Even though I was early, there was already a super long queue. I had to fill in similar forms again. This time I left out the inventory of moles, scars and veins. I figured if the interviewers noticed them, then too bad for me. But if not, I wasn’t about to shoot myself in the foot by pointing out all my physical imperfections.

When I made it to the front of the queue, my certificates were verified. Then my height was measured and my weight taken to ensure that my BMI was acceptable. I was also asked to reach up to touch a line which was marked out on the wall. This was to ensure that I would be able to close the overhead compartments in the aircraft.

Next, interviewees were rounded up in groups of 8 to 10. We were asked to wait for our turn in the first interview room. There were two judges this time. Individually, we were asked to do a self-introduction and explain why we thought we were suitable for the job. I had everything prepared and the interviewer seemed impressed when I gave my introduction and answer. From our group, another girl and I made it through to the next round.

More waiting.

We were again put in groups of 8 to 10 and brought into a room for the uniform fitting. It felt more like the GSS. There were limited uniforms and sizes on the rack and there were ten of us. I quickly searched for the largest uniform I could find and fortunately for me, it fit like a glove. Some of the others ended up with ill fitting uniforms.

We were asked to tie our hair up so our neck/nape was exposed. We stood in a line and took turns walking demurely towards the round 2 judges. Some had to walk back and forth a few times. Also, we were made to twirl around slowly when we were in front of the interviewers. A few typical interview questions were asked. They scribbled notes.

Then, we proceeded to stand in front of two spotlights and were scrutinized for scars. They were particularly concerned about scars on the wrists and forearms, and scars on the neck/nape. I had some marks on my forearms but they seemed satisfied when they learnt that the marks were the result of insect bites and would heal up over time.

I had 3 mini moles (flat brown spots) on my face and one on my collar bone (“had” because I have since gotten them removed, courtesy of a former client who is an aesthetic surgeon) and a vein running down my right cheek. But the lady who inspected me wasn’t too concerned about them. She thought I had pretty good complexion.

4 of us made it through that round. I remember there was one hopeful who was exceptionally pretty but because of some unexplained scars on her wrist, she was booted out. I believe scars that appear self-inflicted are a concern.

Then, more waiting.