Cover Letter Sample For the Corporate Flight Attendant
Writing a cover letter to send with your résumé can be both confusing and frustrating. What exactly should you say? Are you saying too much? Are you only speaking about your needs vs. the company’s needs? Oh, what to do! In this “short” piece, I will list some ideas on how to craft your cover letter. I have also provided some important links — for additional assistance — particularly if you find yourself still needing outside help.
Basics
* Make sure you use exactly the same type of paper you use for your résumé. White with white is best, business paper is strongly advised, especially paper containing 100% cotton. Cheap 20 lb. copier paper is a terrible idea!
* A matching business envelope {#10} is acceptable. Tri-fold your copies separately; when you place the cover letter inside the envelope, make sure that the letter is shown first [when you lift the flap of the envelope up] followed by your résumé.
Fold it so that your name and contact information is the first thing the recruiter sees. If you choose to use a kraft envelope make sure that is no smaller than 9×12 or bigger than 10×13. Place an attractive computer generated label on it with your return address shown appropriately. If you must write on it, PRINT your information and do not be fancy. Remember: you want the post office and the company’s mailroom to be able to read what you wrote! Otherwise, important time may be lost in the process.
* If you are emailing your information make sure that the job listing stipulates that attachments are okay. If not, don’t you dare send attachments! Instead, within the body of an email message you can write your cover letter [a brief introduction] and then cut and paste your résumé. I cannot tell you how many files never get read when the person does not do as instructed. You can also follow up and mail in a hard [paper] copy if an address is provided.
Beginnings
* Match the header on your résumé with the header on your cover letter. They can and do get separated! An example header should look like this:
Jane Doe, 14 Star Lane
Smithville, NC 27777 USA
Telephone: 919-555-1212
Cell Phone: 919-555-1213
Email: jdoe@nc.rrs.com
* Include your personal website address only if that information is valuable. If you host a site that is weird, inflammatory, adult oriented, or otherwise controversial, simply do not expect any response from the company.
* Put today’s date on the cover letter.
* Next, include your contact’s information, which can include:
Ms. Ellen Snow
Human Resources Coordinator
FlyByNight Aviation, Inc.
1234 Orville Wright Lane
Serendipity, NC 27776
* Your salutation comes next and should look like this
— Dear Ms. Snow:
Body
* Keep in mind that your cover letter must not be lengthy. You can say all that must be said in no more than three, maybe four, brief paragraphs.
* Here is a sample:
Attached, please find a copy of my résumé for your review. I am interested in the position of corporate flight attendant listed online at http://www.flybynight.com.
I believe my three years of international flying experience along with my culinary background and language skills makes me the ideal candidate to serve Fly-By-Night’s distinguished clientele. Currently, I work as an independent contractor and have flown to top destinations in Europe as well as throughout the U.S. and Canada. FlyByNight’s need for a dependable, trained, and highly experienced team player is exactly the type of position I desire.
I look forward to meeting with you in person to discuss your particular needs and how I can help FlyByNight successfully carry out its mission as the best operator of private jets in the world. Feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience; I can be reached at 919-555-1212 or by on cell phone at 919-555-1213.
Byes
* Sincerely,
Jane Doe
Leave 3-4 lines from your “Sincerely” to your name. Your closing shouldn’t include other words including Regards [too plain], Cheers! [too British], Love [too personal], etc. Remember, this is a business letter.
In summation, keep it short and specific. Have three or four main points you can emphasize about your strengths, particularly, those points which match with the points listed by the company in their job details. In this particular case the candidate emphasized her culinary, language, and international travel experience, as well as her availability. All four points were stressed in the company’s job listing which read:
“…international jet operator is searching for an experienced cabin attendant. This position involves serving our on demand charter clients from east coast locations to destinations in the U.S. and abroad. Must have exceptional food service skills. Current training with FACTS, FlightSafety or similar training vendor; French or Spanish language skills: a plus…
You cannot avoid talking about yourself, but you can control how you talk about yourself.
Do not…
- …beg for an interview.
- …mention money or benefits. If the job listing “demands” that you list your salary requirements, simply state that salary is negotiable.
- …overly boast about your skills: think about what the company’s needs are, do you think they care that you were the recipient of an NBAA scholarship? It is, however, okay to list scholarship awards on your résumé.
- …name drop. Unless, you already come highly recommended by someone they know and like. Your mentor may be well known in this industry, but not universally liked. You can use them on your list of references, however.
Tying it all together, this is what your cover letter could look like:
Jane Doe
14 Star Lane
Smithville, NC 27777 USA
Telephone: 919-555-1212
Cell Phone: 919-555-1213
Email: jdoe@nc.rrs.com
March 21, 2005
Ms. Ellen Snow
Human Resources Coordinator
FlyByNight Aviation, Inc.
1234 Orville Wright Lane
Serendipity, NC 27776
Re: Corporate Flight Attendant Opening [this is optional, but it can be helpful especially if the company has multiple openings available.]
Dear Ms. Snow:
Attached, please find a copy of my résumé for your review. I am interested in the position of corporate flight attendant listed online at http://www.flybynight.com.
I believe my three years of international flying experience along with my culinary background and language skills makes me the ideal candidate to serve FlyByNight’s distinguished clientele. Currently, I work as an independent contractor and have flown to top destinations in Europe as well as throughout the U.S. and Canada. FlyByNight’s need for a dependable, trained, and highly experienced team player is exactly the type of position I desire.
I look forward to meeting with you in person to discuss your particular needs and how I can help FlyByNight successfully carry out its mission as the best operator of private jets in the world. Feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience; I can be reached at 919-555-1212 or by on cell phone at 919-555-1213.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
International Flight Attendant Or Domestic Flight Attendant Work – The Pros and Cons
Are you caught in a dilemma of whether to choose international flight attendant or domestic flight attendant work? Try to decide what airline to apply to based on the work you will do and the conditions you’ll work under. Ultimately it’s about lifestyle and while the actual work is similar, the type of work differs and the lifestyle you’ll lead is in rather stark contrast between the two options.
One you get to see family and friends with predictable regularity, the other not so. One you have to learn to sleep on a plane, the other you’ll probably be sacked if you do. One you fight the clock, the other you’ll find that the clock fights you.Yes, international flight attendant and domestic flight attendant work has its differences. The basic requirements to be either an international or domestic flight attendant are of course the same.
You have to meet the same educational standards of leaving or GED equivalent, be of sound physical health with correctable vision, be able to swim 50 metres (150 ft) fully clothed and hold a first aid certificate. Of course you need to be a great people person with great customer service skills and preferably have significant past customer service experience in the ‘real world’.
Then there’s the ability to study, be a team player and be able to adapt to flying requirements such work a 24/7 roster as well as the need or willingness to relocate to a base directed by the needs of the company if required.
For some however, the passion to experience either International flight attendant or domestic flight attendant work sees the requirements as mere incidentals or stepping stones to achieving their dream to fly.Domestic flight attendant work provides great challenges and will give you a lot of satisfaction provided you have the core attribute of a great flight attendant and that is, you really are a people person.
You will be saying hello and goodbye to perhaps 1000 or more people in a days’ work depending on the aircraft size and type you happen to be operating on during your duty.
And while a typical working day would max out at 4 legs, some route structures or working hours may allow for 5 or even six leg days. ‘Legs’ are airline speak for describing a single flight from point A to point B and involving one take-off and one landing.
This can be tiring work but the major benefit is that you maintain a normality of lifestyle and as an airline employee you of course reap the rewards of great holiday travel discounts and other airline employment benefits in your downtime.
International flight attendant work is starkly different to the status quo of domestic flight attendant work. Particularly with intercontinental and trans Atlantic work or in essence, anytime you have to do more than one service on board in one leg. Two or more services automatically mean that you will be a long time in the air and won’t be seeing a new lot of passengers until you’ve landed, said goodbye and gone to your hotel for a sleep and specified rest period, sometimes being several days.
Yes international work is much more a lifestyle or rather, jet-setting option. It can play havoc on your personal home relationships although some wouldn’t have it any other way because they can make it work for them. And while North and South flying is relatively easy on the natural and normal circadian rhythm of your body, East and West flying exposes you to great time changes relative to your ‘home body clock’.
Again, this can be managed to a certain extent and for many, the sheer thrill of travelling to and seeing new places particularly in the first one or two years of flying overcomes much jet lag.
Obviously there are pros and cons in the finer details of international or domestic flying such as the preference of flying on single or wide bodied aircraft, the willingness to live out of a suitcase or be home at the end of your shift, receive fantastic duty free allowances and for that matter travel allowances or simply forgo most of them and save them for your personal travel time. Largely however, it’s the type of work and lifestyle that you’ll lead that is the major difference between the two options.
