HOLY COW!!

I just got an email saying I've been successful to the next round!

I have to call someone back for a phone interview!!

HELP NEEDED PLEASE!!

I havent even been for an interview in years!! I'm scared!

What will they ask me!!???

ANY, ANY, ANY help would be wonderful!!

Also any information that might help me would be VERY appreciated!!

Ohhh I'm very excited and scared all in one!!!

Congratulations

Firstly especially being a phone interview

Use very good phone techniques

Thank -you Hello ect speak clearly and slowly!!! If you do that you should be fine!!!

Yaaaaaaaahhhhhhh for you Hayles!!!! That's awesome mate, congrats!!

Gosh that was quick - they must be impressed with you!!!

Deep breaths sweets, you'll knock em dead.

When do you have to phone back?

Don't worry, just let that sparkling personality shine thru.

Any more info on the remuneration thingy would be great!!?? I dont understand that?

Like... about how much is it??

I dunno?? Any other info I might need to know??

How hard was it to get to the next stage?

THanks!!!!

They'll probably ask you why you think you would be good in that role, what qualities you could bring to the workplace, why you want to work for them, what you know about the company and the interviewee's most dreaded statement....."So, X, tell me something about yourself".

Don't give yes/no or one sentence answers - you've got to be able to explain a little eg "I am a good teamworker. I was on X committee at school, I play competition netball on Tuesdays and have just started Toastmasters" or something like that!

It's fine to take a breath after they ask the question so you can think of something coherent to say. It also stops your voice from shaking. Have a glass of water near you, as well as notes that can help you answer possible questions.

Most importantly, convince them of your enthusiasm for the job and your desire to work for their company. You can be trained in any job but it's hard to fake true passion for a job...and they'll know.

Best of luck. I'll be thinking of you.

I was just thinking Hayley, I had a phone interview once a long time ago, and they did a bit of role play, like "what would you do in this situation?"

Hope I'm not leading you up the garden path here.........

Im sorry that I cant give you any advice on the phone interview (ive never had one) but I do wish you all the best of luck & cant wait to hear if you get the job.

Take Care,

I know that you are probably on the phone right now to them ....but I was just think of the questions that I asked in the last interviews that I conducted.

Let me try and put them into your situation. Definately make notes while she/he talks to you ...we ask about 5 questions in one go to see how they handle it.


Have you ever had to deal with a disgruntled customer, how did you deal with the situation, did you feel that the end result suited both parties?

Have you had a situation where you have had many jobs on the g, how do you prioritise ( sp?)

Are you work hours flexible? Do you have anything that would make it hard to be flexible?

Have you done any research on our company?

stuff like that.... WE have to ask the same questions to everyone, and so i am guessing she will do the same to you.

BE CONFIDENT ON THE PHONE

Oh Thank you guys sooooo much!!! You are helping me out BIG time!! All of these questions are great!

I'm going to call them tomorrow! So that I can have a think about the questions and also have a chance to do a little research on the company and write some things down!!

WOO HOO!!!

I'm soooo excited!!! Been talking to DH and hes all happy and supportive of this choice to change careers! I only hope everything works out for the best!!

WISH ME LUCK!!!

Any other info anyone has between now and tomorrow would be fantastic!!

Keep the help coming!!



I'm very appreciative!

GOOD LUCK HAYLEY B!!!!

Will be thinking of you, let us know how you go ok!!!

Hi Hayley

Congrats on getting to this stage.

Now I had a phone interview with the above mentioned company about a year or so ago so if memory serves here are the things that I can remember:

* She saw by my resume the places I had travelled to .... then asked me to sell her a place that I hadn't travelled to. In my instant, I had to sell her London, and give her reasons on why to travel to London and what the best sights were to see there.

* She then asked me what I would do if someone came into the centre and said they wanted to travel somewhere, but didn't know where. What kind of questions would I ask so I could determine the best possible place to visit.

* I was asked how I felt about going along to their 'Buzz Nights' every month .... as it was pretty much a compulsory thing

* Past work experience within the travel field

* Why I was leaving my previous employer

Gosh, the memory isn't that good as that's all I can really remember. It was quite nerve racking and I stumbled a bit when put on the spot, however I couldn't have done that bad as I was granted a face to face interview which I turned down the next day for other reasons.

I'm not sure if you've ever been in this industry (I'd already had 7 years experience), so if you haven't been in the travel industry before, they may not bombard you with such questions.

I'm sure Court and Shelley will be able to give you some more accurate up to date info though if they're online before your interview.

Good luck and let us know how you go.

Another dreaded question is what's your worst habit that you bring to this company.

But it can be turned around to your advantage, eg mine's I like to be punctual, in most cases early, so I normally get to work before everyone else and have to sit outside and wait for someone to open the door for me.

Okay..I work for FC and have worked a bit in the recruitment centre there....

I will be back after dinner and have got this baby to bed to give you the info you nedd- they ask very specific questions.....

STAY TUNED!!

Good luck with the interview
Ill keep my fingers crossed for you....ill keep everything crossed for you

I had a phone interview recently and it was much of the stuff that the others have mentioned (eg. listen to a statement about the company and repeat back the main points, some role play, what are your good/bad points).

But I just wanted to say make sure you make a concious effort to say "yes", not "yeah"!
I have a terrible habit of saying 'yeah' because it's just the sort of casual response I'm used to giving in previous jobs.

And relax, be yourself and good luck!

best of luck!

also have a bit of a read up on the tourism and aviation industries, in case they ask you anything about that - ie qantas' new overseas staff policy etc.

i work in the aviation sector, and i'll pm you the address of a naughty forum we use to get alot of the gossip from

hey Hayles

You crack me up with how excited you get with things, although i am not saying you should not be excited about this.

I have just had a phone interview, not with flight centre but with Coca Cola and ill give you a rough idea what they asked me.

What i understood of the role (the position), what attracted me to apply for the position, why should i be a good candidate,

Then they asked me some behavioural questions, likle what i think customer service is, what is my most successful sale, stuff like that

Hope this helps ya babesm, let us know how you go and GOOD LUCK CHICKY

Victoria

I RANG!!!

And they said.. "Ring back Monday at 10am for your interview"

Oh bumber! I was sooo pumped!! I will just have to psych myself up again!!

Oh... I soooo want this job... I've been excited ever since I applied!!



Thats a good sign right?

Sooo... does anyone know how hard it is to actually get a job there... I really want this! I've been writing down stuff to say in the interview and reserching and reading their website like 3 times already!

I just sooo want it!

Any more info for me????!!!!

You've all been sooo great so far!! And now I have till Monday till get phyched again and get more prepared!

Little Poppet!! Come back and help pretty please!!!

H

My best mate works at FC, and she only really had retail and hospitality experience beforehand (and lots of travel).

God luck!!

This forum is great. I have been seeing the FC adverts, but something always puts me off applying. I have done travel courses at TAFE, yet for some reason I chicken out of applying.

I'm unhappy in my job at the moment, so these posts might be what I need.

Little Poppett - write back quick!!!

Hayley - I've got my fingers crossed, If I ever get brave enough, I'll know who to come to with questions - good luck for monday

Hi girls

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you ! I-do was down and then I didn't have another chance to pop back in here.

Okay... Here is a rough idea of what the 'standard' q's are and what they are looking for in brackets.

1. Tell me a bit about what you have been doing the last few years (ie since leaving school?

(answer- looking for some job or study stability and travel-lots of it)

2. Why FC?
(answer- voted Best Employer, idea of promotion from within appeals as I am a high achiever blah blah, opportunity to rise within company, looking for a challenge, looking to be rewarded for my acheivements (this is a big one- mention this!!!)

3. What do you perceive the job to be?

(answer- primarily a sales/retail role. Qualifying and SELLING travel, insurance, hotels, flights and tours to clients. Make sure you get across that you understand that it is a SALES job and not a glamour job (cos by god it isn't!!)

4. Why are you thinking of leaving current role?

(answer- the truth here.... that you work for your parents company and whilst you have gained great experience blah blah blah... looking for a job that rewards performance, looking to work for a great respected company etc etc, Looking to earn great money (don't be afriad to say this- it scores well on the sheet- promise!!)

5. Where is your favourite travel destination?

(answer- wherever it is. BUT make sure you SELL the destination to the interviewer rather than just tell them about it. Ie... Selling New York would be: NY is a fabulous city with something for everyone. It has fabulous shoping, great sightseeing that is easy to get to, English is spoken, the subway system is very easy to navigate and the restuarants are fantastic. You can take in a Broadway show, take the Hop on Hop Off bus all though Manhatten, grab a genuine NY hotdog from a street vendor- the things to 'must do' in NY are endless!! It is a great city to visit year around- there is no wrong time to visit. There are inexpensive airfares always on offer to get there and I truly recommend a visit if you have not been before. Or even if you have!

6. Where have you been?
(answer- well...just answer! Don't downplay anything..ie if you have only been to Vanuatu on a P & O Cruise don't specifiy. Just add Vanuatu to your list without elaboration) A good answer to this question would be: " I have done a lot of travel both independantly and organised. I have been to blah blah and blah and blah."

Now they may throw you for a loop here and say where have you not gone that you would like to go? Then after you answer, they might ask you to sell this! Don't despair!! Just get this ready just in case. Eygpt is always a good one... you can sell the pyramids, Nile river cruise and camel thing!! By the way... it doesn't really matter if what you say is factual but how you well you can sell it in this example.

7. Pick one of the following items: backpack, indoor pot plant, book of matches or pineapple.

(so you pick one- lets say backpack for this example)

8. Lets pretend that you own a Backpack store and I come in looking to buy a backpack. What would you ask me to find out which backpack is best and how would you sell me one?

Answer: Hi, what kind of travelling will you do with this backpack? Do you want it for short trips or a long haul through Asia? Are you a light packer? (this will do so far. Wait for the answer and then SELL a backpack) Ie. "Well based on what you have told me the best backpack for you will be the Mrs B 2005 Backpack. It has adjustable straps for maximum confort, is lightweight so you can carry it for long distances, has lots of pockets on the outside that are pickpocket proof. It is also water resistant in case you get caught in the rain whislt running for that train in the middle of India! It has a capacity of 60litres so plenty of room to bring home those must have shoes you buy. And the best bit is that it is on special this week for $200. " (wait for her to ask q's here- then CLOSE the sale) "So would you like to take that today??" (she will hesitate in the role play here so that's when you go in for the kill) "We take all credit cards but I can do a specail deal for cash- $180. It is the last one in this color that we have. " (At this stage she will probably put you out of your misery and say she will buy and thus end the role play~!!!!)

8. Have you ever worked for incentives before or on commission before?

(asnwer- if yes then explain. If no then say "No..but it appeals to me as I would love to be compensated for a job well done" or something similar.

9. Are you aware that most stores operate on 7 day rotating rosters and you will be expected to attend buzz nights, conferences and training breakfasts/evening drinks?

(answer-yes)

That's about it for the phone interview. If you are successful in the phone interview (i think you need to score 18 out of 20- but I am so sorry I can't remember the weighting at all!! I am quite sure it is more weighing for 'sales' q though) then they invite you in for a face-to-face interview. They will also email you a 'launch pad' which is a pysch test thing. This is totally nothing to worry about and will not determine whether you get hired or not- it is a tool for your new team leader if you do get hired.

The face-to-face interview is usually a few days later with one interveiwer and maybe another candidate or two. These q's are tougher. You will be asked scenario type q's. I will come back and tell you about these.

At this interview they do a crazy geography test! (I am sure I falied..seriously...god knows how I was hired!!) I can recall a few q's from it:

1. Name the capital of: Sweden, Canada, South Africa, Wales.
2. Name three 'Falls': (ummmm Niagra, Victoria Falls..oh..and those ones in South America (maybe research this!)
3. Name three things to do in LA: Disney, Hollywood, Universal Studios
4. Where would you suggest honeymooners to go?


Umm.... I can't remember the rest of these! But have a basic understanding of where in the world things are. Your geography will go out of this world if you do get hired trust me!

Should you get through the face-to-face you then get sent to a store to do an in store assessment (ISA). At the ISA, you will meet with the team leader and the 2ic of that store and have another interview- much kinder(!!)- asking generic q's that you have already prob answered twice before in the recruitment centre!! Then you will spend a half day in the store doing some basic computer skills- eg encoding cities into 3 letter codes..like Brisbane= BNE. The team leader and all the team will be watching and listening to you seeing how you interact with clients, how helpful you are, how much info you get from the cleints before passing them over to a consultant, what kind of 'fit' you are with that particular team. After you leave, the whole team will decide if they will hire you. Obviously the team leader has the final say but the teams opinions matter a lot so make sure you speak to all of them in your half day.

If you get the green light from here, then you meet with the Area leader. Be prepared for the same q's again!! You will get REAL sick of saying 'I want to be rewarded for my acheivments" trust me! (But they love it so make sure you say it!) If he/she likes you thenYAY you get a job.

If the team you go to doesn't like you then don't despair- the Recruitment Centre will send you to up to 3 stores. The reason the first store said no might be b/c they had three ISA that week and totally loved the first girl... or maybe another girl had been to South America and they needed a South America specialist in that store. Don't take it as a slight....

So.... Did that help a bit???

Now for a few other q's that you had.

The pay- pretty crap first year- $40K guranteed in your first 12 months. But look it as 'on the job training' I guess. The longer you are there the more you earn as you get repeat clients (those who travel every month, every year etc) You also get lots of referrals and also book friends and family. (I however have a strong policy to not book friends and family- I will explain that later!!!)

It is based on a retainer and commission package. The retainer is based on how long you have been there and the position you hold. Absolutely everyone in the company is on retainer and commission- the accountants, the personal trainers, the financial planners, the CEO, the ticketers...you name it! Skroo himself is only on a $40K retainer (true...!!!!) The commission is uncapped so can range quite dramatically from person to person and store to store. But you always guaranteed that min salary package.

The hours are long- especially as first when it takes you longer to work out fares etc. Clients are demanding and are getting much more internet savvy. This can mean more work for you- sometimes for less commission!

There are a lot of 'out of hours' functions- more so when you are new. For example, coming up to ski season, the ski companies will take you out for drinks and canapes one evening and pug their new brochure. When you are new, you really need to go to these to increase your product knowledge. On the plus side, you do get a lot of free meals and drinks

I hope I have answered this so that it helps you....

Please ask away if you want anymore help or want practice with answering the q's. If you PM me I will give you my MSN if that is easier??

Good Luck!!

Court

OMG Court, I am so amazed, I was offered a position at STA when I was doing my cert 3 in T&T and they only got about $26K so I ended up not finishing my course! If I'd known FC offered $40K retainer I would have stuck with it....
BUGGER BUGGER BUGGER!!

THANK YOU COURT!!!!!

Wow you dont know how much you have helped me!

That is the most informative and wonderful answer!!!

Thank you for all the time you spent writing that post for us! It must have taken ages!

Very appreciative!!

I think I've just found a new best friend!!!

THANK YOOOOUUUU!!!!

is it 4mins interview bad sign or good sign?

^^ ^^

Resurrecting a seven-year-old thread will probably not get you answers.

I know that but i have not thing to lose infact my phone interview is excextly as metion above.