Traveling for a living is many people’s idea of a dream job. It’s no wonder that many people glamorize the work of flight attendants. Not only do they get the chance to visit new cities and countries on the company dollar, but they also get to meet passengers from all around the world.

There’s no doubt numerous perks that this career offers. However, any flight attendant will tell you that there are constant challenges to deal with too - all of which must be done with a smile on your face. Rude passengers, turbulence, and delays are just some of the trickier parts of this occupation. And let’s not forget that you’re at every passenger’s beck and call for the duration of the flight.

In addition to all of the challenges flight attendants face in the air, they face one of their most formidable ones back down on earth: getting their dream job. If you’re a flight attendant who’s looking for a promotion within your current airline or you’re looking to switch to a new airline company altogether, you’ll know how competitive the entire hiring process is.

In order to catch a recruiter’s attention, you will need to apply with an eye-catching flight attendant resume that puts your best foot forward.

If you’re unsure about how to piece one together, this guide has you covered. We’ve shared all of our best expert tips to ensure recruiters won’t be able to say no to you. You’ll learn about a range of helpful pointers including:

• How to correctly format your resume
• Which sections are mandatory to include and how to write them effectively
• How to give your skills and achievements the attention they deserve
• Expert tips for writing your very first flight attendant resume
• An insider secret for efficiently creating a stunning resume

1. Multiple Template Examples

2. How to Write a Flight Attendant Resume That Will Get You Noticed

How should you format your resume?

When a recruiter is reading your resume, they’ll want to see your most recent professional experiences first and foremost, followed by the ones that preceded it. That’s why it makes sense to adopt a reverse-chronological resume format, which does exactly this. The primary advantage of using this resume format is that it emphasizes your upwards career progression.

There are also several resume layout standards that you should stick to. Here are the most crucial ones to be mindful of when you’re piecing together your resume:

• • Number of Pages: A single page only. 
  • Fonts to Use: Fonts that can be easily read at first glance, such as Avenir Next and Garamond.
  • Fonts to Avoid: Any fonts that a recruiter would need to strain their eyes to read, such as Money Penny and Honest Script.
  • Margins: 1 inch on all sides.

• Line Spacing: 1 or 1.15.

• Header size: 14-16 point size.
• Text size: 11-12 point size.

What are the most important sections to include in your resume?

In order to make a flight attendant resume that will lead to your dream job, you’ll need to be strategic about what type of information is presented to the recruiter. After all, you only have one page to work within.

So you can forget what you’ve heard about including hobbies and references - unless the recruiter explicitly asked for them! Here are the most important sections your resume should include:

• Contact information: State your contact details, including your name, address, email address, phone number, and LinkedIn profile URL.

• Resume objective or resume summary: Provide an overview of why you’re the perfect candidate for the job, based on your career aspirations and/or relevant achievements.

• Education: Provide key details about your educational background.

• Professional experience: Provide details (in bullet points) about your work history, highlighting your achievements in each role.

• Certifications: List key details about any relevant certifications that a recruiter would be interested in.

• Skills: List 6 to 8 of your relevant skills that an ideal candidate should possess.

• Languages: List any foreign languages you speak and your proficiency level in each.

• Awards: If you have any, list any awards you’ve received as a flight attendant.

How to list additional training and certifications as a flight attendant

Showing that you have the proper training to work as a flight attendant is crucial. As you’ll be well aware, it is a federal law requirement for all flight attendants to hold a Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

While it is a ‘given’ that you hold this certificate if you’re currently employed as a flight attendant, you should make this fact crystal clear on your resume. The best way to do this is to create a “Training and Certifications” section in your resume.

You can then list this certification, followed by any additional relevant ones you have to your name, using the format below:

• [Name of certification], [Issuing organization], [Year obtained]

Here’s an example of how this should look on your resume. We’ve also included some examples of other relevant certifications you may wish to include if you also have them:

• Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency, FAA, 2020
• First Aid Certificate, Red Cross, 2019
• CPR/AED Certificate, Red Cross, 2019
• Spanish Diploma Level C2 (Mastery), DELE, 2018

Pro tip: For more information about applying for a Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency, read this FAA document.

Where to list languages on a resume and how to do it correctly

Being bilingual or multilingual is an attribute not all flight attendants can boast. While it’s not necessary to list your foreign language abilities in most other resumes, it’s an absolute must to include on your flight attendant resume.

Needless to say, being able to communicate in another language is very useful in your line of work. For starters, in order to qualify for flying certain flight paths, you’ll need to offer specific language abilities. Some airlines even require or give strong preference to those who are able to speak that airline’s native language. For example, Japan Airlines (JAL) looks favorably on candidates who can speak fluent Japanese.

Even if an application does not require foreign language abilities, listing them in your resume will help you catch a recruiter’s eye. Remember, recruiters want to find flight attendants who go up and beyond for their passengers, and being able to speak to passengers in their native language is one of the most powerful customer service experiences you provide.

You should list any foreign languages you speak in a dedicated “Languages” section. State the name of each language you speak along with your proficiency level. That is:

Languages

• [Language name] - [Proficiency level]

Be sure to put the most relevant language you speak first, even if it’s not your strongest one. Then, you can list any others you speak in order from most fluet to least fluent. 

For example, if you’re applying for a position at Delta Air Lines that will predominantly fly from the US to Spain and you speak a bit of Spanish, are conversational in French, have an intermediate level of Japanese, and native level Italian fluency, your languages section should look like this:

Languages

• Spanish - Beginner
• Italian - Native 
• Japanese - Intermediate
• French - Conversational

Pro tip: Don’t inflate your language abilities in order to sound impressive. If you only have basic conversational abilities in French, don’t state that you’re at an intermediate level. The recruiter may test your abilities, and you’ll be in big trouble if they discover you’ve exaggerated them.

How to highlight your most important achievements

One of the most wonderful things about being a flight attendant is that it’s so rewarding. It’s therefore easy to quickly accumulate achievements to your name. If you’re trying to figure out which ones are worth highlighting on your resume and also how to do so effectively, keep the following straightforward steps front of mind:

First of all, you need to work out which achievements will pique the recruiter’s interest. All you need to do is go through the job ad with a fine tooth comb, until you find all of the keywords the recruiter has used to indicate what they’re looking for.

Keywords are crucial to include in your resume as they directly address what the recruiter is after in their dream candidate. Including them also helps your resume get the tick of approval from any Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) the recruiter is using. ATS is a type of HR software that filters candidates based on a number of factors - including whether their resume features keywords from the job ad. If your resume doesn’t include them, you’ll get a big fat “Fail” from the ATS.

Once you’ve identified which keywords to target, you can then write about your achievements in a way that allows you to incorporate them. Keep in mind that you will need to add the keywords in a natural way and only use the ones that are relevant to your experiences.

Using keywords unnaturally - a practice called keyword stuffing - is a surefire way for your resume to end up in the reject pile. So make sure not to keyword stuff like this candidate did:

• Always stick to strict grooming standards in recognition that strict grooming standards are essential.

As you can see, they engaged in keyword stuffing by unnecessarily using the keyword “strict grooming standards” more than once. A recruiter would definitely wouldn’t be impressed by the candidate’s attempt to manipulate the ATS. Moreover, they would not pass the candidate anyway if their achievements all sound equally bland and repetitive.

To correctly use keywords in your achievements - simply incorporate them naturally, like this candidate did:

• Adhere to strict grooming standards in recognition of company policy - a key factor that has contributed to my 100% customer satisfaction rating. 

This achievement would be bound to catch a recruiter’s eye thanks to the fact that the candidate smoothly incorporated the keyword into it. The recruiter would also appreciate that the candidate quantified the positive impact that their work had by highlighting their customer satisfaction rating. To learn more about quantifying your work experiences, read the “How to make your resume stand out” section below.

Which skills should you mention on your resume?

You’re in luck - you can apply the same method we explained directly above, to work out which skills to mention on your resume. To give you a recap, you should carefully look at a job ad to identify the keywords a recruiter has included.

In this instance, you should look for skills-focused keywords. There are two types of skills you will encounter when you apply this method:

• Soft skills: Emotion-based or other intangible skills.
• Hard skills: Practical skills that usually require technical ability of some kind.

Below are some examples of keywords taken from real-life flight attendant job ads. Try to identify which ones are soft skills and which ones are hard skills:

1. Strict grooming standards
2. Building relationships
3. Inflight hygiene
4. Ability to work under pressure 
5. Coordinating multiple time-sensitive demands
6. Customer service abilities
7. Administering first aid
8. Ability to swim
9. Handling passenger complaints
10. Managing passenger safety

The first five skills are soft skills, while the latter five are hard skills. Did you manage to get them right?

Once you have a list of the skills stated in a given job ad, mark the ones you personally possess. You should then look for opportunities to add them to your resume. We recommend creating a “Skills” section that you can use to put a spotlight on your most relevant and attractive skills. Aim to list 6 to 8 of them.

You should also weave these skills throughout your job experiences section, as appropriate. You’ll get bonus points if you can sneak one or two into your resume objective or summary. But be sure to keep in mind that your inclusions should always sound natural!

How to write a resume objective or summary

Including a resume objective or summary is a fantastic way to immediately capture a recruiter’s attention. Both should be 2 to 4 sentences long and be positioned immediately under your contact information. However, you will only need to include one. Read on to discover which one is most appropriate for your situation:

Resume objective 

A resume objective is a clear statement about your career aspirations and suitability as an up and coming flight attendant. It is suitable only for candidates with little or no experience. When writing one, it’s therefore imperative to highlight the most attractive and relevant qualities you offer a recruiter.

Let’s now analyze the differences between a bad and good flight attendant resume objective.

Here’s an example of a bad one that shows some common mistakes in action:

• Aspiring flight attendant who wants to fulfil their childhood dream of becoming a flight attendant. Currently attending university and am waiting to graduate so I can finally work for Opal Airlines. At Opal Airline, I plan to learn as much as possible so I can become an award-winning flight attendant.

When a recruiter reads this, all they will see is “I,” “I,” “I.” The candidate has made the mistake of focusing their resume objective all on their needs. In fact, it is so self-serving that they have failed to communicate what attributes they can contribute to Opal Airlines. 

Another mistake that they’ve made is that their writing is too vague. This is a common mistake aspiring flight attendants make, because they’re unsure of what to write or they feel under-confident about their worthiness as a candidate.

So what does a mistake-free resume objective look like? See for yourself:

• Aspiring flight attendant who wishes to bring their enthusiasm, excellent customer service skills, and strong communication skills to a role in an international airline. Currently completing a BA in Modern Languages and Cultures from Pace University, where I am honing my intermediate French skills in accordance with Opal Airlines’ requirements. Two-time winner of Customer Service Agent of the Year at my current company.

There are so many things this candidate has done correctly that you should aim to do too. 

Firstly, they’ve made their resume objective about what they can do for Opal Airlines (rather than the other way around!). Secondly, they’ve highlighted their strongest skills - including ones that Opal Airlines particularly values, such as French skills. Thirdly, the candidate has customized their resume objective for Opal Airlines. They did this by including relevant and specific details about both themselves and the airline. Finally, to really seal the deal they highlighted their award to drive home how strong their customer service skills are.

Resume summary

A resume summary should provide a recruiter with an overview of your most relevant and noteworthy attributes and accomplishments. These can include your education, skills, work achievements, awards, and language abilities. You can even include your career motivations if you can fit them in!

Let’s explore the differences between a bad and good flight attendant resume summary. 

Here’s an example of what to avoid:

• Flight attendant with 7 years of experience. I love my job and am highly skilled in it, but I’m looking to work for a better airline like yours. 

Oh dear, this candidate definitely shouldn’t expect a call back! Why? They haven’t given the recruiter a single reason to hire them. First off, the way they’ve described their skills, experiences, and motivations is incredibly vague.

The candidate also fails to provide the recruiter with any concrete evidence about their competency as a flight attendant. Finally, the candidate hasn’t bothered to communicate why they’re an ideal candidate, and instead wasted time explaining why they want the job.

Compare this example to a resume summary that would immediately captivate a recruiter:

• FAA-certified flight attendant with 7 years of experience, who has undertaken both internal and external training in first aid and CPR/AED. I wish to bring my organizational skills, exceptional customer service, and fluency in Mandarin to Blossom Air. Voted Flight Attendant of the Month by my current airline.

What a difference tweaking your resume summary makes! 

There are many reasons this candidate ticks numerous boxes. Firstly, they’ve clearly stated the fact they’re FAA-certified, which is highly-advisable to do. They also highlighted a selection of other relevant certifications they’ve obtained, as well as their relevant skills that are based on the keywords the recruiter included in the job ad.

Moreover, the candidate mentioned the airline by name, which is a smart way to let the recruiter know that they wrote a custom resume summary just for them. The cherry on top is that they additionally highlighted an eye-catching award that has direct relevance to the job.  

How to write a flight attendant resume when you have little or no experience?

Have you always dreamed of being a flight attendant, but don’t have the faintest clue about how to write a career-launching resume? It can be confusing to know what to include, especially when you have little or no experience as a flight attendant.

We’ve shared our top expert tips below for how entry-level candidates can easily make a strong impression from the get-go.

1. 1. Use a functional resume format: This type of format is ideal for aspiring flight attendants as it puts a spotlight on your skills over your work history. To learn more, take a read of our handy guide about different resume formats.

• Emphasize why you’re worth taking a chance on: There’s no getting around the fact that you don’t yet have experience working in the air. That means the best thing you can do is to give the recruiter numerous reasons to choose you over all of the other candidates that are competing for the same position.
  
  You can do this by highlighting any educational background, skills, attributes, and professional experiences you can offer that are relevant to this career. You can even include information about clubs you’re part of and volunteering experiences you’ve partaken in. Just make sure to always write about each of them in a way that highlights their direct relevance to what the recruiter is after.

• Start developing the skills flight attendants rely on: The more skills you have at your disposal, the more competitive you’ll be as an aspiring flight attendant. The good news about the skills recruiters are looking for is that you can start working on many of them right now.

For example, if your communication skills are lacking, consider getting a part-time job where you can develop them. Likewise, if you want to work for an airline based in a certain country or aspire to fly a certain flight path, take up an appropriate language course.

• Emphasize your customer service experiences: If you’ve ever worked in a role, where you had to deal with customers on any level, be sure to feature it in your resume. That means your stint bussing tables in a restaurant or cafe, working as a part-time receptionist, responding to calls at a call center, or tutoring students during your vacation - all count.

How to make your resume stand out

If you want to ensure your resume goes the distance, there are some additional things you can do to transform it into a truly remarkable one. Take heed of our top tips below for making your resume stand out:

• Make your achievements measurable: A recruiter for flight attendants is fully aware of the general duties you are responsible for in your line of work. While it is vital to clearly list any relevant ones in your resume, don’t be complacent about how you list them. You should always be thinking, “How can I make this achievement measureable and eye-catching?”

The key is to quantify your achievements using numbers, percentages, and real-life examples. This will help the recruiter understand the positive impact your work had. For example, if your achievement is, “Safely and efficiently boarded passengers every time” you can add to the end of it “...which contributed to 99.4% of the flights I worked on taking off without delays.”

• Highlight any awards you have won: Have you been recognized by your airline as a flight attendant, who provides exceptional service? If you’ve received an award for your second-to-none service in the air, list it in a dedicated “Awards” section. If you don’t have enough space to do so, you can always mention it in your resume objective or summary instead.

• Make it clear if you currently work for an award-winning airline: If you’re currently a flight attendant for an airline that has received industry recognition for boasting one of the best cabin crews in the world, be sure to point this out in your resume objective or summary.
  
  While you didn’t personally receive the award, remember that you played a part in helping the company achieve it. You can write something to the tune of, “Current flight attendant for Cathay Pacific Airlines, which was voted as having one of the "World's Best Cabin Crews” in Skytrax's 2019 World Airline Awards.  

3. How Resumebuild.com’s Resume Builder Tool Can Help You Create a Stunning Resume

Now that you’ve finished reading this guide, you’ll probably have one of two reactions. 

You may have a renewed sense of motivation to get working on your flight attendant resume after learning about how important it is to create a high-quality one. That’s fantastic news! But unfortunately, motivation alone is’t going to cut it. You’ll also need plenty of time to work on perfecting your resume’s format and wording. Moreover, you will need a way with words to really make an impact.

Or maybe you had the complete opposite reaction and you’re now disheartened about how much work and expertise is required to make a stunning resume. Rest assured that this is a common reaction to have, as making a resume is indeed a very involved process.

We’re not saying all of this to dissuade you from working on your resume. Instead, we want to be upfront about the realities of making a strong flight attendant resume all by yourself. 

Fortunately, we have an insider secret to share with you that will solve all of the problems you’re experiencing: make your resume using Resumebuild.com’s simple-to-use resume builder. Simply put, our resume builder is your ticket to your next flight attendant job. 

Instead of wasting your precious time fiddling around with margins, spacing, fonts, and all that jazz, just use one of our practical and stylish resume templates. With over 15 to choose from, you’re sure to find one you connect with.   

Once you do, our resume builder will expertly guide you to fill out each essential section of your resume. It will indicate precisely what information you need to provide and offer you expert tips along the way. In the end, you’ll be the proud owner of a resume that convinces recruiters you’re their perfect candidate. Head to ResumeBuild.com to learn more or to get started.