For all of you who have been ANXIOUSLY waiting to hear about how my open house went - it was awesome. The one thing i WAS worried about though was the "sparkle and shine" we had to do, and I honestly thought I did better than I had hoped. Here's the rundown on how it went, just because I know some people do like to hear about what to expect if they were in that situation.
Right before I walked in the door, I made sure to turn my cell phone OFF so I wouldn't be tempted (professionalism is everything in this industry), and had everything I needed. I walked in and was greeted by the Human Resources director, where she signed me in. After all that junk, this short lady walked me and three others to the room where we would be attending the open house. I was the third one there out of about, sixteen people.
While we were sitting and waiting for everything to get started, I chatted up the people who walked in there with me. Really nice people, neither of them had ever been to an open house before, so that was a little reassuring. I felt like I knew more what I was doing than they did. More and more people were showing up, and I soon found out that i was the SECOND youngest there, next to a 19 year old girl who flew in from Tennessee, which was pretty cool.
Everything got started and the staff introduced themselves and whatnot, and was followed by a presentation about the company. I really focused on my posture and eye contact with everyone, and kept a smile on my face :) The more and more I heard about the company, the more I wanted the position! After the presentation, there was a short break, followed by everyone's "sparkle and shine" I of course, with a last name ending with "W" had to go last, which I HATE, but it gave me more time to prepare. In my sparkle and shine I talked about traveling as a young child, and how the travel industry really stuck with me. I then talked about the travel academy and my education and experiences there, and also what kind of customer service experience I had. I think I basically nailed everything I wanted to get across :)
We find out today sometime whether or not we qualify for the face-to-face interviews, so wish me luck everyone! Have a WONDERFUL day! :)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Biggg News!
It's official! I have heard back from "ABC Airlines" and I was invited to an "Invitation-Only Informational Open House!" Which is VERY exciting, because it's part two to the three-step program! Unfortunately, I am having some doubts, because in two months I turn 21, which means even MORE options of airlines that I could be employed at, but I mean, it won't hurt to go through with the interview process and see how it all works and what could happen! In the meantime, I have applied at TWO other places and am waiting to hear from them:
First: I applied for a receptionist job at a dental office in Minneapolis. Could be interesting. I've always wanted to have a receptionist job, at least for the experience. My mom has been a dental assistant for about 26 years, so I'm at least comfortable in the dental office atmosphere, which is bettter than most people!
First: I applied for a receptionist job at a dental office in Minneapolis. Could be interesting. I've always wanted to have a receptionist job, at least for the experience. My mom has been a dental assistant for about 26 years, so I'm at least comfortable in the dental office atmosphere, which is bettter than most people!
Second: I applied for a Nurse's Aid Position at a nice little nursing home in the town i'm living in right now. "Friendship Village" or something like that. I've done my research, and they look like a pretty good facility compared to some of the one's I've worked at! I've been certified as a nurse's assistant since I was 16, so I'm basically a veteran by now! I figure as long as I'm unemployed and need a job, anything will work, so I'm willing to go back :) Plus, the elderly absolutely LOVE me, so I don't think I'd mind it so much!
As for the Open House, I'm really looking forward to it! I've waited about a month to hear back from this airline, so I need to refresh on my "Sparkle and Shine" and interview skills to impress the board! My friend Tenisha got hired by "ABC Airlines" also, so that would be absolutely amazing to be able to go to training with her, but I'm not going to get my hopes up - airlines are VERY selective! I'll let everyone know how it goes! :)))))))
Monday, November 22, 2010
Start of a New Beginning
So...that's that! I finally graduated the Travel Academy last Friday the 19th. It was not only a relief, but also a very interesting experience. I didn't think I would miss the majority of the classmates and friends that I met, but I actually REALLY really do. For the most part, I miss the ones I spent the MOST time with, but also the ones that I didn't really get to know, but wish I could have more. That's life though - I know that we're all gonig to keep in touch and have a lifetime connection with each other, and we'll have the memories and pictures :)
Now - What am I doing? I am currently at home for a week with my parents for Thanksgiving vacation, which is a nice little break for me. I've had all kinds of room-mate drama before I left so I guess I'm pretty stressed about it all. But minus the whole "mini-vacation" thing, after this, I gotta get back into the grind. I don't know what I'm going to do about a job yet - I have some decisions to make. I turn 21 in less than three months, so that will open up my options for airlines a whole lot more, which I think would be a smart decion. I am still waiting on "ABC Airlines" - my application got lost in the system, so I am still waiting to hear back from them, and that would be the IDEAL situation - I would LOVE to be based out of MSP. But if not, I am probably just going to stay in Bloomington and get a few jobs to pay rent and all of my expenses. :) If anyone else has any suggestions for me feel free to comment - I can take all I can get!
Also, after my graduation, a group of my classmates and my family and boyfriend all went out to eat, and I spoke to my instructor about helping him out with teaching Worldspan to the class - that makes me EXTREMELY excited, because I'm hoping to maybe sell a little travel on the side of being a flight attendant. I LOVE working in Worldspan and learning about geography, so this would also be ideal for me - who knows what else I could get into? :) So for all you readers out there who are needing to go on a vacation - feel freee to contact!
But that's all for now - it's getting late and I get to catch up with some high school friends at lunch tomorrow. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and stays safe!
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| My classmates and I with our diplomas. |
Now - What am I doing? I am currently at home for a week with my parents for Thanksgiving vacation, which is a nice little break for me. I've had all kinds of room-mate drama before I left so I guess I'm pretty stressed about it all. But minus the whole "mini-vacation" thing, after this, I gotta get back into the grind. I don't know what I'm going to do about a job yet - I have some decisions to make. I turn 21 in less than three months, so that will open up my options for airlines a whole lot more, which I think would be a smart decion. I am still waiting on "ABC Airlines" - my application got lost in the system, so I am still waiting to hear back from them, and that would be the IDEAL situation - I would LOVE to be based out of MSP. But if not, I am probably just going to stay in Bloomington and get a few jobs to pay rent and all of my expenses. :) If anyone else has any suggestions for me feel free to comment - I can take all I can get!
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| Group picture of our class. |
Also, after my graduation, a group of my classmates and my family and boyfriend all went out to eat, and I spoke to my instructor about helping him out with teaching Worldspan to the class - that makes me EXTREMELY excited, because I'm hoping to maybe sell a little travel on the side of being a flight attendant. I LOVE working in Worldspan and learning about geography, so this would also be ideal for me - who knows what else I could get into? :) So for all you readers out there who are needing to go on a vacation - feel freee to contact!
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| My instructors Paul and Peggy handing me my diploma. :) |
But that's all for now - it's getting late and I get to catch up with some high school friends at lunch tomorrow. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and stays safe!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Alpha...Bravo...Charlie...Delta...
It's been quite a while since I've last posted..my bad..there has been so much going on lately - along with stresses from my school && the internet being down about 95% of the time in my apartment complex, it hasn't been very easy to update everyone on my life - which I know there are SO many people are disappointed about ;)
My graduation countdown is down to only 9 more days of classes...and counting weekends only 11 days left! Reality is striking in a little more every day, but I'm weirdly okay with it.
Sadly, I have not heard back from Abc Airlines or whatever we're calling it..but when i talked to my placement director at school, she told me to just wait it out, that she was 98% sure that I would be getting an email...that was 5 days ago..I talked to her again today, because I want to get the ball rolling on more applications and whatnot, and she told me that she would make a phone call to the Airline to make sure everything went through...ohh the joys of having connections :)
Lately in class things have been veryyy repetitive and getting really old. Lots of geography (interesting geography, just a LOT of it) and this week is going to include toooo much worldspan. We learned today how to put cars into our PNR, which is sweet, except at the end of every lesson I feel the urge to pop 5 ibuprofen because my head is going to explode. I think that MIGHT be normal?
My graduation countdown is down to only 9 more days of classes...and counting weekends only 11 days left! Reality is striking in a little more every day, but I'm weirdly okay with it.
Sadly, I have not heard back from Abc Airlines or whatever we're calling it..but when i talked to my placement director at school, she told me to just wait it out, that she was 98% sure that I would be getting an email...that was 5 days ago..I talked to her again today, because I want to get the ball rolling on more applications and whatnot, and she told me that she would make a phone call to the Airline to make sure everything went through...ohh the joys of having connections :)
Lately in class things have been veryyy repetitive and getting really old. Lots of geography (interesting geography, just a LOT of it) and this week is going to include toooo much worldspan. We learned today how to put cars into our PNR, which is sweet, except at the end of every lesson I feel the urge to pop 5 ibuprofen because my head is going to explode. I think that MIGHT be normal?
On an end-note - if there are those of you who have never had Noodles & Company, it is absolutely amazing..never in my life have I had a better caesar salad :) I hiiiighly recommend it!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The Vikings Suck.
It has been a VERY long weekend. Being 20 years old, of course I celebrated Halloween. It's actually one of my favorite holidays to celebrate, beings when you're a girl you get to dress up as whatever you want to, wear your clothes however you want to, and as much of them as you would like. Taking advantage of the fact that I was going to be with my boyfriend and all of his friends, I decided that I would be a french maid. And yes, the weekend was a huge success. I was at the University of Minnesota for the weekend, which is totally against anything I would have chosen for myself (I would have picked being in Iowa City celebrating the Hawkeye's domination over Michigan State), buuuuut, I handled it by drinking too much keg beer and U.V. Blue throughout the weekend.
...Enough about my holiday - I still have not heard back from ABC Airlines. I'm not sure how long it usually takes for airlines to go through an application, but I was informed it could be anywhere from 7 days to 2 weeks, which is fine by me. I'm still preparing myself for the reality of having a "grown-up job", which absolutely terrifies me! In all seriousness, the reality of actually having to deal with a real job/career really makes me nervous, because that is exactly the thing that a person prepares for their whole life. My high school, the amount of college that I had, and travel school has ALL prepared me for this, so in return, I've promised myself that I will not disappoint. I do know that I can do this, and I do know that I'm going to be very successful in whatever I do - it's just the reality that I've finally gotten to that point.
I have really appreciated the advice I've gotten from people, actually, when I saw that I had comments from people that I didn't even know, it made my whole day - I didn't know that I would get a response from an audience so soon, so thank you sooo much! :) I will keep EVERYONE updated for when I finally hear back from the airline. I hope everyone has had a safe and happy halloween weekend!!
...Enough about my holiday - I still have not heard back from ABC Airlines. I'm not sure how long it usually takes for airlines to go through an application, but I was informed it could be anywhere from 7 days to 2 weeks, which is fine by me. I'm still preparing myself for the reality of having a "grown-up job", which absolutely terrifies me! In all seriousness, the reality of actually having to deal with a real job/career really makes me nervous, because that is exactly the thing that a person prepares for their whole life. My high school, the amount of college that I had, and travel school has ALL prepared me for this, so in return, I've promised myself that I will not disappoint. I do know that I can do this, and I do know that I'm going to be very successful in whatever I do - it's just the reality that I've finally gotten to that point.
I have really appreciated the advice I've gotten from people, actually, when I saw that I had comments from people that I didn't even know, it made my whole day - I didn't know that I would get a response from an audience so soon, so thank you sooo much! :) I will keep EVERYONE updated for when I finally hear back from the airline. I hope everyone has had a safe and happy halloween weekend!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
School, School, & More School
After making my first entry yesterday, I have been thinking a lot about how I haven't included much about my education from the Travel Academy. Right now, I'm on my 6th week and 3rd day of classes, with only 3 weeks and two days left. Yes - I have a countdown! :) Graduation is November 19, and I am really looking forward to having my parents come down and watch me graduate with all of my class mates.
I have learned SO much from the Travel Academy, that I believe will help me so much with the interview and training process of becoming a flight attendant. I mean, I don't really know for sure, because I've had no real experience with the whole "interview process" with the travel industry or anything, but from what I have heard from previous graduates, the information that we have been equipped with has really helped.
Unlike most of the students in my class, I actually have taken a liking to Worldspan, which is a Global Distribution System - used to book air, car rentals, hotel, cruises, etc...anything that involves travel that needs to be purchased. Granted, I'll probably never use the thing, but at least I can be successful with it in class, right? Before the class even STARTED we also had to learn the majority of the airline city codes in the United States, which was a huge pain, because most of them make absolutely no sense with the city they correspond with. It is a learned trait, though, because I am constantly catching myself naming the city code after seeing a major city on the television, or even anywhere it is mentioned. We have also lately been working on airline terminology, which is not only boring, but time consuming. The instructors, though, somehow find a way to spice it up a bit once in a while. The one thing in the class that I have been struggling with is the public speaking aspect of the travel industry. I can't stress enough how much I hate getting up and speaking in front of a group of people, even my classmates who I have known for six weeks. If anyoneeee out there is reading this - if you know a cure for public speaking nerves, I am MORE than willing to take some constructive criticism or any advice that you have for me!
Another big part of coming to this school is the apartment living. The school arranged for us apartments and whatnot to live in with our classmates, and I won't say it's been a struggle for the majority of us, but it is definitely something that we have had to get used to. It is kind of it's own little Real World. Lets say, Real World:Travel Academy. It's that dramatic. I'm not going to rant and rave about it, but I'll just clarify that it's the main reason for my countdown. I am luckily living and rooming with my best friend from New York that I met here, Matthew. He's the kind of person that will make you smile whenever you need it. But enough about the roomie thing - I'm done for now.
I have learned SO much from the Travel Academy, that I believe will help me so much with the interview and training process of becoming a flight attendant. I mean, I don't really know for sure, because I've had no real experience with the whole "interview process" with the travel industry or anything, but from what I have heard from previous graduates, the information that we have been equipped with has really helped.
Unlike most of the students in my class, I actually have taken a liking to Worldspan, which is a Global Distribution System - used to book air, car rentals, hotel, cruises, etc...anything that involves travel that needs to be purchased. Granted, I'll probably never use the thing, but at least I can be successful with it in class, right? Before the class even STARTED we also had to learn the majority of the airline city codes in the United States, which was a huge pain, because most of them make absolutely no sense with the city they correspond with. It is a learned trait, though, because I am constantly catching myself naming the city code after seeing a major city on the television, or even anywhere it is mentioned. We have also lately been working on airline terminology, which is not only boring, but time consuming. The instructors, though, somehow find a way to spice it up a bit once in a while. The one thing in the class that I have been struggling with is the public speaking aspect of the travel industry. I can't stress enough how much I hate getting up and speaking in front of a group of people, even my classmates who I have known for six weeks. If anyoneeee out there is reading this - if you know a cure for public speaking nerves, I am MORE than willing to take some constructive criticism or any advice that you have for me!
Another big part of coming to this school is the apartment living. The school arranged for us apartments and whatnot to live in with our classmates, and I won't say it's been a struggle for the majority of us, but it is definitely something that we have had to get used to. It is kind of it's own little Real World. Lets say, Real World:Travel Academy. It's that dramatic. I'm not going to rant and rave about it, but I'll just clarify that it's the main reason for my countdown. I am luckily living and rooming with my best friend from New York that I met here, Matthew. He's the kind of person that will make you smile whenever you need it. But enough about the roomie thing - I'm done for now.
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| A picture of my fellow classmates and I. If you were wondering, I am in the back left - The blonde with the brown long sleeve shirt :) |
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Another New Beginning
Well, here it is - my first blog, and also my first day of waiting. I applied for an airline today, and for professional reasons, I am not going to include the airline in my blog, ever. I will just refer to it as "ABC Airlines". I am going to tell you that it is probably the most nerve-racking thing that I've done since I've gotten to school, considering I have been really picky and choosy about which airlines I have wanted to apply for. Before I get started on that, let me give you some back ground information.
My name is Melissa, and I am currently attending the Travel Academy in Bloomington, Minnessota. If anyone is interested in the travel industry, this would be an EXCELLENT school to go to. It really prepares you for what you are going to be facing in the travel industry, and the teachers and staff are amazing.
I am 20 years old, and graduated from high school in 2008. I did the whole college thing - made amazing friends and amazing memories, but all in all - just wasn't my thing. So that is why I am here, sitting in the clubhouse of my very own apartment, writing a blog about what it is like to live my life, and to pursue my dreams.
As I said, I have just applied for an airline that is actually located here in Minneapolis. I don't want to leave here mainly because I love the atmosphere of this town. I've done my research about ABC Airlines, and I really looking forward to the potential to be able to actually sit down with someone and learn more. There isn't much more I can say about it, because even I don't know much yet - but I definitely will keep up with the posts.
If anyone who is reading has any advice for me, or any words for encouragement, I would loveee to hear them - I'll take as much as I can get :)
My name is Melissa, and I am currently attending the Travel Academy in Bloomington, Minnessota. If anyone is interested in the travel industry, this would be an EXCELLENT school to go to. It really prepares you for what you are going to be facing in the travel industry, and the teachers and staff are amazing.
As I said, I have just applied for an airline that is actually located here in Minneapolis. I don't want to leave here mainly because I love the atmosphere of this town. I've done my research about ABC Airlines, and I really looking forward to the potential to be able to actually sit down with someone and learn more. There isn't much more I can say about it, because even I don't know much yet - but I definitely will keep up with the posts.
If anyone who is reading has any advice for me, or any words for encouragement, I would loveee to hear them - I'll take as much as I can get :)
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