My
story starts at age four. I was watching a kiddie TV show, and
suddenly, there on the screen appeared the most beautiful creature
I had ever seen! She wore an elegant navy blue uniform with
golden wings on her chest, and she got to fly in airplanes EVER
DAY! Well – that was enough for me! I knew what
I wanted to be when I grew up, and have never deviated from
that dream!
From that
day on, I lined up chairs in the living room and filled them
with dolls and teddy bears, making them my passengers. I talked
my brother into being the pilot; he flew the “plane”
and I served everyone coffee for hours on end.
When I graduated
from high school, I went on to college in Texas, but all I could
think about was flying. I would be walking to class, look up
in the sky and see an airplane and longingly dream of what would
one day be my “office” in the air. I started applying
to airlines and flew to several interviews while in school,
once getting stranded an entire weekend in Houston! But that
didn’t discourage me – I just kept applying, hoping
that one day I would be successful in my diligent pursuit.
Finally
my chance came. I had just turned 19 (I was finally old enough!)
and I heard that Eastern Airlines was having
interviews in the Washington, D.C. area – my home. It
was to be held on the following Saturday at a hotel in McLean,
Virginia. So I made my plans.
I awakened
that morning to ten inches of snow, still heavily falling. I
wondered if the recruiter would still be there to interview
me today. Oh, well, there was no way to find out but to go.
And if there was a way to get there, I was determined to do
it!
I had snow
chains on my tire and an ice scraper in my gloved hand. Dressed
in Eskimo attire, out the door I went, headed for my lifetime
adventure. Knowing that the interview was about ten miles away
and the inclement weather would probably slow me down, I left
an hour early. Nothing was going to stop me, even though I experienced
a quite a bit of difficulty driving. I skidded a couple of times,
stalled out at one point, and my heater went out. But I was
undeterred. As I plowed through the thick blanket of falling
snow, I had only one thing on my mind. All I could see through
the blinding white was a vision of myself strutting through
airports, dressed in my finest airline livery, gleaming golden
wings pinned to my chest. Faraway lands awaited me, and I was
trying my best to get there!
After driving
slowly and carefully, I arrived at my destination. With no thought
as to how I would get back home in the deepening powder, I forged
ahead with my interview, and gave it my all. I developed an
immediate chemistry with Mrs. Burton, the recruiter. She must
have felt compassion for me, observing that I had driven through
a raging blizzard. Sensing how determined and serious I was,
she closed the interview with the assurance that I would hear
something within one week.
A week came
and went. And another week. I could hardly contain myself. Finally,
I could stand the suspense no longer - I called the recruiter!
She reassured me that I had been recommended for employment,
and couldn’t figure out why I was not contacted. “However”,
she said, “it is not customary to inform an applicant
why he or she was not hired”. She regretted that she could
do no more to encourage me, but I pressed on. I told her that
if there was anything that needed to be changed and it was in
my power to change it, I wanted to be given a chance to do so.
Maybe I could take steps to improve or clarify whatever was
holding me back. She protested at first, but I persisted in
my crusade and was able to convince her to investigate. She
said she would get back with me.
I waited
by the phone in agony another three weeks. What in the world
was happening? Why didn’t they notify me? What went wrong?
Finally the jangling of the phone shook me out of my despair
– it was Mrs. Burton! My heart pounded; my hands became
moist and shaky – this was the big moment!
“Wendy”,
she murmured, “I am pleased to inform you that you have
been selected to begin flight
attendant training in two weeks!” I had
finally received the answer I wanted to hear – I got the
job! She said that my application had been set aside, waiting
for my physical report. It got placed on the wrong desk –
the desk of someone who no longer worked there! Mrs. Burton
found it, and the rest is history!
I
never, ever became daunted in the quest of achieving my goal.
I am an active participant in shaping my fate. After this tumultuous
interviewing experience, I went on to enjoy six wonderful years
of flying, which led to other positions in a supervisory capacity.
I am more sensitive to the plight of the applicant who really
wants an airline job, and this experience has had a major part
in influencing many of my decisions as a recruiter. Determination
is a valuable thing – just think how my life might have
been had I not relentlessly pursued my goal!
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