About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways, established in 1997, is one of the youngest airlines to serve all six continents. As the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar, it is based at Hamad International Airport, Doha. Qatar Airways connects passengers to over 130 destinations daily, with a rapidly expanding fleet of over 240 aircraft and more than 44,000 staff employed worldwide.
It prides itself on its latest-generation fleet of aircraft and high standards of customer service. Together, these have established Qatar Airways as a respected and trusted airline for customers across the globe.
Qatar Airways is an award-winning airline, with a 5-star rating from Skytrax – the international air transport rating organisation. It was named Skytrax's Airline of the Year for five out of the last ten years, with the most recent accolade secured in 2019.
The first airline to be granted 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating, Qatar Airways is an industry leader in both aviation standards and customer experience. In reflection, it is also the world's fastest-growing airline.
Application Process
Qatar Airways has one of the most competitive hiring processes of any airline, largely due to high demand for its organisational, pilot and cabin crew roles.
Positions are available across the following service areas: cabin crew and services, cargo & airport operations, corporate & commercial, customer service, engineering, pilots & flight operations, and specialist roles (including chefs).
Qatar Airways is a collective of 12 different businesses that work together to address all elements of the airline. Therefore, when you apply, your application will be processed by the relevant company (as listed in the job advert), e.g. Qatar Airways, Qatar Airways Cargo, Qatar Aviation Services or Qatar Executive.
The application process is multi-stage and requires candidates to complete an online assessment, attend Qatar Airways open day, take part in an assessment day (with multiple aptitude tests), and sit for a final interview.
Online Application
The online application requires prospective recruits to submit their details and upload a CV to provide information on their education and training, experience, and skills. This is completed via the Qatar Airways online applicant portal.
It is recommended that applicants tailor their CVs directly for the role in question. Returning to the job description and criteria can help ensure you are evidencing the right experience and highlighting relevant key qualities.
Qatar Airways Open Day
Once you have submitted the online application, you will be invited to an open day. This is now most often held online. The open day is an opportunity to find out more about what a career with Qatar Airways demands and to check whether it is, indeed, the right fit for you.
You may need to have official documents (such as a passport or certificate of education) handy, so check any email correspondence to confirm this.
You will be asked to take part in an initial scoping interview, to explore your experiences, skills, and motivations. The recruiters will then decide whether you fulfill the criteria to progress to the next stage of assessment.
Qatar Airways Assessment Day
The next stage of the Qatar Airways recruitment process is the assessment day, which may be administered online or in-person depending upon the circ*mstances.
During this session, you will receive an introductory presentation and then be required to sit a series of aptitude tests and an English test. The nature of these assessments varies according to the job vacancy, but will involve a combination of the tests explored below.
Numerical Reasoning Test
A numerical reasoning test gives insight into a candidate's ability to handle numbers and interpret data presented in graphs, charts and tables. Questions feature basic arithmetic, fractions, percentages, ratios, sequences and algebra.
They are multiple-choice and must be completed within the given time limit.
To prepare for the hiring process, brush up on your high school level maths as well as take practice tests. This will ensure you can tackle the real exam with confidence.
Example numerical reasoning questions:
2,000 CHF was used to purchase USD in Q2 and then sold in Q4. How much will the amount be worth in CHF?
A) 2,117.65 B) 2,098.03 C) 2,077.67 D) 1,981.48
Solution:
Step 1: Calculate how many USD you can buy with CHF 2,000 in Q2:
2,000 × 1.08 = USD 2,160
Step 2: Calculate how many CHF you can purchase with USD 2,160 in Q4:
2,160 ÷ 1.02 = A) CHF 2,117.65
Verbal Reasoning Test
A verbal reasoning test assesses the ability to understand, analyse and interpret written information. Candidates will be presented with a few passages of text and asked if a given statement is true, false, or if they cannot say from the information provided.
The test also requires a basic knowledge of literary and linguistic concepts such as synonyms and antonyms, word meanings, and sentence structure.
Again, questions are multiple choice and must be completed within a given time – a pace of around 30 – 40 seconds per question is usually required.
Situational Judgement Test
A situational judgement test presents candidates with a series of hypothetical scenarios related to the work environment. It is used to assess behavioural preferences and explore how a candidate deals with pressure, conflict, or setback.
You will be presented with a set of response options for each scenario and asked to select the one that most closely resembles your own course of action. You may also need to rate the other options in order of preference.
Situational judgement tests are often used in the recruitment process to discover whether a candidate's approach matches an organisation's culture and accompanying core values.
Group Exercises
You may also need to complete a series of tasks within a Qatar Airways team. These will assess your ability to work collaboratively to effectively solve problems and will likely involve time pressure.
Participants should seek to actively contribute, whilst displaying good listening skills.
Pilot Tests
If you are applying for a position as a pilot or flight operator, you will be required to sit a pilot aptitude test as part of the Qatar Airways recruitment process. This comprises a series of tasks which - through simulation - assess spatial awareness, hand-to-eye coordination, ability to multitask and memory capacity.
Final Interview
If you achieve high scores across your Qatar Airways aptitude assessments, you will be invited to attend a final interview stage with the recruitment team. This may be a panel or one-on-one interview, depending upon the position. It could also be online or in person, depending upon the circ*mstance.
The interview questions will be competency-based and require candidates to evidence their skills through experience. If you find interviews nerve-wracking, keep the STAR model (situation, task, action, result) in mind to help structure your responses.
You should also prepare to discuss your motivations and career goals.
An interview should be a two-way conversation, so prepare a few questions to ask the recruiters. These are a chance to show your curiosity and enthusiasm, as well as your knowledge of the company and industry.
Even highly qualified candidates can be thwarted by a lack of confidence at an interview, so prepare thoroughly and get a friend or family member to run through possible questions and responses with you.
Remember to also keep a check on your eye contact and body language as – even in an online interview – these aspects contribute to your overall impression during the selection process.
Medical Exams
If you are successful in securing a position with Qatar Airways, you will also need to sit a series of medical exams to confirm you are fit, healthy, and able to cope with the demands of the career.
