Headquartered in Crawley, England, Virgin Atlantic is a British Airline with operating bases in Heathrow and Manchester airports. It offers international flights to 30 destinations in North America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In addition, they offer flights to Glasgow and Belfast seasonally. They have a fleet of 37 made up of Airbus and Boeing wide-bodied aircraft.
There are currently around 5,000 people employed by Virgin Atlantic. They fill positions as pilots, in head office roles, mechanics and engineers, cabin crew, and more. There are internship opportunities for graduates and apprenticeships for those starting a new career. Employment with Virgin Atlantic comes with benefits including:
Private medical scheme
Dental insurance
Healthcare cash plan
Defined contribution pension
Staff travel
How to Prepare for Virgin Atlantic’s Hiring Process?
The only way to apply for a job with Virgin Atlantic is through its website. If you find a job you are qualified for, you will need to create a profile and agree to provide a five-year reference history. If there are no positions of interest available, you can sign up for job alerts so you can be notified if a job matching your qualifications does become available.
After submitting your application, the recruitment process will vary depending on the role. Applicants for cabin crew positions will be required to submit a video interview. Other positions may have a phone interview with human resources.
The phone screening or video interview will be followed by face-to-face interviews or an assessment centre. Face-to-face interviews may involve a presentation, you will be told what is expected of you when you are invited to the interview.
Assessment centres will include various exercises and assessments. There will be group exercises, role-play, and discussions. You may also be given online assessments. As the assessment centre moves along, some people may be cut. The day will end with interviews for those who have made it through all the cuts.
Virgin Atlantic’s Psychometric Tests
At any point in the recruitment process, you may be asked to take some online tests. These are psychometric assessments meant to test your cognitive abilities and personality to make sure you are well suited to the role you want, and a good fit for Virgin Atlantic.
Verbal Reasoning Test – This test is multiple-choice, and you will need to complete as many questions as you can within the time limit. You will be given a few brief passages, followed by true or false questions. This is used to determine how well you are able to draw conclusions and follow written directions.
Numerical Reasoning Test – This will show your ability to work with numbers and determine the correct functions to use to solve numerical problems. You will be given numbers in charts and tables, followed by word problems. This is a multiple-choice test that is timed.
Deductive Reasoning Test – This test uses syllogisms and arrangements to test your logic and deductive reasoning skills. These are phrases like “Blue Jays are blue, blue jays are loud, all blue birds are loud.” You will need to use the information in these phrases to answer the questions.
Abstract Reasoning Test – Your ability to think fluidly and find patterns will be measure in this test. You will be given matrices and shapes, and you will need to find the pattern to fill in the missing piece.
Personality Survey – Some airline jobs can be very high-pressure while others require the ability to work well with people. The personality test is used to see if you have personality traits that are well suited to the job you applied for. Motivations, drivers, leadership ability, and positive traits will all be measured against a personality model that has been created for the job.
Situational Judgment Test (SJT) – To see how you respond to situations that occur while performing the job, the situational judgment test will present you with different job-related scenarios, and you will need to pick the response that will be the most effective.
The most common test provider Virgin Atlantic uses is cut-e.
How to Prepare for Virgin Atlantic’s Assessment?
If you are serious about a job with Virgin Atlantic, you will need to be serious about passing any online assessments you may be required to take. If there are any areas you feel you will not test well in, like numerical ability, practice until you feel confident about doing well. Practise running math drills, either using flashcards or apps. Time yourself so you are used to the pressure of working while timed. Crosswords and word puzzles can help you increase your verbal reasoning ability and your logic skills when it comes to deductive reasoning. You can find apps to help you practice these skills as well.
Learn as much as you can about Virgin Atlantic and your potential role. Knowing its corporate culture and expectations will help prepare you for the SJT and personality tests. Be honest on these tests but keep your professional persona in mind as you take the tests. This will show Virgin Atlantic your true workplace personality and why you will be the best fit for the job.
