‘It’s my dream job’: Hong Kong candidates reach for the sky at Cathay Pacific’s first large-scale hiring fair in 3 years
- Last-minute walk-in candidates head to two-day event as city’s flagship carrier looks to hire 2,000 flight attendants
- ‘I believe [the industry] will improve in the future,’ a 25-year-old aspiring flight attendant says
Cathay Pacific’s first large-scale recruitment fair in Hong Kong nearly three years after the Covid-19 pandemic began has attracted some last-minute walk-in candidates aiming to land their “dream jobs” as they feel optimistic about the aviation industry’s future.
The two-day event entered its second day on Saturday, as the city’s flagship carrier looked to hire 2,000 flight attendants to help achieve its target of running at a third of its pre-coronavirus passenger capacity by the end of the year.
The airline arranged a two-hour walk-in session in the afternoon for those who had not applied to the positions earlier. Among those who seized the opportunity was 25-year-old Vanessa Wong.
Wong, who currently works in the city’s insurance sector, said she was hoping to fulfil her childhood dream of becoming a flight attendant, even if it meant enduring a pay cut from her current monthly income of about HK$18,000 (US$2,292).
“I have always wanted to join this industry. It is my dream to become a flight attendant who can wear beautiful uniforms and fly around the world,” she said.
She noted that the city’s aviation industry had been dealt a huge blow by the coronavirus pandemic, but she said she believed its prospects would improve as Hong Kong continued to relax its restrictions.
“I believe [the industry] will improve in the future,” she said, adding that she felt confident that she could get the job.
Last month, the city introduced a “0+3” model for overseas arrivals, under which travellers are no longer required to quarantine at a hotel, but must instead spend three days under home medical surveillance with limited citywide movement.