About Lufthansa
Lufthansa was founded in 1953, but the company's origins go back to 1926. It is now the largest German airline and the second largest in Europe, flying 145 million passengers in 2019. The Lufthansa Group has a number of subsidiaries such as Eurowings, Edelweiss Air, Air Dolomiti, and Austrian Airlines, bringing their total fleet number up to around 700 aircrafts, making it one of the largest airline fleets in the world.
The Lufthansa Group employs more than 135,000 people across 175 countries, offering career opportunities across all aspects of aviation. There are also a number of early career programmes such as dual study schemes, apprenticeships, internships, and trainee positions to help more people start their desired career.
Lufthansa Application Process
The recruitment process for Lufthansa may vary depending on the site you are applying for but for most positions, you will have an online application, an interview, and some online assessments.
Many roles in aviation have very specific requirements that must be met to do the job, so always ensure that you can demonstrably meet these requirements before applying. For example, flight attendants have many physical requirements and must undergo medical checks before they are allowed to start their employment.
Lufthansa Online Application
All Lufthansa jobs are posted and applied for online, so you will need to go through their vacancies page to find a position that you are interested in. There are a number of ways to start your career at Lufthansa such as study programmes, internships, apprenticeships, and direct entry, depending on your professional experience.
The online application will only ask you for information that is directly needed for the position that you are applying for. This means that some roles like early career positions, will not ask for your CV, but other questions about your education and previous work experience. Make sure that you have thoroughly read the job specifications and that you can demonstrate all of the essential requirements. It is also important to note that candidates with desirable skills such as language proficiencies will be prioritised, so make sure you inform them of these as well.
Lufthansa Interviews
The second stage of the process is a phone interview. During this, you will get more information about the role and what it is like working for Lufthansa. This is your opportunity to ask any questions and decide whether the role sounds like it is a good fit for you, which is especially important for positions like cabin crew. Working as cabin crew can be a very demanding role and finding out as much as you can about expectations, scheduling, and benefits early on is important.
If they like you, you will be invited to a second interview, which Lufthansa describe as a personal interview. All this means is that it is more focused on you as a person, rather than assessing your previous work experience and skills, to find out how you work and if you are compatible with the job. Common personal interview questions include:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Do you prefer working alone or as a team?
- Describe yourself in five words.
- How do you handle stress?
- If you were an animal, which one would you be?
Lufthansa Aptitude Tests
There are a number of psychometric tests that Lufthansa ask you to complete to gauge your strengths in key competencies.
Each test is taken separately and has a different time limit, but the maximum time for any individual test is 15 minutes. Lufthansa do not score you according to how long it takes you to complete the tests, so while you need to work quickly, your focus should be on getting as many correct answers as you can.
Once you start a test, you cannot pause it, so make sure that you are somewhere you will not be interrupted for the duration of each test.
Lufthansa Concentration Test
For roles that can be repetitive and require you to pay attention to minute details for long periods of time, you may be given a concentration test to assess how well you will do on the job. These tests require you to complete tasks such as identifying certain words in large blocks of text, locate certain groups of numbers or shapes, or respond to certain stimuli, e.g. clicking when you see a particular colour or shape.
Lufthansa Arithmetic Test
Working with numbers is an important part of many aviation jobs, so you will often be given an arithmetic test during the recruitment process. These are similar to numerical reasoning tests, which assess your ability to work with numerical information. You will have to show basic skills like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and more complex ones like interpreting graphs and charts, fractions, and percentages.
Lufthansa Vocabulary And English Test
Good communication skills are extremely important, especially for customer-facing roles like cabin crew, so you will be given an English test. This assesses things like basic grammar and vocabulary, proving you have a certain level of language skill, and other verbal reasoning skills, like processing information and advanced comprehension.
Lufthansa require cabin crew to be fluent in German and English. No special proof is required to prove your language skills, but they will be checked during the process.
Lufthansa Analytical Thinking
An analytic thinking test is another name for a logical reasoning test, which assesses your ability to follow logic and find patterns. This is important in aviation as you have to be a strong problem solver and be able to think analytically about information to make rational decisions in stressful situations.
Lufthansa Email Task
Also known as e-tray exercises, an email task is a practical demonstration of key skills needed for the job. You will be given an inbox with multiple work tasks that need sorting and completing, showing how you prioritise tasks, communicate with colleagues, and various leadership skills like delegating, responsibility, and decision making.
Employers like to use these as they give a better insight into your working style and how you perform under pressure. As this is a more realistic and practical test, it is a better reflection of your skills.
