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Want to be an IA airhostess? Rudy says your face first, then IQ: The Indian Express
New Delhi, Oct 16: Anywhere else, this will be called politically incorrect and crude. But here, it`s state policy. Indian Airlines and Air India have been told by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Rajiv Pratap Rudy to change the procedure for selection of airhostesses and stewards: focus less on written tests and concentrate more on the appearance of cabin crew aspirants
New Delhi, Oct 16: Anywhere else, this will be called politically incorrect and crude. But here, it’s state policy. Indian Airlines and Air India have been told by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Rajiv Pratap Rudy to change the procedure for selection of airhostesses and stewards: focus less on written tests and concentrate more on the appearance of cabin crew aspirants
Rudy told The Indian Express: ‘‘Being answerable to Parliament and based on the feedback we get from the market, I have suggested that presentability and physical appearance of a candidate be looked into first and academics later.’’
‘‘By presentability I mean height, weight and physical appearance and by personality I mean grooming the girls and boys to fit the job. After all private airlines with whom the government-held airlines compete also have walk-in interviews.’’
There’s a minor hitch, though. The last time IA and A-I decided to recruit cabin crew, the former got 36,000 applications against 200 vacancies and the latter 25,000 applications against 200 vacancies. With such numbers, ministry officials point out, selection by first screening candidates on the basis of their physical appearance is virtually impossible.
Not only this, there are enquiries ordered by the Civil Aviation Ministry itself regarding selection of airhostesses for Alliance Air where ‘‘proper procedure’’ wasn’t followed. ‘‘Remove CBI, CVC and Parliamentary Committee checks, and walk-in interviews can be held,’’ says a ministry official.
In a communication to the airlines on September 18, the Aviation Ministry had conveyed the minister’s observations. The ‘‘office memorandum’’ by a director in the ministry states: ‘‘The present recruitment is more academic based, where shortlisting is done by the process of elimination through written tests. There is a need to first shortlist based primarily on presentability and personality, followed by academic and medical.’’
The letter further states that this is necessary to meet the competition in the market, obviously refering to the well-groomed airhostesses/stewards in private airlines like Jet Airways and Air Sahara.
When asked if it was physically possible to assess the ‘‘presentability and personality’’ of all the candidates, Rudy relented to say that a preliminary exam could be held to select a few and then a thumb rule of at least one out of every 10 for physical assessment be laid down.
‘‘If in India we are faulted on lack of proper selection with such huge numbers available, it is unforgivable. Even in the reserved categories, selections should be made from a wider choice of reserved candidates,’’ Rudy feels.
He adds: ‘‘I have merely conveyed my observations to the airlines, which may not be binding on them since I am not on their board.’’
According to ministry officials, so far the airlines have depended on selection procedures comprising written tests and group dynamics followed by a personality assessment test and personal interview. Bulk of the weightage is given to the written examination as it deals in ‘‘specifics’’. The written tests are conducted by a professional organisation, the Indian Institute of Psychometry, which conducts similar selections for organisations like TELCO, TISCO, L&T and Hindustan Motors.
The IA last recruited cabin crew personnel in 1999. Since then it is down by nearly 100 members, who left owing to superannuation and who haven’t beeen replaced.
Similar is the case with A-I, where contract hiring is not allowed and selections are done mostly out of Mumbai, where political parties decide what the selection procedure should be.
However, there are some who question the minister’s emphasis on recruitment practices given that there are several, more pressing issues begging his attention. These include quisition of aircraft to replace the ageing fleet in both the airlines, drafting a civil aviation policy that has been in the making for over five years, privatisation of airports, rationalisation of uneconomic routes, and the finances of the ailing airlines.
Meanwhile, Rudy, officials complain, has been more preoccupied with PR-friendly exercises like letting passengers make calls from their cellphones while in the aircraft and allowing photography at airports and runways.
There’s a minor hitch, though. The last time IA and A-I decided to recruit cabin crew, the former got 36,000 applications against 200 vacancies and the latter 25,000 applications against 200 vacancies. With such numbers, ministry officials point out, selection by first screening candidates on the basis of their physical appearance is virtually impossible.
Not only this, there are enquiries ordered by the Civil Aviation Ministry itself regarding selection of airhostesses for Alliance Air where ‘‘proper procedure’’ wasn’t followed. ‘‘Remove CBI, CVC and Parliamentary Committee checks, and walk-in interviews can be held,’’ says a ministry official.
In a communication to the airlines on September 18, the Aviation Ministry had conveyed the minister’s observations. The ‘‘office memorandum’’ by a director in the ministry states: ‘‘The present recruitment is more academic based, where shortlisting is done by the process of elimination through written tests. There is a need to first shortlist based primarily on presentability and personality, followed by academic and medical.’’
The letter further states that this is necessary to meet the competition in the market, obviously refering to the well-groomed airhostesses/stewards in private airlines like Jet Airways and Air Sahara.
When asked if it was physically possible to assess the ‘‘presentability and personality’’ of all the candidates, Rudy relented to say that a preliminary exam could be held to select a few and then a thumb rule of at least one out of every 10 for physical assessment be laid down.
‘‘If in India we are faulted on lack of proper selection with such huge numbers available, it is unforgivable. Even in the reserved categories, selections should be made from a wider choice of reserved candidates,’’ Rudy feels.
He adds: ‘‘I have merely conveyed my observations to the airlines, which may not be binding on them since I am not on their board.’’
According to ministry officials, so far the airlines have depended on selection procedures comprising written tests and group dynamics followed by a personality assessment test and personal interview. Bulk of the weightage is given to the written examination as it deals in ‘‘specifics’’. The written tests are conducted by a professional organisation, the Indian Institute of Psychometry, which conducts similar selections for organisations like TELCO, TISCO, L&T and Hindustan Motors.
The IA last recruited cabin crew personnel in 1999. Since then it is down by nearly 100 members, who left owing to superannuation and who haven’t beeen replaced.
Similar is the case with A-I, where contract hiring is not allowed and selections are done mostly out of Mumbai, where political parties decide what the selection procedure should be.
However, there are some who question the minister’s emphasis on recruitment practices given that there are several, more pressing issues begging his attention. These include quisition of aircraft to replace the ageing fleet in both the airlines, drafting a civil aviation policy that has been in the making for over five years, privatisation of airports, rationalisation of uneconomic routes, and the finances of the ailing airlines.
Meanwhile, Rudy, officials complain, has been more preoccupied with PR-friendly exercises like letting passengers make calls from their cellphones while in the aircraft and allowing photography at airports and runways.