Flight attendant career switch into real estate sparked by chance run in

On the same day Virgin went into administration, stood down air hostess, Linda Gibbens made a trip to the dog park that set her on a very different career path.

Living in the coastal suburb of Killcare on New South Wales’ Central Coast, the past year has seen Linda Gibbens spend the most time on solid ground in two decades.

Previously a flight attendant with Emirates and Virgin Australia, the role saw her travel all around the world and live in Dubai for seven years at the age of 22. However when the pandemic hit, the 43-year-old was stood down without pay, and like the majority of her peers, her career was plunged into uncertainty.

“The last flight I did was LA to Brisbane and I wasn’t able to fly back to Sydney until I completed hotel isolation for five days,” she tells news.com.au.

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From meeting Richard Branson to working on Virgin Australia’s first international flight, Ms Gibbens still fondly remembers her time in the airline industry. Picture: Supplied.

“When I came home we were all stood down and I had no idea that was going to happen, especially after being in the industry after 20 years.”

Although Ms Gibbens understandably describes being ‘stood down’ as one of the ‘most stressful times of her life,’ she does see how it allowed her to explore another career path she wouldn’t have.

“I loved my job so much for 20 years and I would have never left the industry if it wasn’t for COVID,” she says. “I would have never left and I think it’s now the time for a change and to concentrate on a new industry.”

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Ms Gibbens said that while she had no plans to leave the airline industry, being stood down from her job gave her the opportunity to pursue other career options. Picture: Supplied.

And by coincidence, real estate had always been “in the back of her mind”. On the same day Ms Gibbens received the email announcing that Virgin Australia would be going into voluntary administration, a trip to the dog park would lead to a brand new career path.

“I saw this lady in the park with a Belle Property name tag on, so I approached her, introduced myself and told her my story,” she says.

The woman she met was Cathy Baker – the Principal of Belle Property Killcare, who later hired Ms Gibbens as a buyer’s concierge.

Describing her new position, Ms Gibbens says the interpersonal skills she nurtured as a flight attendant were transferable in her new role. She’s also now studying for her real estate license with the ultimate goal of becoming an agent.

“The customer-service side of things is very similar to being a flight attendant,” she says.

“You’re trying to find out what the buyers are after, you build a rapport with them and when we have properties suitable to their requirements, I’ll arrange an open house.”

“Having had so much interaction with people, it was so easy to pick up a phone and do a cold call or go to an open house and talk to people.”

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Ms Gibbens (right) chance meeting with Ms Baker (middle) sent her career into a whole new direction. Picture: Supplied.

Looking back at her drastic career change, Ms Gibbens says that while starting at the beginning of the career ladder in real estate was “the biggest transition” she had to face, she says it wasn’t a negative.

“I was so senior as a flight attendant and had been in one industry for so long but I also started from a junior position too. It taught me that when you want a career in something, you’ve got to start at the bottom and work your way up.

“It was a big change at my age but I’ve done it before and it doesn’t scare me.”

How to find and use your transferable skills:

With transferable skills being key to helping you nab a job in a new type of work, SEEK have shared their top tips on how to expand your existing skill set and put them to work.

1. Look at job descriptions which match your current role or the last role you had

Doing this will give you an idea of the skills you use in your work and you may even realise there were some you didn’t have.

2. Make your transferrrable skills front and centre in your resume

Use this space to draw out how your experience matches the selection criteria of the job you’re interested in. For maximum impact, try to go into detail on each skill, instead of a simple list using bullet points.

3. Back them up in your cover letter as well

Make sure you highlight how you’ve gained and used certain skills in your role and how they could be used in the position you’re applying for.

This article was created in sponsorship with SEEK

Originally published as Flight attendant career switch into real estate sparked by chance run in