17 Jan Swa Interview

[Hardcorr]

Anybody else going to be there on the 17th? Could you guys remind me where to find gouge on the interview? Thanks in advance.

 

[MICK]

What are your stats? Also how many hours have you flown in the past 36 months?

Thanks and good luck!

 

[elcid]

Congrats on the call!
http://www.willflyforfood.cc/Southwest.htm
www.aviationinterviews.com
http://www.willflyforfood.cc/Southwest.htm

One thing these sights will tell you over and over again is to not be too rehearsed and have canned answers for each question. Just get a bunch of good stories together from your flying and work experience and try to fit them to the questions you are asked. They say they want to get to know you more than anything else. Not hear a bunch of rehearsed stories. I bounced some stories off of my wife and got her input. Surprisingly that was the most valuable prep I think I did!

If you haven't read Nuts, I'd get on that right away. It's a great book. Great insight into the kind of company SWA is and what kind of person they want to hire. The PD will tell you that they're not quite as nutty as the book lets on though (ie. You don't have to do anything crazy and try to stand out.)

Good luck. I interviewed 9 Nov. Still waiting for the DB which was delayed due to the mishap in Chicago. It was a great experience though. You'll enjoy it.

 

[GuppyWN]

I'll second the "canned answer" statement. The interviewers are skilled at picking up on these and if you give one, somewhere, sometime, later in the interview you will be asked the same type of question in a different format that you won't even realize to double check. From what I've heard, from the horses mouth, you won't realize you just got asked the same question.

We are a "people" airline. You already know how to fly or you wouldn't have been called. Just be yourself, do your homework and have a good time. I got hired in the wayback and I still remember walking out of the interview feeling that I had a blast and if I didn't get hired I still had a great experience.

Congrats on the call. Have fun!

Gup

 

[canyonblue737]

canned answers are where you polish word for word how to answer a particular question... that is bad. doing homework and finding out the type of questions that are asked and thinking in advance which stories from your flying history might best suit each one is good.

the key is to prepare for the interview so you don't wing it, but not so much that every word you say is precrafted.

 

[Whataburger]

I seems that there are catagories of questions they will ask you. For example: You will get asked a Divert/Fuel story, Procedure/Regulation story, a Leadership story, Emergency/Scariest flight and definetly Why SWA should hire you or What can you bring to SWA.
Divert/Fuel - Normal divert story, Min fuel, Low on fuel.
Procedure/Reguation - observing someone breaking rules, you breaking rules, did not agree with a procedure, changing a procedure, rug dance with a Chief Pilot.
Leadership - what leadership roles have you had, when did you fail as a leader, when have you had to take another pilot under your wing, when have you had to use diplomacy at work, when have you had to counsel a coworker.
Emergency/Scariest flight - speaks for itself. What happened, how did you deal with it, outcome, what you learned.
Also, customer service story. When have you gone above and beyond for your company.
The cool part is that if they ask you a question you don't have an answer to, they just go on to another question.
Read Nuts it will give you a feeling of SWA culture.
I went to southwest.com and looked at all their history and background also.
Consider using Judy Tarver with Higher Power for your prep. It is well worth it.
Good luck.

 

[ASA Captain]

Congrats Hardcorr.

Speaking from some experience, I got shot down in 2004, a prep is a good idea. I did not do one prior to my interview. It would have helped. Why I did not do one is a whole different issue.

Anyhow, go through your logbook and try to identify as many interesting situations as you can. You should focus on things that show strong leadership, teamwork, and decision making skills.

Best of luck.

 

[ivauir]

I think some folks get shot down because they tell stories that they want to tell and fail to answer the question. If a story is really great but only close to the answer to their question then save it! You are not being judged as to how great your stories are or how many times you cheated death.
I made it my goal to tell the simplest story that answered the question. I made sure to tell stories from throughout my flying career and I listened to what the interviewer was asking.

 

[Rush Limbaugh]

Hey Hardcorr,

I'll see you there on the 17th. Good luck to you.

Rush

 

[Radar1]

Does anyone have any info on interview preps?

 

[F16TJ]

If you do a search on here there is a phle...er...a whole lot of stuff regarding interview prep. Two resident members of FI are excellent and have great track records; Resume Writer and Albie. There is also Judy Traver. If you contact HPA, they can get you in touch with her. All it takes is a little bit of effort and you can find a ton of information on this website.

Good luck!

 

[Radar1]

Thanks!

 

[captjim]

Very helpful advice guys thanks.