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2nd interview w/ SWA

  • Thread starter Thread starter Torpid
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aroundtheblock

I'm pleased that you feel vindicated, but not so pleased at your ability to deconstruct inferences. I suspect you don't care either way.
However, what you aren't quite understanding is that milflyboy was trying to tell you that in a 1.5 tactical mil sortie one would make hundreds of risk management decisions vice a point A to B sortie where the decision tempo isn't quite as dramatic. The dynamics of a flight such as that coupled with the constant risk management decisions makes for a pilot well-equipped to handle other dynamic situations. That includes flying instrument approaches in poor weather in busy airspace.
All that being said I'm sure this debate will go unquelled forever. I still say there are the good and bad with either background.
FracCapt: Good luck bro!
 
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I was a 32d dude back in the day...Big Beige!
 
Phaed,

I am very appreciative of someone's military service. I agree that a prior military guy can handle the 100's of risk management decisions required in a 1.5 tactical sortie better than a commuter pilot. If you were applying for a war related job then yes, I would consider your time spent much higher than any civilain Playstation 2 Doom player. But you are applying for a "civilian" airline pilot position. Many military pilots make great airline pilots, some of the best. But it's the arrogance they portray over their civilian counterparts, that bothers me.
 
FracCapt said:
You should know by now.....none of us on this board are AVERAGE pilots.....we're ALL exceptional pilots...at least in our own eyes! :D Truth be told, I'm a mediocre pilot....but I hope SWA wants guys like me, too.
FrascCapt - I guess I frased that wrong. I wasn't actually talking about the ability of the pilot, but moreso the time they were getting. :)

Good luck. Hope to see you at SWA one day

FlyBoeingJets said:
MILF ly Boy,

Southwest has interviewed many 2 or 3 times and has hired on the 2nd or 3rd attempt. If this has changed in the last 2 years, so be it. But that's how it was before '03.

I realize that and I am very happy that they do that. I'll probably need it :)

I was merely stating that it didn't make sence to me, from a business perspective, why you would call somebody in for a second interview if you still have qualified/competitive applicants to pick from. To me it would be more logical to wait until you ran out of competitive applicants (And I am sure that will happen at soem point. I just don't think it has happened quite yet.) But I am not working in the People Department at SWA, so who am I to tell :)

aroundtheblock said:
Phaed,

I am very appreciative of someone's military service. I agree that a prior military guy can handle the 100's of risk management decisions required in a 1.5 tactical sortie better than a commuter pilot. If you were applying for a war related job then yes, I would consider your time spent much higher than any civilain Playstation 2 Doom player. But you are applying for a "civilian" airline pilot position. Many military pilots make great airline pilots, some of the best. But it's the arrogance they portray over their civilian counterparts, that bothers me.

++++

"But being able to do the daily business and flying the line is not what majors are selecting pilots after."

This is exactly what they are hiring for. Having done that, before being furloughed, that was all they wanted from me..

Of course you have to handle that as well, but I still think it is also about how you handle that .0001% of the time happening incident that makes or breaks a majors flight safety record.
 
What a tired old debate!

A Captain I flew with said something I won't soon forget: "If you follow the SOP and fly this thing the way they teach you, you'll never impress yourself in the airplane again."

Truth be told, most airline training departments can make an excellent F/O out of either a mil or civ guy. Given enough time in the right seat, that F/O will turn out to be an excellent Captain. I actually wish the job were harder--it would make it more difficult to outsource it to a kid with 1000 hours piston time.

The rub comes when someone you feel is less experienced than you gets a shot at your dream job. Get over it. Airlines hire from all different sectors, and you sort of get rank ordered with those in your sector. You made your choice of what path you would take to the airlines, now you need to live with it.
 
DOh

You can talk until your blue in the face but if the people department want to call YOU....... they will. Like I tell my six year old "You get what you get and you don't have a fit"
 
tomdav said:
You can talk until your blue in the face but if the people department want to call YOU....... they will. Like I tell my six year old "You get what you get and you don't have a fit"

Totally agree with ya Tom. I don't care what your background is, if they call you before me, well, atleast I know they are still calling for interviews.

I'll go back to my life and wait for the chance you just had. Hopefully we will both make the best of it when we get called.
 
milflyboy said:
Not wanting a be a party pooper, but I don't see why they would call anyone for a second interview if they still have competitive applicants they haven't talked to yet.

I am still waiting for my first ;o)

Hope we both get the call soon though

I hope that they call for second, and in my case ---- third in seven years, interviews because they are looking for people who positively want to be part of the Herb/Colleen/Gary family. It is well known that SWA encourages those of us who didn't succeed, to try - try again. I think that they look at those who are willing to give it another shot, as people who are committed; any employer desires committed employees.

Who really deserves a second shot? Someone who was trying SWA back during the mid 90's, or someone who turned up his nose at SWA during those times even though he was qualified. In my book, admittedly biased, the person who attempted SWA before the industry got turned on its head is more worthy of an interview than is someone who only wants to join the team after his first five choices either furlough or downgrade.

Nothing I say here is directed at any one member of this forum. Unlike TonyC, I rarely keep up with the posting history of a thread, much less of any particular person.:)

regards,
enigma
 
I don't understand why the civilian guys get so mad when military bubbas are called for interviews. From what I've read it's the fact that my X number of hours is less than your Y number of hours. And all the points have been made about what happens during those hours and that's one difference.

Now to go out on a limb....

Who cares? I love what I've done and apparently SWA thinks my menial hours are enough to call me. But the bottom line is it seems like they're not hiring for the best pilot skills. Let's be honest, it's MOSTLY point A to point B with possibly some sheer terror at the last seconds of the flight. But inbetween at altitude there aren't a hundred ORM decisions being made every leg that affect safety of flight to the point of losing an aircraft.

So what's the difference? How about the attitude that no one is better than another. Of my references who were called the questions they asked were not about piloting skills, they were what kind of guy am I. Because we all wouldn't even be able to apply if we weren't able to fly. They want to be able to sit next to somebody in a locked flight deck for an hour who's not a schmuck. I appreciate hearing your stories because I'm interested and just love to fly. I would like to think most civvies feel the same way in reverse. If not, then maybe your trying to hard to prove something and whatever it is isn't as important to us as it is to you.

Bottom line is be proud where you came from, even if there's razzing along the way (get some thicker skin). And realize that we all have the job little kids dream of!
 
very well put LIFE!
 
Why did this turn into a Mil vs Civ thread? Can anyone answer the original question? Is Southwest still re-interviewing after the 1 year wait? We all know they used to, but are they continuing to?

Thanks
 
good luck !

propjob27

To answer your question...yes they are calling folks who have been interviewed before....I don't know why some are getting called & others are not but yes the answer is folks are getting called that have been interviewed but not hired.

A side note....I flew with a flight attendant the other day who had applied with SWA 11 times in 14 years....asked why she kept on applying she said it was what she always wanted to do...her nickname was "Erica" in her new hire class, named after Susan Lucia for not having won an Emmy for so many years she said....the same FA was having breakfast recently with Colleen & when told of the story Colleen responded "why didn't we hire you sooner?...what were we thinking about!!!"

The process isn't perfect & there is no doubt we miss out on some folks, pilots, FAs, mechanics, etc.....smile alot, know as much about SWA & your own flying experience as possible & have a great time at the interview....be persistent & don't give up if you really want to work at SWA but remember this...if you're not selected it says nothing about you as an individual or person....it is only a job interview, not a value statement about your worth as an individual....just decide if you wish to do it again & give it your best shot the next time. Good luck & thanks for your interest in Southwest....cheers
 
chase said:
The process isn't perfect & there is no doubt we miss out on some folks, pilots, FAs, mechanics, etc.....smile alot, know as much about SWA & your own flying experience as possible & have a great time at the interview....be persistent & don't give up if you really want to work at SWA but remember this...if you're not selected it says nothing about you as an individual or person....it is only a job interview, not a value statement about your worth as an individual....just decide if you wish to do it again & give it your best shot the next time. Good luck & thanks for your interest in Southwest....cheers


Calvin says that a rejection DOES say something about you as a person. Don't forget that Southwest doesn't hire based upon ability, they hire based upon personality. In my book, that means that a rejection IS a judgement that the rejected doesn't meet their valuation of a "quality" person.

Chase, I believe that you mean well, and you're obviously a great guy, but on this issue you've quaffed too much coolaide. You can't have it both ways, The Southwest process is either personality based or it isn't. I think that the evidence will prove it to be personality based.

That not withstanding, I respect your zeal, your attitude and your loyalty to your employer. Maybe someday, I'll get to quaf a little coolaide with you.

Spaceman Spiff
 
If it truly says someting about the person, then why are there a number of folks that SWA hires the "next" time they interview.

Afterprop,
You will do GREAT when you are once again interviewed. You already are successful!!
Chacka
 

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