A Southwest interview question! help

[commutair]

Need help with this question. "Have you ever gone against a company policy, or broken any company rules?" Now we all know that we all some point or another we have made a mistake with our line flying and actually went against a company policy whether we admitt it or not. I know that I have. Anyhow; will they look down on me if I said yes, or will they think i'm lying if I said No. I think it would be important to tell the truth. The story I will give is not an intentional rule break either, does that matter? If you guys or girls had this question what did you talk about. Did you tell the truth?

 

[Heavy Set]

IF breaking the rule was for safety reasons, then it probably wouldn't be perceived too bad. Consistent rule breakers would not be welcome I would think - it would have to be a one-time thing and for safety reasons. Ultimately, I would never offer this information unless they asked for it.

 

[LiveFreeorDie]

Every one has broken a rule---

Many ways to answer this one. Just be honest. Tell them a bout a time you broke a rule by mistake, what happened because of it, what did you learn from it.

Don't be canned or say you haven't. Maybe you did it because it was wartime in the military, or you had an emergency and had to. Or maybe you just were doing 300 below 10,000 by mistake!

I talked with people doing the SWA interviews last week while I was in ground school. Be honest, answer the question, and let them find out who you really are.

In 100 years of aviation no one has had the perfect flight. So somewhere in there is a good story that shows what kind of person you are.

Did that help?

-LFD

 

[commutair]

Did they ask you a question like that in your interview? My story i would tell them isn't that bad, I did learn from it and I'm an honest person. I didn't go against a company rule intentionally I accidentlly screwed something up. I didn't get in trouble or anything. Would they believe anyone if they asked them "have you ever broken a company rule?" if they said no they would be lying! I guess if you tell the truth, are honest and really learn from your mistakes You'll interview well.

 

[ivauir]

This is the meat of the SWA interview: who are YOU? If it is not this question it'll be another one, you need to be prepared to let them see the real you - warts and all. I am not saying go in there and spill your guts about every mistake you've ever made, but level with them about who you are. Have a huge repetoir (sp?) of real stories that cover a range of topics and timeframes. Then listen to the question and answer it.

I guess my point is that you cannot and should not prepare for every possible question. Don't try to tell the greatest stories in aviation either: try to think of the most mudane situation that fits the question. Going way fast below 10 is a great example- maybe you were distracted when the Fo pointed it out, how did you respond to the FO's input (why did the FO wait so long to say something?)? What did you do about the thing that distracted you in the first place? What did you learn? How do you use that to make you a better pilot/captain? How do you use that experience to help others become better?