SWA acceptance rate?

[hyeflyin]

Anyone know what percent of those who interview get the job. I have heard its as low as 1 in 4. Any truth to that? Also does it increase your chance of getting the job if you already have a type? Thanks

 

[SWA/FO]

1 in 8 when I tricked them into hiring me way back when...

 

[Diesel-9]

Would hardly call 1 in 4 low. Although a different era, in 1988, 6000 applicants, interviewing 100 a month to hire 10. 10% of interviewed hired, 1.6% of applicants hired (1 in 60). Every interviewed pilot got a very indepth physical at the Mayo Clinic.

 

[capt. megadeth]

Also does it increase your chance of getting the job if you already have a type? Thanks

I don't think so but I don't work there so I don't know. I know at least 10-12 people that had the type and did not get the job.

 

[mule]

2 out of 11 for my group. 2 out of 12 for my buddy....stellar #'s, huh? Not to send SWA/FO through the roof (I Luv you man....not in the brokeback way though...), but has anybody heard FDX hire %'s lately?

 

[Resume Writer]

From what I have been following, the hiring ratio has been from 15-25% of candidates interviewed.

As for the type giving you a better chance, that is not true. There have been plenty of people on this board who have had the type and not been hired.

 

[Fox-Tree]

UAL was hiring 1 in 24 during the late 90's. Wasted time on both sides, IMO.

Fedex seems to run over 80% - 4 for 5 in my group.

 

[Mugs]

UAL was hiring 1 in 24 during the late 90's. Wasted time on both sides, IMO.

Fedex seems to run over 80% - 4 for 5 in my group.

Having never made a cut like that in my life, I can assure you that your figures are not accurate.

 

[Jetjockey]

Don't sell yourself short Mugs........................even a blind squirrel finds a nut once and a while.

 

[fugghedabowdit]

What's the average length of time one waits for the interview without the type?

 

[Fox-Tree]

Having never made a cut like that in my life, I can assure you that your figures are not accurate.

I'm not really sure where you are coming from with your comment. During my indoc at UAL, we were told the current hiring ratio was 1 for everyone 24 interviewed. It was told to us in the context of "we're glad you're here, this is very competitive - you are part of a very selective group, blah, blah,etc." I don't see why they would start out on day one with the company by lying to us.

Fedex seems to hire more of who they interview. Granted, getting the interview is very difficult/selective. Once you interview, my experience with my interview group and that of other friends seems to be a higher success rate. My group was 80% (4/5). Most groups seem to be composed of around 6-ish candidates. I've never heard of more than 1 or 2 not making it on any given day. Has it happened? Probably - I don't claim to have the stats on every group. During the last year or so, I've had many friends going through the process in various interview groups and all of them have had most if not all of their group get hired. Occasionally one person tubes it, but that is not the norm. My info is as accurate as my first hand experience can provide.

 

[firstthird]

I wonder whether the UAL chief pilots mispoke that day and meant 1 of 24 who applied. You were there though. It does seem spectacularly inefficient. I mean, wasn't United hiring upwards of 100/month there in the late nineties, meaning they were interviewing 2400 people for those slots a month, which is 100 per day every business day of the month. Could be, just seems excessive.

I seem to remember that most legacies were hiring the majority of guys they interviewed in the late 90's. As in, you get the call to interview at United/American/Delta, the job is yours to lose. So hire rates were in the 90% range (maybe not, I never interviewed at any of them). I thought that their HR departments were pretty confident in their selection criteria, e.g. Fedex now, with their meet and greets, they must be pretty sure that most guys who get an interview are good guys that are worth hiring, since the Simulator is the main discriminator (according to the word on the street).

I was just on the outside looking in, but did have more than a few squadron mates get interviewed at the majors in the 98-01 timeframe, and most that interviewed got hired. We were under the impression that for most airlines, getting the interview was the hard part. Obviously, any interview can go badly but the odds were with you.

There has to be more guys on this board that interviewed 5-10 years ago that can confirm or deny the truth of these allegations.

SWA has always marched to a different drummer in regards to interviewing. We require the type to start, but not always to interview. And our percentage is ballpark 30%, or that's what I've heard, could be higher/lower. Even Jetblue hires a far higher percentage and they started out with many SWA similarities.

 

[firstthird]

Actually, I forgot. Was that during the period when most legacy Chief Pilots were opening with the line, "Congratulations, you all just won the lottery. You'll make XX million dollars in a career here at 'legacy' Airlines, the last job you'll ever have." Now before anyone gets too huffy, at my SWA new hire class, one of the ground instructors said something to the effect of "Welcome to the last job you'll ever have." And made me reach for wood to knock on so fast my head spun. Talk about tempting fate.

Heck, I didn't even get SWA wings embroidered on my PNS bag thinking it'd be bad luck down the road. Thought process - hmm, if I get SWA wings, then inevitably SWA will go south and I'll end up somewhere else picking them out with a needle. If I don't get the wings, then 25 years from now I'll be thinking, well, SWA worked out great, should've gotten those wings on my PNS bag back in the day.

Now, I hope to be here at SWA until I retire, but one never knows does one.

 

[Fox-Tree]

I wonder whether the UAL chief pilots mispoke that day and meant 1 of 24 who applied. You were there though. It does seem spectacularly inefficient. I mean, wasn't United hiring upwards of 100/month there in the late nineties, meaning they were interviewing 2400 people for those slots a month, which is 100 per day every business day of the month. Could be, just seems excessive..

When you put some real #'s in, it does seem a bit off. Perhaps he did mean 1 of 24 applicants. I don't think they were interviewing 100/day. Thanks.

 

[SWA/FO]

Fed Ex didn't hire my a$$. They saw through my lies. You can't fool them all.

 

[cole]

What are some good preps for SWA interview. THanks

 

[puddlejumper101]

But then again something else about Southwest is that truly every single person that applies has a chance...might be slim but there is a chance. That can't be said about Fedex, UPS, or CAL. I guess the question is how does one maximize the chance when the opportunity comes up? Obviously being yourself is paramount, but there has to be more...and flight time is not it. I have seen them hire guys with the bare minimum...I am guessing its personality type. Looking back at all the guys that have gone to SWA from my present employer, or that I have met in the last few years, they always seem outgoing, friendly, and positive. Granted, the one's I know that have gotten turned down some were this way too...but I have yet to see a bad apple from the trees I have been exposed to end up at Southwest...and they are alone in that dept. because I have seen plenty of bad apples end up in CAL and Airtran (along with good ones). Southwest depends on character...so that is what they go after.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

What are some good preps for SWA interview. THanks

Sex change operation would help (if you're a dude). Oh that's right. That helps at every airline.

 

[SWA/FO]

I have met in the last few years, they always seem outgoing, friendly, and positive.

Thanks!!!

 

[mule]

Fed Ex didn't hire my a$$. They saw through my lies. You can't fool them all.

Would you have gone?

You could have gotten to hang more with your bud....CaptainMark

 

[SWA/FO]

Would you have gone?

You could have gotten to hang more with your bud....CaptainMark

Sure, I would have. It would have been fly for Fed Ex or keep flying freight on a pager, tough choice. Capt.Mark and I would be drinking buddies.

 

[Tomct]

We had 70-80 Captains go get their type when they announced DFW closing. I believe that they ALL got the call, but only 5-7 were hired. That is pretty JACKED UP!!

 

[JTrain]

Actually, I forgot. Was that during the period when most legacy Chief Pilots were opening with the line, "Congratulations, you all just won the lottery. You'll make XX million dollars in a career here at 'legacy' Airlines, the last job you'll ever have." Now before anyone gets too huffy, at my SWA new hire class, one of the ground instructors said something to the effect of "Welcome to the last job you'll ever have." And made me reach for wood to knock on so fast my head spun. Talk about tempting fate.

quote]


firstthird - that is some neat perspective. I remember an Air Line Pilot Careers magazine article from early 2001 which quoted Bob Kudwa, who was some sort of VP Flight Ops at American Airlines. Kudwa described American as "the millionaire machine" and waxed on about how if you come here as a pilot, you will retire a millionaire.

 

[VAPOR]

yeah

We had 70-80 Captains go get their type when they announced DFW closing. I believe that they ALL got the call, but only 5-7 were hired. That is pretty JACKED UP!!

That is one rough hiring system. A whole lotta guys (& ladies) go out and get a $7k+ type with a 4-6 week wait after an interview to find out that they don't have a job there. Why can't they tell you sooner? (SWA/FO?)

 

[firstthird]

Disclaimer, I have NO inside knowledge, just what I've pieced together from this board and having gone throught the process once. The 4-6 week wait after the interview is part of the system, not ideal but that is the way the People department runs it.

The way I understand it, you interview with 3 different people, plus the LOI (line oriented interview, basically the FEDEX CRM trainer deal). All in one day.
Now, once you are done and go home, the interviewers all get together and you go into one of 3 stacks (I think).

1. did great on all interviews, hire.
2. did pretty good, maybe 1 had some qualms, maybe hire.
3. didn't do that great, do not hire, reapply in a year.

Now, the 2nd group is the one that causes most of the delay. Every package goes to the hiring board which is composed of a chief pilot from each base and some People department people. As long as group 1's background checks were good and nobody from group 3 has Herb on the line saying to hire him (who knows?), they presumably spend the lion's share of the meeting on the group 2 guys. Start going through all the Letters of Recommendation, talking to the Chief Pilots, etc.

So, from this not-in-the-know pilot's perspective, the 4-6 weeks is a long time to wait, but the alternative would be to lump everyone from group 2 into group 3 and call it a day. Not really fair. Why not lump then all into group 1? Probably because we think our culture is important enough to take more time/money to get the new hires right. Not saying it is perfect or that good people don't get missed or that jerks don't get hired, just as good as our guys think they can make it. They did add the LOI in the last 3 years.

My 4-6 week wait was from my interview date of 10Sep01 until I found out I got hired on 20Nov01. So, actually my wait was closer to 10 weeks but at least there was nothing big going on with the airlines or military making me doubt my decision to get out or anything. A little suspenseful, but worth it.

Short version. The company could probably let 80% or more of the guys who interview know if they got hired within a few days or a week, but it would probably entail lowering the odds for everyone by kicking anyone who is in the middle to the do not hire stack. I'm not sure where my application was, but I sure wouldn't take that bet. Hey mister, you can find out now but have a lower chance of getting hired or wait 8 weeks and have a better chance, your choice? Deal or No Deal.

 

[SWA/FO]

That is the process. Some guys have to wait longer then 4- 6 weeks to get called for the interview. The Company is very careful in who they hire. You have to SHINE on your interview. Competition is tough. Its all in what you show them... I highly recommend an interview prep.... not to "can" answers but to have someone you don't know listen to your stories.

 

[VAPOR]

1. did great on all interviews, hire.
2. did pretty good, maybe 1 had some qualms, maybe hire.
3. didn't do that great, do not hire, reapply in a year.

Where's the LUV in making the group 3 people wait 4-6 weeks to find out they can reapply in another year?

 

[firstthird]

Maybe I wasn't clear. All 3 groups go to the decision board. I just suspect that group 3 gets a "anyone got anything to say for these guys? No? okay, moving on" whereas group one gets a "these guys did great on the interview, anyone have any problem with them? no? moving on." They still get a shot at the decision board, either way, just it is the group 2 guys that get a shot whereas they might not have had one interview day only.

To be clear, the way I understand the process, EVERYONE has to go to the decision board even if you interviewed the best in the last 3 years or the worst in the last 3 years. The decision board has to review your package, I just think it is the marginal guys that are get most of the attention.

That is why everyone has to wait, I'm sure in the past people have gotten moved from group 3 to 1 or 1 to 3, either by great great letters of rec, or by really bad and multiple black listing type letters. So, nobody skips the board and everyone waits.

 

[Whataburger]

I was told by someone in Dallas that all interviewee's paperwork goes to the board. There are the A's, B's, and C's. The A's did so well in the interview/LOI that their refs would not be called and they are hired with little or no time spent on them at the DB. The C's are reviewed briefly but were unsat on interview day and would be sent a letter. Then, like most of us, there are the B's. This is where the time is spent in the DB. Your paperwork, history, app, LORs, interviews, and LOI's are discussed. Then you will have your rec's called. The B's seem to be mostly on the line of hire/not hire. After talking to a few references and looking at your entire package, a decision is made. The wait, mine was one month from interview, is excrutiating. However, when good news comes it is well worth it.