SWA acceptance rate?

[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