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SWA Interview Number Crunching

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Pig

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Posts
74
Trying to get some thoughts on when SWA may start interviewing so I'll try to put some numbers together and see if anyone can elaborate on them.

According to Amy Webb at the Dallas Air Inc Seminar, SWA has "something less than 600" applicants on file with a type rating going back to applicants on file since 2001 which have not yet been interviewed. To keep it simple we'll just assume 600 typed applicants who will be interviewed before the rest of the 3000 total applications supposedly on file.

Assuming 361 in the pool at the start of the year, and a conservative 200 starting class in 2003 in addition to some who have left the pool of JB, FED X, ATA or a return to active duty, the pool could be down to 140 by year's end.

Assuming SWA wants to keep a small pool to fill classes quickly without waiting on a full interview cycle, they may not want the pool to go below 80. This would allow a minimum 2 month turnaround to get an interviewee into a class.

With these assumptions, SWA may start interiews no later than to coincide with the current pool dwindling to about 80 pilots (2 classes of 20 per month for 2 months. This is what Amy Webb says they plan to be SWA's max training rate although they can surge higher for a short time).

If 2004 hiring stays as big as some projected at 450, the current pool will be drained by Feb '04. So interviews would theoretically start at least by Dec 03.

Furthermore, the historical hiring rate at SWA is 1 in 4 interviewees gets hired so the 600 typed applicants on file would provide 150 new hires, the first of which would start training in this scenario in Mar '04 and the last be in training in Jun '04 assuming 2 classes of 20 per month in '04.

Certainly alot os asumptions and 'if's' in this scenario but I think it is a reasonable outlook. Just wanted to get something started for those in the applicant pool hoping to hear from SWA for an interview. Everyone else's thoughts I'm sure could add alot to this thread.

Pig
 
Yeah, I got that update letter also. I wanted to put some numbers out there to try to narrow down the large time frame SWA has allowed in there update letter as well as give people an idea as to when they could be in training if hired.

It also would be nice to hear from the current poolies as to when the last to be interviewed had their applications on file to give those 600 typed applicants an idea how far down the interview order they may be based on their application date.

Pig
 
one forth?

Pig,
Got a question for you. Since you say one out of
four statistically get hired at SWA, do you have any
idea how many of those that do get hired already
have there type. In other words, does having the
type have any bearing on actually landing the job?
If it does,than you cant assume that only 150 of the
typed applicants will be hired.

(I bet that water feels good,sure would be nice to
go swimming!!)
Learguy
 
Last edited:
type is

REQUIRED to apply after Nov 2002. Thise who put in app prior to 11/02 were "grandfathered" but will have to wait for "typed" applicants to interview....

Tred
 
Just talked to LL, she said maybe interviews late in the year. Looks like they might interview according to qualifications instead of when you applied. Could be good could be a long wait. How much laundry can I do in 1 year?
 
While getting typed at HPA SWA's pilot recruiters came by to talk as they do for each HPA class and they said historically 1 in 4 interviewees gets hired. About half 'pass' the interview, although they didn't use that term, and out of those that 'pass' the interview the hiring decision committee hires. They did throw in a caveat that some can 'fail' the interiview but get hired by the hiring decision committee based on strong personal recommendations from others.

As far as a type helping the decision committee to hire you I think they said it wasn't a factor in the interview but the final decision committee could give it some weight. Don't know how much effect it has on the 1 in 4 historical hiring rate but it can only help.

Finally, I asked Amy Webb at the Dallas job fair about the change to review applicants 'competitively' instead of interview solely according to the date the app was on file. She said they would group people generally according to a range of dates, then bring people in out of that date range in for interviews based on hours, qual's, letters of rec, etc. She explained with a puzzled look on her face as if she wasn't even sure what the exact way they were going to do it was. Maybe they would take the 600 or so typed applicants and divide them into 3 groups of 200. Then bring in the most qualified of the group on file the longest first until they get through all of them, then do the same for the next two groups of 200, then finally start on non-typed applicants. That's the most sense I can make of Amy Webb's answer. Date of app. seemed to still have a large influence on order to be interiewed. Maybe current poolies can comment on how it worked for them before this 'competitive review' policy was in effect?

Pig
 
SWA Interview

Pig: Although your questions are very interesting they are pretty much moot because it doesn't much matter how SWA determined the order of interviewing people who are now in the pool. Things in the industry have changed so much since the people in the pool applied that by the time SW starts interviewing again they will more than likely have a different process in place for determining who they interview when than they did before the economy cooled.

I do THINK that they were more concerned with the order of apps (although I THINK they had two piles for the apps, those with and those without types) before and they were quite upfront about that. I think that with the market forces being what they are now, they can afford to be much pickier about their requirements. Anybody remember when you needed 4500 hours and the type rating to apply to SWA? I believe those were the requirements in 92 when I first tried to apply.

Here's some timeframe info from the deep end of the pool:

I applied to SWA in March of '01, with about 4500 total time, 4300 in jet, over 3000 pic, but no 737 type rating. I originally was scheduled for a Sep 25th interview which of course was canceled. I got a call in Dec for an interview in Jan 02, still no type. I got the call that I was successful with the interview phase in late Feb and started a type course on Mar 3rd. I had taken a chance and put down the deposit earlier to ensure I would be in a class if I got the call; and that I would get the call before the class started. I typed on Mar 15th, and sit as number 196 in the unofficial pool. Had I been more proactive and gotten the type rating sooner (like before the interview), I would be sitting at about #80 in the unofficial pool. That difference could easily mean a year waiting in the pool, or possibly never getting out of the pool, if hiring slows long term.

So, do you WANT to fly for Southwest? Do you WANT to be as competitive as possible? Do you WANT to demonstrate to SWA your commitment to wanting to fly for them first and foremost? If any of these are remotely the case, and you can somehow scrounge the money, go get the type. You WILL get called sooner for the interview, you WILL be more likely to get through the interview successfully, and you WILL stand a much better chance of the job offer with the type rating in hand.

I paid for the type out of my own pocket, so I know its not easy to come up with the bucks, but I sure wish I had done it sooner. Perhaps if I had the type when I originally applied I could have gotten and interview and class date before things went south. (Small concern compared to the number of folks whose lives were shattered on 9/11)

This is all hindsight and I'm not complaining at all, I'm happy to be in the pool at all, but I think that if I were hoping for an interview with SWA in the near future I would be doing everything I could to get that type rating so that the instant the doors do open up again, you will be as far up in the line as possible. Of course if you haven't applied yet, I guess the whole idea is moot because you now have to have the type in order to apply (like in 92).

Best of luck to you! FJ
 
For what it is worth ...

Applied spring (April?) of 2001 with 3000+ TT, 1200 FW turbine PIC (solid worldwide military airlift, aircraft commander in two airframes, IP in one). No type. Interviewed September 6th and typed November 27th of 2001. Interviewing without the type has meant more than a year on the street, but this was pre 9-11 and prior to that it would have meant only a couple of months.
I do NOT think the type directly helped people get hired - I know a TON of people who got hired without it - but, the people who went out and got the type first tended to be knowledgeable and enthusiastic and perhaps most importantly - properly prepared. The standard Kit Darby "put your best foot forward" line is important - dress right, get quality preparation - these things should help you relax and be yourself.
Obviously you have no chance without the type right now, but if you did I'd still advise you to get it but only if you were willing to go the full mile. Don't spend 8 grand on a type and show up cold or in a $99 suit. It's not a fashion show, but you'll see all the sharp italian numbers with power ties and you'll get intimidated and act goofy. Just being your best is almost certainly enough to get you hired, but if not ... there is nothing to do but learn something and try again.

Best of luck
 
Thanks for the replies from the two current poolies. This type of information can be helpful to those in the applicant pool. I know what I have started is just conjecture about what SWA MIGHT do about interviews but I couldn't resist. I thought it could help give people some idea of where they stand as far as being interviewed and, if hired, in training.

As far as things changing after 9/11, SWA's announcement that they will review applicants on a 'competitive basis' is the new policy I'm trying to figure out. The pilot recruiter at the Dallas job fair confirmed that for previous interviews they almost exclusively looked at application date once they were split into 2 piles - typed and non-typed.

Adding to my previous comments regarding the interview/hiring decision committee process, the briefers at HPA used the phrase 'recommend hiring' or 'not recommend'. About half got the 'recommend' from the 3 interviewers. (2 out of the 3 had to give you a thumbs up to get the recommend.) About half those getting a recommend from the interview committee got a job offer according the briefers. Some that got a not recommend would still get a job offer, however, from the final hiring committee.

As far as the type helping the final decision committee hiring you, I guess we could change it from 1 in 4 for overall interviewees to 1 in 3 for those with a type, which would mean 200 potential job offers from the approximately 600 typed applicants on file.

A question for those in the hiring pool, I know the date of interview and the date of your type both somehow come into play for deciding class order, but does anyone know exactly how they do decide, and what might happen to a military guy activated that misses there offered training date?

Pig
 
how they do it?

I do not believe that anyone (except SWA) really knows HOW they make the final decision on where each poolie fits into the actual hiring/class date order.

Just by looking at our "unofficial" list you can see a bit of jumping around.... of course we have no idea where the other "ghost poolies" are from, their type or interview dates, etc....

You can also look into some other posts here and see where people have guestimated the class poolie "X" may attend.... some folks are within a few numbers of each other on the "unofficial" list, yet one has been given a class of say #8 and poolie "Y" is in possible #11.... no way to really figure this one out.....

Perhaps they take in to consideration what color socks you wore to the interview, or, if you had on a white shirt, or a colored shirt, maybe if you typed your app or hand wrote it....? blue eyes are preferential to brown eyes.....? perhaps we are all sorted by signs of the zodiac?? Alphabetical by birth state? reverse order by julian birthdates? Heck, it is the Chinese year of the Goat... perhaps all Goats come first!?!? :p

FACT IS NO one really knows... it just HAPPENS! :p

Wherever you end up in the scheme of things, good luck on getting interviewed/hired or whatever you do...... it IS a truly great company and a trendsetter as an airline. I am flattered to be so lucky to have been hired and look forward to being on board!! :cool:

Prayers for all of the families of our fellow aviators on board Columbia this morning..... a very sad day in aviation history.

Sincerely - Tred
 

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