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SWA...Too Prepared???

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Just because you didn't get hired doesn't necessarily mean you didn't interview well. You probably didn't but it isn't always the case. The guys that make it through the interview process get sent to the review board. If they have 2 classes of 24 each, totally 48 that they are staffing for and the reviewers send them 60 names, guess what? 12 guys don't get hired. Its just the way it is.

This is where networking is "SO VERY" important. If you have a friend that is a Pilot for SWA you need to keep this person/persons in the loop as you proceed down the interviewing road. If they like you and are willing to go the extra mile they will contact there Chief Pilot and plant your name in there ear way before you actually interview. Then again after the interview, then a week before the review board, then a day before the review board. I also would leave a letter in the Chiefs mail box a week or so before my buds would interview too. Then when there a stack of 60 resumes sitting in front of the Chiefs at the board and theres only 48 slots and this particular Chief heres your name come through, guess what............Bingo! You just won the 2006 lottery!

I know the interview road is not a nice process at times jumping through all the hoops. I have had a dozen or so myself and have only been hired out of a few of them. Sometimes you never know what they actually want. I can tell you from personal experience that SWA likes motivated people and also places a very high emphasis and management/check Pilot experience. They also like people that go the extra mile like running down the jetway to grab strollers, pushing wheelchairs etc. Best thing to do is go in and be yourself and try to show the positive things you have done. There is a term that was used earlier in this thread called SAR. I didnt know what it meant until I was interviewing at SWA myself. It stands for Situation/Action/Result. They will give you a question/situation. They want to here your action and the results should be positive always showing you going that extra mile.

Hope some of this helps, Best of luck in your future endeavors.
 
Look around for another door to open. I thought I wanted SWA, I interviewed I tell good stories and I was getting furloughed in the coming months. When I was not selected I was bummed. But I looked around and before I knew it CAL called and I was in class before I would have even been in class at SWA. I would be commuting for SWA if I was hired, instead I am driving to work near CLE.

You might think you want SWA but maybe someone else is trying to tell you that SWA is not in your cards. Keep looking for that door. I know what your going through and keep your chin-up
 
Reading through this thread I'm reading about guys taking prep courses, honing up on their story telling abilities, making sure to be PC and not checking out the chicks, all to land that lotto ticket job.

This sure sounds like United mid to late 90's.

Kinda gives me goose bumps.......

It's nice to hear that Judy Tarver is still around taking your money.
 
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Hello guys, I two was shot down but in the process began a facination with SWA. I am a missionary kid, I grew up in the jungles of South America, my parents worked with the Indians. So I looked at SWA as an Culture, a tribe,a group and I started studying it. You can't study for the interview, either you were born one of them or you are not. You can maybe become one of them, like a missionary kid, you conform and they accept you, but if you aren't of their blood, you are not going to make it. The problem is that there are only so many of "them" so they have to start letting others in. Study the book "nuts", and read it and read it again. Study the Bible,yup,John, Romans, I John 1,2,3, this is all ingrained into the unique culture. They want someone who does not study for an interview but is more concerned about the NEXT guy getting the job instead of you. If you are competitive against your fellow interviewer you are not going to make it. They want you to be the kind of person that if there was only 1 postion left and they had to choose between you and the other guy, they want you to say, take the other guy, he needs the job more than myself. I am very competitive, in an interview you are competing against the rest of the world, doesn't work at SWA. I don't think even Judy Tarver understands that, SWA is a totally diffrent airline, and like a tribe down in SA they will fight to maintain their culture the way that it is, they will protect it at any cost. Crazy, but it seems that is the way it is.
 
Hello guys, I two was shot down but in the process began a facination with SWA. I am a missionary kid, I grew up in the jungles of South America, my parents worked with the Indians. So I looked at SWA as an Culture, a tribe,a group and I started studying it. You can't study for the interview, either you were born one of them or you are not. You can maybe become one of them, like a missionary kid, you conform and they accept you, but if you aren't of their blood, you are not going to make it. The problem is that there are only so many of "them" so they have to start letting others in. Study the book "nuts", and read it and read it again. Study the Bible,yup,John, Romans, I John 1,2,3, this is all ingrained into the unique culture. They want someone who does not study for an interview but is more concerned about the NEXT guy getting the job instead of you. If you are competitive against your fellow interviewer you are not going to make it. They want you to be the kind of person that if there was only 1 postion left and they had to choose between you and the other guy, they want you to say, take the other guy, he needs the job more than myself. I am very competitive, in an interview you are competing against the rest of the world, doesn't work at SWA. I don't think even Judy Tarver understands that, SWA is a totally diffrent airline, and like a tribe down in SA they will fight to maintain their culture the way that it is, they will protect it at any cost. Crazy, but it seems that is the way it is.

Did you say "Crazy". Yea, I think you are
 
Hmmm, just out of curiosity, how long ago were the checkride busts??? With so many qualified candidates applying to SWA (the best airline ever), I would suspect that two checkride busts might be an issue. One, you might be able to pass off as a "bad day". Two....I'm willing to be that raised eyebrows, and I'm not sure that in today's day and age, the liability of hiring someone with two busts might not be an issue.

Just my 2 cents, but if the checkrides were withing the past 4-5 years, it might take a little longer.

EP
 
Hello guys, I two was shot down but in the process began a facination with SWA. I am a missionary kid, I grew up in the jungles of South America, my parents worked with the Indians. So I looked at SWA as an Culture, a tribe,a group and I started studying it. You can't study for the interview, either you were born one of them or you are not. You can maybe become one of them, like a missionary kid, you conform and they accept you, but if you aren't of their blood, you are not going to make it. The problem is that there are only so many of "them" so they have to start letting others in. Study the book "nuts", and read it and read it again. Study the Bible,yup,John, Romans, I John 1,2,3, this is all ingrained into the unique culture. They want someone who does not study for an interview but is more concerned about the NEXT guy getting the job instead of you. If you are competitive against your fellow interviewer you are not going to make it. They want you to be the kind of person that if there was only 1 postion left and they had to choose between you and the other guy, they want you to say, take the other guy, he needs the job more than myself. I am very competitive, in an interview you are competing against the rest of the world, doesn't work at SWA. I don't think even Judy Tarver understands that, SWA is a totally diffrent airline, and like a tribe down in SA they will fight to maintain their culture the way that it is, they will protect it at any cost. Crazy, but it seems that is the way it is.

Turbo..

great post. the guy that replied to you asked if you were crazy... well isn't that how the book Nuts is titled? Crazy recipe for success?

What you are talking about is Servant Leadership. SWA defines it as a Servants Heart. Also egalitrianism.

If you have always been a servant and egalitarian then you might do fine. If you are just learning about it then maybe not.... If you think these concepts are crazy then you are so far apart from SWA....
 
Servant Leadership-what life is all about- the problem with normal airline ops is that people walk all over you. But being a sevant means loving being a doormat. I had other issues that hurt me at SWA, maybe by this summer they will be resolved.
 
Servant Leadership-what life is all about- the problem with normal airline ops is that people walk all over you. But being a sevant means loving being a doormat. I had other issues that hurt me at SWA, maybe by this summer they will be resolved.

Nice... if you get hired at SWA.... in 20 years it won't matter if it took two attempts...

I would say not to "loving being a doormat" rather not letting how others treat you define who you are... The ability to function effectively in an environment where everyone is trying to draw the life out of you takes alot of character...

Consider working in an environment where everyone is intrested in making sure everyone is doing ok. That takes alot of self confidence and trust of ones own self... If we can elvolve into a culture that operates in such a way we will all do so much better....
 
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Hmmm, just out of curiosity, how long ago were the checkride busts??? With so many qualified candidates applying to SWA (the best airline ever), I would suspect that two checkride busts might be an issue. One, you might be able to pass off as a "bad day". Two....I'm willing to be that raised eyebrows, and I'm not sure that in today's day and age, the liability of hiring someone with two busts might not be an issue.

Just my 2 cents, but if the checkrides were withing the past 4-5 years, it might take a little longer.

EP

During the logbook review in my interview last summer, the guy asked "No checkride busts?" I replied - no. His response: "Well that's unusual!" Still didn't get the job. No one that interviewed that day got the job.
 

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