To those out there awaiting the magical call from not just SWA or other carriers, I would like to post a few thoughts. I'm doing this because I have received quite a few PMs, phone calls & the like asking me
"so & so got called & he had an app in less time that I did" or
"so & so got called & he had less time than I did" or
" I have a type & I was told having a type would get me interviewed before those without types"
& many more questions that come up.
First of all neither I (especially I) nor anyone else out there have a peek behind the curtain on why/how/what criteria is being used to call folks for the interview. I'll take a snapshot of SWA & provide some simple observations.
How many folks have been interviewed so far? For the month of March approximately 140
How many folks have been called for interviews in April? No one knows the exact number but lets assume the same number as Mar, 140
How many apps have been received since 12 Jan? A conservative estimate is 5000+ & the number is growing & expect the number to grow even further if other air carriers face troubled times.
So at this point less than 3% of all applicants who have filed with SWA have been called. What are the odds to be within that number...do the math, not high but for the lucky few it has been a whirlwind ride & one you will experience if patience is your virtue.
Venting is good, to me, to your wife (more dangerous), to your dog (less so depending on the dog & mood) or to fellow pilot buddies (we're all very use to it). Venting is not good to folks who may have an impact on your hiring potential. An occasional call to your friends to check in is good, however asking them to inquire on the behalf of a mystery applicant overloads the PD departments of any airline & leaves an impression on those who have to answer continuous inquiries.
Do you order the same thing on the menu everytime you sit down for dinner? Of course not. I would suspect the variety of applicants is unmatched in the history of the airline industry & therefore using different criteria each different sort is a wise thing but who knows...none of us do & worrying about it doesn't help.
Should I call the PD of the various carriers I'm applying to & casually inquire? My recommendation is no. If you have a legit question on the app or have a hiccup that is developing you need an answer for, give 'em a call, they'll be glad to answer. Should you encourage your other friends to call the PD & have them bully, cross-examine them on why they haven't been called...of course..great advice, improves your chances immensely!!
Seriously its like watching water boil. Don't stare at it or even spend inordinate amount of time on here reading about it unless you can do it with an emotional attachment without going into a "whoa is me" critical mass mode.
Continuinr to fly, collecting the ratings you need, building relationship are the things that will really help you. Doing the math one can see SWA has enough folks to interview continuously for 2 years without a break & more will be added to the mix all the time. Your chance will come & you can be pretty certain of it. Min time folks will be called & max time folks will be called, old, young, military, civilian but don't try to read the previous tea leaves to determine the flavor of the month....you'll only get ulcers & may hurt your chances of getting hired in the long run if impatience causes you do something you would regret later.
Feel free to PM me or chat about the subject but remember this. There are folks who are still awaiting new hire for SWA classes who have been patiently waiting for a class date for over 2.5 years. That doesn't include the time it took waiting for their app to get called for an interview.....they can tell you all about how patience pays off!! Thanks again to all of you have waited for those class dates, the time is nearing. cheers & good luck to all the hopeful interviewees. cheers & God Bless,
"so & so got called & he had an app in less time that I did" or
"so & so got called & he had less time than I did" or
" I have a type & I was told having a type would get me interviewed before those without types"
& many more questions that come up.
First of all neither I (especially I) nor anyone else out there have a peek behind the curtain on why/how/what criteria is being used to call folks for the interview. I'll take a snapshot of SWA & provide some simple observations.
How many folks have been interviewed so far? For the month of March approximately 140
How many folks have been called for interviews in April? No one knows the exact number but lets assume the same number as Mar, 140
How many apps have been received since 12 Jan? A conservative estimate is 5000+ & the number is growing & expect the number to grow even further if other air carriers face troubled times.
So at this point less than 3% of all applicants who have filed with SWA have been called. What are the odds to be within that number...do the math, not high but for the lucky few it has been a whirlwind ride & one you will experience if patience is your virtue.
Venting is good, to me, to your wife (more dangerous), to your dog (less so depending on the dog & mood) or to fellow pilot buddies (we're all very use to it). Venting is not good to folks who may have an impact on your hiring potential. An occasional call to your friends to check in is good, however asking them to inquire on the behalf of a mystery applicant overloads the PD departments of any airline & leaves an impression on those who have to answer continuous inquiries.
Do you order the same thing on the menu everytime you sit down for dinner? Of course not. I would suspect the variety of applicants is unmatched in the history of the airline industry & therefore using different criteria each different sort is a wise thing but who knows...none of us do & worrying about it doesn't help.
Should I call the PD of the various carriers I'm applying to & casually inquire? My recommendation is no. If you have a legit question on the app or have a hiccup that is developing you need an answer for, give 'em a call, they'll be glad to answer. Should you encourage your other friends to call the PD & have them bully, cross-examine them on why they haven't been called...of course..great advice, improves your chances immensely!!
Seriously its like watching water boil. Don't stare at it or even spend inordinate amount of time on here reading about it unless you can do it with an emotional attachment without going into a "whoa is me" critical mass mode.
Continuinr to fly, collecting the ratings you need, building relationship are the things that will really help you. Doing the math one can see SWA has enough folks to interview continuously for 2 years without a break & more will be added to the mix all the time. Your chance will come & you can be pretty certain of it. Min time folks will be called & max time folks will be called, old, young, military, civilian but don't try to read the previous tea leaves to determine the flavor of the month....you'll only get ulcers & may hurt your chances of getting hired in the long run if impatience causes you do something you would regret later.
Feel free to PM me or chat about the subject but remember this. There are folks who are still awaiting new hire for SWA classes who have been patiently waiting for a class date for over 2.5 years. That doesn't include the time it took waiting for their app to get called for an interview.....they can tell you all about how patience pays off!! Thanks again to all of you have waited for those class dates, the time is nearing. cheers & good luck to all the hopeful interviewees. cheers & God Bless,
