Originally Posted by barabek

What everyone is saying is correct. You don't need a single recommendation letter to get an interview. Nobody looks at them until after interview. I specifically asked. I also never had a single rec letter uploaded before I was selected for my interview. Then, after I got invited, all I did was I downloaded 3 letters on pilot credentials and brought the printouts of the same 3 letters to the interview. None were internal. I didn't know any SWA pilots back then and still got the job without any internal recs. All 3 people who wrote the rec letters were called after my interview during the background check process. I've also recommended myself a handful of pilots in the last couple of years through the internal process. Several of them failed the interview, and I'm sure nobody at SWA had even seen my rec letters. Simply, you have to pass the interview to trigger the background check process. For those who passed, I got a call to verify their credibility. Simply said, you can get a rec letter from Herb himself and it won't help you get pulled. There were times pilots here were hired mostly through connections and personal recommendations. People were "walked in" to the CP office, whole squadrons were hired that way. Those times are long gone, I only heard the stories. I guess the company wanted to end this practice. I'm personally glad it's done that way, I wouldn't be here otherwise.