I interviewed in late 2016 and the various sections of the interview were so “casual” that it’d be easy to fall into the trap of overconfidence and make a mistake. No matter how comfortable a candidate feels, never use salty language, politically charged comments, or anything else that someone might find off putting. In other words, never assume anything about the person with whom you’re talking. A former colleague of mine washed out of the interview like 20 years ago because she got too comfortable and let loose with some r-rated jokes. End of her SWA career before it started. Always be polite and an adult your parents would be proud of, from checking into your flight to Dallas to van drivers, etc. I checked in for my flight to Dallas and the check-in agent knew I was going for a pilot interview.

Be yourself, be honest (but guarded) and be professional. Look people in the eye and thank them for the opportunity to be there. I was high time, all 121 with nearly 8000 hours 121 PIC time and I got the job. Upgraded a couple years ago and this airline was NEVER on my short list but it’s honestly been the best thing that ever happened to my career. It’s a pretty good place to work. Yes, there are faults, like everywhere. But overall it’s been pretty decent. Gonna be 9 years in February if I make it that long. Running out of time rapidly but that’s me. Good career, good saver and no dependents. Gonna give my seat to someone else soon.

As to interview prep, I did it with the Rebekkah Krone outfit. No idea if she’s still doing it. It wasn’t a canned answer thing. It was 100% training on me being the best version of myself. The LOI prep was the best part but I don’t know if that’s still part of the interview. Had anyone asked, my answer would have been simple. This was the most important interview in my career and I wanted to make certain I didn’t leave anything uncovered. I came to the interview confident and with no pressure because I was already at another 737 operator and would have been happy to time out my career there. But SWA has been better than that would have been, so I’m grateful.