ANGFlight81

I'll be honest, I'm a very busy person with my hands in a lot of different things. That being said, for this I took a step back, did some good prep, and relaxed. I flew out to Dallas early, had a good dinner and a good nights sleep.

I know your anxious, but I would seriously consider delaying the interview to make sure your prepared. Think about it, if you botch the interview and would have got the job by delaying it for a week; you'll hate yourself.

Just my thoughts...

UNK7

I speak from experience here. Long story short, I had same situation, plus they lost my bag with all my stuff (took it on the jetway) on my flight there. Bag showed up at 3am, and I was not prepped. Wish I would have "called in sick" for my interview. Wasted their time an mine, and now I can't seem to get back in the door. Urge you to delay your interview until you can properly prep.

Spark

While the interview is more laid back than what I've heard of the other majors, it's still no joke. They know what they're looking for.
Have dudes been successful without prep? Absolutely... Have MORE dudes been successful WITH the prep? I'd say yes.
This is a big big deal, potentially worth millions and many days off. Treat it accordingly!
Good luck!!

WienPilot

I disagree with this (no offense). I interviewed in August and did not get hired with prep. I thought the interview went great by the way; best ever.

SWA hired 0 of the civilian candidates (most if not all did prep) and instead hired 2 military guys that were not, well; prepared. Out of my peer group since late August, no civilians that have interviewed after me have gotten hired, a couple are still waiting to hear back. I heard the August class after by interview was 22/24 military.

The only civilian I know to get hired recently did not do any interview prep, but he also did not accept their offer.

I would advise if you are a civilian to not do interview prep. You already face an uphill battle at SWA without military experience, I've been told some at SWA do not look at interview prep or "polished" presentations favorably. Why spend money and time on something that the company has questioned in the past? I certainly regret my "investment".

At other airlines prep is usually a big positive, I'm not sure that is the case at SWA.

My advice is worth $0.02. Tops. Best of luck if SWA is your goal. I would treat the interview different than a typical legacy event.

Caveman

I'd like to offer my opinion after reading the above post. If it comes off as anything but humble, congenial, or professional, than I missed the mark...just want throw my thoughts out there, but be respectful of others experiences/opinions as well.

I agree with you Wein, in that if a interview candidate presents a "polished" or "formatted" image after "prep", then they failed the primary objective of Centerline's services, and they shouldn't waste their time or money.

I personally view Centerline's services more akin to a weapons instructor at a range then a "prep" service.

I know I can probably light off just about any gun ever built safely, with zero training.

But just an hour or two with a subject matter expert on the weapon and in the discipline on my intended use....and he can help me improve my skill set, enhance my margins of safety, accelerate my personal accuracy, and raise my comfort levels when operating the mechanics of the new to me weapon....especially in higher stress situations. The result? I'll be way ahead of where I would've been if I had just "trained myself".

But even after the training....there's still no 100% guarantee I can hit the mark all the time, everytime.....it just enhanced the existing potential I had pre-training.

And that's what "prep" should be...IMHO...Training.

Wein, bummer on the SWA interview If SWA gave you a call, I'd be willing to be other opportunities are in your immediate future. Best of luck to you.

ZapBrannigan

Do you have an example for civilians? Maybe making the perfect sandwich or something else less violent?

MudhammedCJ

Haha. Funny perspective considering what the last guy said about the new hires being all military. With all due respect to both of you, these two posts are full of poo. They ARE hiring civilian guys, and nobody cares about your weapons training analogy.

Prep helps guys polish their interview skills. It won't help a clown, and a good guy can still have a bad day. That said, I would agree that even if you don't do a professional prep, spend some time researching the interview gouge, and practice your answers so you can answer the questions smoothly and effectively. Your TMAAT stories should answer:
1. Situation that fits the question
2. When
3. Where (job)
4. Aircraft type involved
5. Seat position
6. What happened
7. How you (AND ALL OTHER CREWMEMBERS AND RESOURCES) solved the problem
8. What you learned or took away from the experience

Don't make or expect the interviewer to pump you for the details they need to evaluate you in the short time they have to do it. Have all of your paperwork in order and neat. Leave your darn phone off or in your car/hotel/luggage. Be friendly to everyone. Don't be negative about previous jobs even if you worked for the devil himself. Use your resources on the LOI and then make a timely decision. Don't let them cause you to second guess a reasonable decision. They might try just to see if they can.

Don't worry about being a civilian vs military. Even though this place is a kernal factory, they still hire a lot of civilians.

MaxPowers

I transitioned over from AirTran last year, at about this time.

During my 47 days in Dallas, we had a couple of newhire classes begin. Being sociable pilots who smelled free beer, we stopped by both of the Class Parties (these are held the night before the first day of class, hosted by the preceding class).

Both classes had a good mix of civilian/military. A number of guys had strictly corporate jet backgrounds. One was flying a Piaggio (turboprop). Looks like you are plenty qualified.

Best of luck, hope to see you on-line.

Caveman

Golf swing? Although mine is pretty violent!

Bennies

Ill chime in, civilian guy here and I start class next week. There are 5 people from my current company that either have interviews or have been hired recently that i know about. A lot of civilian guys getting the job. A ton of mil guys as well.

I used centerline prep and highly recommend them. My experience was just the opposite from what you would expect from prep. I came in to prep with very canned rehearsed answers. The prep session allowed me to chill out and show me it was ok to be myself and entergettic in the interview. I am naturally this way as a person so I came into the actual interview feeling a lot more relaxed knowing it was ok to really have a personality and be excited about working for Southwest. My answers came very natural in the interview because i felt relaxed enough to enjoy the process. I feel had I not have done the prep I would have been a little more tense and might not have received the CJO.

Just remember, while interviews are certainly a tense and stressful ordeal at any company, try and have fun and enjoy your day. Southwest did their best to make it a fun and enjoyable experience. Stay professional but allow yourself to enjoy the interview and have a good time.