Hello there and thank you for taking the time to read this as it will be very long!
So here is the short of it: My recruiter Andrea Taylor for the Oakland Airport has been nothing if not exceptional/exemplary/spectacular, pick one or all and it still doesn't come close to my opinion of Andrea.
To those who want the full story, I offer it now. It all starts back around roughly September 18th 2023. I was finishing up a long term project with my current employer and decided that it was time to move on and find a company that can be the place where I place where I ideally retire from.
After some time scouring job boards I happened upon a job post for Ramp Supervisor in Oakland at SWA. I did some diving in to the company past my surface knowledge and it seemed like a fantastic place to potentially work. So with a lack of aviation experience but an abundance of leadership and personality I took a shot and applied. A bit of time later Andrea reached out to me to fill out a questionnaire and eventually schedule a virtual interview.
I interviewed I took the interview and answered the questions asked, standard practice. When it came time for me to ask questions, I had them and I didn't think they were easy ones to respond to. The answers received impressed me and we ended the interview.
I felt as if I absolutely CRUSHED the interview and was optimistic about my chances. One week went by and I got a response (the exact day she told me I would mind you) and I did not get the offer which just kind of shook me but, hey, that's life move on.
Here is where everything changes.
I send out my response E-Mail to her directly not the automated E-mail and I just thanked her for their time and their consideration of me for the role and to ask if they had any feedback for me so I may better myself for any future roles I apply for elsewhere. I wasn't expecting a response as I never received one before but as it turns out Andrea did respond to me. She walked me through that they all felt my interview was fantastic but in the end the went with someone who had more aviation experience. Well, I can't fault them for that. The email concluded with something else though she told me that she highly encourages me to apply for stuff in the future and that more will open in the coming weeks.
This blew me away. I never actually received feedback before let alone be asked to apply again for something they think I'm more qualified for. I went from thinking it would be a good job to thinking this is the company I want to dedicate the remainder of my working career from.
We exchange emails back and forth over time when she responds and tells me that she just posted a Provisions Supervisor role that I should apply for, which I did. I ended up getting the interview and the process was very similar. I again felt I crushed the interview but I knew better than to get my hopes up. Unfortunately I didn't get it again and my feedback request came back with similar results. She said I might be a good fit for corporate work instead of ops and we would discuss. At this point I was determined.
I started looking in to aviation jobs and where to learn the industry this led me AMT work and A&P certifications. It seems that AMT is in high demand I see job postings for the position constantly. I love working with my hands and physical work so I enrolled in some online classes with the end goal of getting that certificate/A.S. in two years. I emailed Andrea to inform her that this is the company I want to work for and this is my plan to do it. I also applied for an entry level ramp agent role to get my foot in the door while I go to school and I'll just work my way up like I always do. She was all on board and told me that it sounds like a good idea.
I never heard back for the ramp agent job as the post just closed last week. Then I got a voicemail Andrea left me today asking me to call her back. When I did she asked if I heard about the Ramp Agent job which I told her no. She explained to me that they had some long discussions and it was determined that there was a need for another provisions supervisor and that I was their number two pick and if I'm still interested that they decided to extend an offer to me.
Im absolutely floored the amount of time, effort, and empathy she has shown me. She has indulged every E-Mail and every question I asked her. It's been 4 months (!) since I first got in contact with her and she never once gave up on me.
Southwest airlines has earned my respect, ongoing business and now my labor for the foreseeable future because of this recruiter. If SWA puts in even 1/10 of the care and support to their workers as she does candidates then I'll be the happiest person for the rest of my working time.
Don't lose her.
Thank you Andrea
