Fellow Destination 225⁰ Interviewees, Hello all, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to share my recent interview experience at Southwest HDQ for those who have yet to visit the amazing facility, pilots, and recruiters who are working prolifically to get this program in the air. However, I should preface that there was some mention that the interview process was subject to change, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. The day begins with standard procedures (i.e. getting a badge, checking in for the interview, providing letters of recommendation etcetera). After, you are introduced to Rocky Calkins who is a manager for pilot hiring of Southwest and an active spearhead for the D-225 program. In a conference room, Calkins breaks down the specifics of the program, its partners, the approximated duration of the training, your daily interview schedule, and the company’s overall enthusiasm for the initiative. Here you get some time to ask Rocky any questions or concerns about the program that have been left unanswered. After this, begins the interviews. The first thing you should know about the interviews (and more generally, the whole experience at HDQ) is that it is relaxed. This wasn’t just my experience, but the general consensus of the group of applicants I had the pleasure of interviewing alongside. That being said, there were five other applicants interviewing at the same time as I was, however, there were no group interviews. I, and each other applicant had two interviews composed of a recruiter and a pilot. The interviews were approximately 30 minutes long and the questions varied from life experiences to work scenarios and much more (all pretty standard no-real curveballs here). I cannot emphasize how low-stress these interviews were and how comfortable both the recruiters and pilots made the environment. Moreover, having the intimate group of five other candidates (who you get to know pretty well) fostered a sense of comradery, as we all rooted each other on, rather than a sense of competition. After these interviews, it is easy sailing (not that it was too rough-seas to begin with). The interviews are followed by lunch where you get the opportunity to get to know the recruiters and pilots in a more informal setting. This was a good opportunity to not only fill-up on some free food but to meet the other recruiters and pilots that other candidates were interviewed by, and simply converse and ask about their experiences while working at Southwest. The last thing you get the opportunity to do on your field day at Southwest HDQ is to explore the amazing facility. Here you get to walk around and see what is the one of the most state of the art HDQ there is. Although this isn’t a required portion of the interview process, and the pilots and recruiters are completely understanding if you have to leave early or have a flight to catch, this is something you definitely do not want to miss out on. The sim-bay is insane and they are only expanding as well. It is such a cool experience and phenomenal facility that even two of the D-225 candidates who were Southwest employees (and work at the HDQ) took the tour alongside the remaining four of us. In whole, the interview day at HDQ is nothing to sweat. Everyone is welcoming and friendly, the actual interview is relaxed, the facility is beautiful, and the overall experience is nothing short of amazing. As I mentioned, they may change up a couple of things here and there but I wouldn’t expect anything to deviate too drastically. I hope your guys’ experience is amazing as mine, and I’m hoping to see some of you in Phoenix. Tailwinds, Cole R
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