Job openings are posted around 5am & are taken down usually by 9am, when they've received the number of applicants whose resumes they can evaluate that day. When applying, if you don't answer the multiple-choice questions the way they want, you won't be considered for the position. A recruiter there actually told me to lie, just to get past the automated system's filter. After you find an open listing, apply in time & answer the questions correctly, a recruiter will call you (within about 4-7 days) for a brief phone interview with extremely basic questions. After you pass that stage, you'll be emailed, asking that you go to the company's regional People Department for a formal interview. The People Department can be 100s of miles from the airport where you'd be working, & you (the applicant) are responsible for any costs or travel incurred because of the interview. Next, you'll meet with a member of the People Department for a face-to-face interview. It's critical to be punctual, appear extremely upbeat, eager, & able to handle any challenges Southwest's customers could throw at you. It helps to remember the 3 values that Southwest prides themselves on: servant's heart, warrior spirit, & fun-loving attitude. The recruiter didn't give any indication of whether or not he would recommend I be hired. I found out later that since the background check can take about 3 weeks, they don't tell you anything until they make sure you don't have a criminal past. Roughly 3 weeks after the interview, I got a call saying I was hired. They usually hire several people at once, so that they can all train together. They'll give you one or two dates to start on. I think the first one was about a week away. I said I needed to give my other job 2 weeks notice, so I took the 2nd start date that he mentioned. I was given the impression that if neither of the dates they offered worked for me, that they would retract the job offer. After I was hired, I was told that statistically, it's easier to get accepted to Harvard University than it is to get hired by Southwest (because sooooo many people apply & don't make it).

The interview was a very casual meet and greet. Several HR employees were sitting at different tables casually asking questions to potential candidates. If the HR Rep was interested, he had you speak to another one of his colleagues. From that point, if they both gave you the thumbs up, you were drug tested and finger-printed on the spot. A job offer came within ten days of that first and only interview.