Recruiting Philosophy

When most companies are hiring, their Human Resources

professionals scour resumes in search of potential employees with the
right combination of education and skill set. Not at Southwest.
Southwest's approach to recruiting follows a philosophy they call
''hiring the right people at the right time with the right attitude.''
There's no mention of finding an employee with ''x'' number of years of
experience or someone who went to the ''right school.'' Instead,
Southwest's approach is all about finding employees who are the right
match for the company's culture.

Hire For Attitude

Southwest follows a ''Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill'' recruiting
method, spending long portions of time on the recruiting, interviewing
and hiring process. The company believes in the mantra that skill can
be taught. Southwest can train its employees to do any number of jobs,
but an employee with the wrong attitude for the company's culture will
never be a good fit. That approach isn't limited just to employees
working at ticket counters but extends to highly skilled positions such
as pilots as well. Southwest looks for traits such as teamwork and an
employee's ability to not take them so seriously in their hiring
practices.

Hiring Process
The unique recruiting process that Southwest undertakes starts as
soon as the job description for an open position, which lists
the attributes the company looking for in its employees: “a warrior
spirit, a servant’s heart and a fun-loving attitude.”
Southwest also conducts behavioral interviews to assess whether potential employees embody those
three traits. They may ask a candidate about a time they worked to help a colleague be successful. They
also ask other questions that they say help them determine whether a candidate understands the role
and the company they are applying into.

Southwest Airlines offer their employees not only the training they need to do their jobs, but also
the training they want to advance their careers. SWA provide internal training programs but also
encourage Employees to attend external training and further specialize in their respective fields.
SWA has their own university to train their all employees.
SWA is committed to and prioritize compliance with the training requirements of the appropriate
governing organizations such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Department of
Transportation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Occupational Safety & Health
Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S Food & Drug Administration.
They also offer a variety of additional training opportunities to their employees. These
opportunities for continued development include programs focused on Living and Leading the
Southwest Way.

New Hires and AirTran Employees are also invited to a LUV @ First Bite Luncheon held in the
same cities and on the same day as Leadership’s Messages to the Field. Employees hired within
the past year are invited to have lunch with fellow New Hires and network with Senior Leaders.
In 2011, SWA hosted six LUV @ First Bite Luncheons with approximately 800 attendees in
total. Commendations, an opportunity to meet with senior leaders, and prizes are just a few of the
FUN things a new hire experiences at one of these luncheons.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

SWA’s leadership development is focused on developing People, building great Teams, thinking
strategically, and being a change Leader. Leadership Development is at the heart of our business,
and we’re dedicated to cultivating terrific Leaders. In 2011, Southwest Airlines Employees
participated in more than 59,000 hours of Leadership training.

Title of Leadership
Development Courses For Whom Training Hours

Leadership Southwest Style New Supervisors Four weeks

Next- Level Leadership New Managers Two and a half day
Management Training High Potential Employees Any time
Corporate Culture Supervisors and Executives Any time
Customer Care Training All Employees Any time
If an excellent curriculum isn’t enough, each of our Leadership Development classes features
Guest Professors, Senior Leaders who have a passion for developing emerging Leaders and have
expertise in one of the Leadership expectations.