At Southwest Airlines,”Our people are our single greatest strength and most enduring long term competitive advantage.” says Gary Kelly, CEO Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines was incorporated in Texas and commenced Customer Service on June 18, 1971, with three Boeing 737 aircraft serving three Texas cities: Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. Today, Southwest operates more than 550 Boeing 737 aircraft among 73 cities. Southwest topped the monthly domestic originating passenger rankings for the first time in May 2003. Yearend results for 2011 marked Southwest’s 39th consecutive year of profitability. Southwest became a major airline in 1989 when it exceeded the billion-dollar revenue mark. Southwest is the United States’ most successful low fare, high-frequency, point-to-point carrier. Southwest operates more than 3,200 flights a day coast to coast, and is the largest U.S. carrier based on domestic passengers boarded as of March 31, 2011, as measured by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

After reading the case study scenario, conduct independent research to help support your paper. Describe the assessment processes used. Then in a 2 – 3 page paper address the following:

• Provide an overview of the hiring process at Southwest
• What can you learn from Southwest Air?
  • Do they really value their team?
  • Is it difficult to obtain a job there?
  • Do they practice what they preach?
• Describe what assessment methods they use
• Your conclusion on the importance of assessment
• Be sure to use APA style with at least two sources cited