Southwest Airlines NoLimits Internship

Welcome to Southwest’s NoLimits Internship program!  Interns at Southwest will not only get hands-on business experience in their particular field, they will also get to experience the Fun-LUVing Culture that makes Southwest Airlines home to some of the most highly sought after internships year after year.

Internships are offered in the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters for fulltime college students. Participating departments may vary by semester, but all internships are based at our Headquarters in Dallas, Texas.  All positions are paid and include space available travel. An internship with Southwest is more than just a job--it’s an opportunity of a lifetime!

Internship opportunities vary by semester, and may include (but are not limited to) the following areas of study:
Accounting, Advertising, Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering, Architecture, Aviation related fields, Business, Communications, Community Relations, Computer Science, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate/Mass Communications, Economics, Emergency Response, English, Finance, Financial Planning, Graphic Design, Human Resource Management, IT, Journalism, Learning Technology, Management Information Systems, Management Science, Marketing, Mathematics, Meteorology, Occupational Safety, Procurement, Public Relations, Quantitative Sciences, Statistics, Supply Chain Management, Training Development

This is not a complete list, so check our job postings for more details!

Be sure and check out our NoLimits brochure for more information about our internship program.

Summer and Fall 2013 Internships: The application period for both our Summer and Fall 2013 Internships has closed.  All applicants must apply on our web site during the application period. 

Summer 2013 Intern Dates:  May 20th - August 9th

Fall 2013 Intern Dates: September 9th - December 13th

Our Team is in the process of reviewing resumes for our Fall 2013 Internships and we ask your patience while we make our selections and schedule interviews.  This process may take some time due to the volume of resumes that we receive.  Those who applied from February - April for our Fall 2013 Internships will receive commmunication either via phone or email about each position he/she applied for.  We hope to have all communication out no later than early August 2013.

Campus Visits: For info about our upcoming campus visits, please check out our Facebook page.

Applicants must be fulltime college students as defined by your university (or taking the last of your required classes to graduate) to be eligible for our internships. Most of the positions also require that students are classified at a minimum of junior level (60+ hours), although some positions also allow sophomores to apply.  Graduate students who are fulltime (as designated by your school) are also eligible for most of the internships, but please check the specific job descriptions for requirements.

Recent college graduates are eligible only for the semester immediately following graduation.  (May graduates are eligible for Summer Internships; August graduates are eligible for Fall Internships; December graduates are eligible for Spring Internships.)  If you have already graduated and are no longer eligible for our internships, please check southwest.com/careers  for fulltime opportunities.

All students must apply at southwest.com/careers/internships during the application period, which is usually six months before the start of the internship. A resume is all that is needed at the time you apply, but you may be contacted for additional information in the future. 
Please see our Resume Tips section for resume formatting requirements.

Please check our Job Listings for more information as dates can change. Please visit our Career Site FAQs for a list of supported web browsers before you apply.

What happens after you apply? We receive thousands of resumes each semester, so please be patient while we make our decision. If you are selected from the resume review, a Recruiter will contact you for a phone interview.  The next step is an interview at our Headquarters in Dallas. For this interview you will need your college transcripts, your “Why Southwest” essay, and two letters of recommendation. After an in-person interview, you will hear back if you were selected for the internship or not within two to three weeks. The whole selection process can take several months from the time you apply, but all applicants will be contacted either via phone or email once decisions have been made.

Here are a couple of things we look for in our candidates:

• A Warrior Spirit, a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude!
• Commitment to Customer Service
• Excellent communication skills
• Sense of humor
• Self-motivation and energetic personality
• Team-oriented quality
• Flexibility to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Ability to work well alone or with others

Living the Southwest Way means having a Warrior Spirit, a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude!  For a college student, a Warrior Spirit means having a strong GPA, prior work experience, involvement in clubs and organizations related to your major, and Leadership experience.   A Servant’s Heart is displayed through your involvement in volunteer work and community events and in putting others before yourself.  A Fun-LUVing attitude means not taking yourself too seriously, and having FUN even when you’re working hard!

Applicants must also meet the eligibility requirements listed on the “Who is Eligible” tab above.  Please see the individual job descriptions for specific requirements.

Types of Resumes Accepted:

At this time, our application system only accepts resumes in text format (.txt), and will not accept resumes saved as a Word document or PDF. 

Please visit our Career Site FAQs for a list of supported web browsers before you apply.

If you receive an error message when uploading your resume as a Word document, please “save as” and select “plain text” (.txt) to convert it to text format.  Please keep in mind, it is the content and not the look that is important. 

Tips on perfecting your resume for Southwest Internships:

• Keep it to one page when possible.
• Be sure to list your name, phone number, email address, and anticipated graduation date clearly at the top of your resume, as well as your cumulative GPA.
• Limit information from high school and don’t include excessive information that’s not current or relevant.
• Proofread and ask a friend, teacher, or career counselor to review your resume.  Don’t rely only on spell check!
• Be sure to highlight your strengths and skills, and give specific examples of when you’ve used them.
• Show experience or relevant coursework on your resume so that it’s in line with the position for which you’re applying.

Are you nervous about your phone interview or in-person interview? Relax and read over these tips from our Recruiters:

• Save a copy of the job description when you apply, and review it before the interview.
• Practice. Practice. Practice.  Come to the interview prepared.
• Be concise with your answers and avoid rambling. Don't be afraid of silence while the Recruiter is writing some notes.
• Give specific examples of your work experience and skills.
• Be yourself, don’t be afraid to let your personality show.
• Do your research. Be knowledgeable about Southwest and the position for which you're applying.

Want more advice?  Check out our blog!

The Freedom to Fly 
All Southwest Interns are eligible for free, unlimited space-available travel to anywhere that Southwest flies. All travel is subject to seat availability, so flexibility is important.

Have FUN, Get Paid 
Not only do you get to have
FUN and enjoy your work, you get paid as well! The payment amount will depend on the particular internship and requirements.

Career Development
Interns can attend Career Development classes and events during the work day that will help you develop the skills that you need in order to succeed in the professional world. Events include:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator- Interns learn about psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.

Career Day-This workshop prepares Interns for applying and interviewing for fulltime positions.

Days in the Field-Take a closer look at other departments around our Headquarters to explore career opportunities outside your assigned internship area.

LUV Where You Work
If you’re not already excited about what Southwest has to offer, we’ve got a couple more reasons why Southwest is a great place to Intern. We have a casual dress code, and we also host a variety of FUN Culture activities that allow you to meet and mingle with other Interns and Employees.  

During the Spring 2013 semester we are hosting over 65 Interns from 42 different universities and from 23 different states. These Interns were selected from over 6,800 resumes, so it’s definitely a competitive program! 


Here’s what others have to say about Southwest and our Internships:

Top 10 Internships in America
Vault.com, Jan 2010

Top 5 Best Internships
InternshipKing.com

Ranked #3 on list of Best College Internship Programs
CampusGrotto, Mar 2009

Named one of the Top 100 IDEAL™ Employers among MBAs
American MBA Survey, Universum

Southwest Airlines ranked fourth on Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Company list and is the highest ranking commercial airline.  March 2011

Southwest Airlines was featured in J.D. Powers list of 2011 Customer Service Champions.  February 2011