If you don’t do well the first time, don’t fret. There are many train companies out there and you can always try again. Don’t forget to talk to the representatives at the testing center or job fair. They may be able to tell you where you excelled and where you need to practice. Also, understand that the test is only one piece of the puzzle. You could do reasonably well on all of the exams and still not get into a training program if you don’t meet other requirements.
The Interview
Based on your performance in the pre-employment exams, you could be invited to a one-on-one interview. This will likely happen during the same job fair in which you took the test. Therefore, you’ll want to dress your best and prepare for the interview in advance in case you get one.
One of the best ways to prepare for a job interview is by familiarizing yourself with common interview questions and practicing your responses. Train conductor interview questions can be boiled down to four main categories. Each of these categories serves a different purpose in the interview.
Situational Questions These questions focus on experiences you’ve had in the past and how you handled yourself. They are intended to give the interviewer insight into how you’ve historically managed conflict, stress, and other workplace challenges. These questions may also seek to understand times when things went poorly to better assess how you learn from past mistakes. Examples include: Tell us about a time you had to respond to an emergency.
Tell us about a team experience you found disappointing and why.
Tell us about a time when you had to handle interpersonal conflict.
Tell us about a time when someone was doing something unsafe. How did you respond?
Understanding of the Role These questions require you to display some knowledge of train conducting. In short, the interviewer wants to make sure that you know what you’re signing up for. Additionally, they want to make sure that you have an accurate understanding of the qualities and skills they are looking for. Examples include: What skills do you feel are necessary for train conductors?
What educational preparation do you feel is necessary for train conductors?
If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for?
What are the three most important attributes for a train conductor to have?
Fit Questions In other words, are you the right fit for the role and the company? No matter the job in question, applicants will all too often just try to give the answers thy think the interviewer wants to hear. They have a one-track mind and getting a yes from recruiting is all they care about. In reality, this portion of the interview benefits you as much as it does the organization. After all, you have certain needs, desires, and general preferences informing your decision to make a career change. Be honest with yourself and your interviewer about those questions to make sure that this is truly the correct fit. Playing pretend will only give the interviewer the wrong idea and set you up for a job that doesn’t really make you happy. Examples include: When are you most satisfied in your job?
Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
How do you keep yourself organized?
What do you expect from this job? Salary? Benefits?
What kinds of situations do you find most stressful and why?
Hypothetical Questions During your interview, you may face some hypothetical scenarios that you need to respond to. This is similar to the Personality / Behavioral or Safety and Common Sense tests detailed above. If you are required to take these tests, you will likely not receive any hypotheticals during the interview. Otherwise, expect a few as they help give the interviewer insight into your reasoning and problem solving skills. Examples include: If you saw someone being unsafe at work or breaking the rules, how would you handle it?
If a superior asked you do to something that was unsafe or against the rules, how would you handle it?
If there was a conflict between two passengers how would you handle it?
You might find yourself up against questions that ask you to reflect on poor experiences or past mistakes. Such questions might ask you to reflect on a time when you tried to resolve a workplace conflict and it went poorly. They might ask you to list three positive qualities that you feel you lack. And of course, there’s that most dreaded interview question asking you to identify your greatest weakness. Too often, applicants think there’s some trick to answering these questions. They try to come up with a response that is really a veiled strength or success. The truth is that interviewers can and will see right through that.
Try to think of these questions not as opportunities for you to humble brag your way through the interview. Rather, take a moment to actually reflect on the question and answer it honestly. This is especially true for those questions that ask you to reflect on failed experiences. Remember that the point is not to make a failure look like a success but to show that you can accurately identify a failure and learn from it. Employers don’t expect perfection; they look for honesty, integrity, and a willingness to grow.
Of course, this isn’t the only interview faux pas you might commit. There are a variety of things that could be looked on unfavorably by your interviewer. Pay attention to the following “don’ts” so you know what not to do.
Don’t be late. This is bad policy for any interview no matter what you’re applying for. However, it is especially bad when it comes to train conducting. After all, punctuality is one of the staples of the position.
Don’t dress down. This is especially true for those applying to passenger train conductor jobs, as they will have more stringent uniform requirements. However, you should dress in a suit no matter what type of conducting job you’re applying for. You’re likely to see other applicants in polos or even more casual dress. Their argument is that it is a physical job and doesn’t require business attire. Ignore them. An interview is always an occasion for business dress and it is always better to overdress than underdress. It tells the interviewers that you are responsible and serious about the role.
Don’t be restless or impatient. Interviews can be as short as half an hour or as long as two hours (or longer). The interview will take as long as it takes. If you behave in a restless manner, you will effectively be telling the interviewer that you don’t value that position and are unwilling to give it the attention it deserves. What’s more, flexibility and a willing to adhere to odd hours is an integral part of the role. Acting like you have other places to be suggests that you don’t have either or those qualities.
Don’t be timid. This is a tough one if you are naturally inclined to be introverted. However, the interview is your opportunity to sell yourself to the company in question. Even more important is the fact that a timid conductor will not be a successful one, whether applying to a freight or passenger train position. In either case, you are the authority on a train, no matter how many people you interact with daily. That means you need to carry yourself thusly. Act like you belong in that role and can be trusted with that responsibility.
Don’t get defensive. On the other side of being timid, there’s getting too aggressive. Interviews are stressful and it can be easy to get defensive if you feel you’re not coming across well or if the interviewer asks you a probing question that you’re not prepared for. This is always a bad thing in interviews. However, conductors are expected to be skilled at handling high stress situations and diffusing conflicts. If you can’t handle the interview, you can’t handle being a conductor.
Conditional Employment
After completing a hiring session, you will play the waiting game for a while. Eventually, if the company thinks you are a good fit, you’ll receive an email or phone call congratulating you on your employment and informing you about next steps. Sometimes this employment is called “conditional employment.” In other words, you are hired under the expectation that you will meet certain requirements.
If you have been offered conditional employment, expect to go through a series of pre-employment steps eve
n now as you wait to begin conductor training. For example, you might need to get a physical, pass a background check, and have your former employers verify your employment with them. The company assumes that you will meet these standards and therefore, tells you that, provided all of the Ts are crossed and Is are dotted, you are golden.
Setting Yourself Apart
We’ve said time and again that the only set in stone education requirement for conductors is a high school diploma or equivalent. That being said, there is always something you can do to make yourself a more appealing candidate, and we’re not just talking about the above tips on preparing for the hiring fair.
You may not need a higher education degree, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get one to really set yourself apart. Many community colleges offer degrees in subjects like Railroad Science. If you find yourself struggling to land the job you want, consider spending a couple of years going through one of these programs. It will make you look knowledgeable and serious.
You could even go all out and get a degree in something like mechanical engineering. Although if you go so far as to get a four-year degree in such a coveted area of expertise, you may find other high paying jobs in your future.
Finally, if you have the opportunity to work on trains prior to applying for a conductor position, you may find this background knowledge can help give you a boost. However, if your passion is conducting and conducting only, don’t sweat it. Plenty of applicants will be coming in just as green as you.
Chapter Sixteen: Conductor Training
If you browse corporate websites or job postings, you may notice the promise that you don’t need experience with trains to qualify for a position as a conductor because you will be thoroughly trained. As was previously stated, this is only partly true. Some train experience is valued and you may find yourself starting at the bottom and moving up. However, the later part is all true. Conductor training is extensive and comprehensive. While there you will learn about everything from basic policies and procedures to handling machinery and filling our reports.
Whether you’re just being hired into the role or you’ve worked your way from the bottom up, you’ll likely be put through some degree of conductor training. The extent of this training varies dramatically from company to company. Union Pacific promises fourteen weeks of training (roughly three months). Canadian Pacific, on the other hand, boasts training that is between four and six months. CSX Corporation promises a very wide range. They require four weeks of training at a central facility with another eight to twenty-two weeks of on the job training (roughly 2-6 months in total). Whatever your prospective employer, you can expect to be subject to a least a couple of months of straight training. In nearly all cases, this training is paid.
Sample Schedule
Although the training is somewhat varied, you can count on certain things being covered. The following is a sample schedule for a conductor training and may give you some idea of what might be in store.
You’ll spend a day or three filling out forms. Boring though it may be, it will help get you set up for compensation, pension, insurance, and more.
Training generally starts with an HR style intro to the company. You’ll likely be met with one to three days of platitudes about what the company represents and how they work to serve the public. Don’t worry, the nitty gritty stuff (and the stuff you’ll use most) is coming.
Sometime during those first weeks, you’ll meet union reps and get established in your local union chapter.
During that time, you might be measured for a uniform. However, if your training is partly used to determine aptitude and may place you as a brakeman or switchman to start, you’re not likely to get a conductor’s uniform until later.
After covering the company basics, you’ll be met with some more intense on the job training. Here you will learn the ins and outs of train conducting and related skills. You’ll likely work with some heavy machinery and will be briefed ad nauseam about safety procedures.
When you’re training is over, you’ll be given your assignment. In some cases, that may mean learning whether you are going to be a full-blown conductor right off the bat or going to start paying your dues in another role. If you entered a training program knowing you were already guaranteed a position as a conductor, you’ll learn where you’re assigned and what your shifts are.
On the job training may continue for another several months. During much of this time, you’ll not be managing trains alone but rather working with other conductors, as you learn by doing.
Homework
Maybe you thought you left homework behind when you finished high school. Think again. Conductor training isn’t like on the job training for your average office position. It is lengthy and intense, and it comes with high expectations. Your conductor training program will almost certainly have work for you to take home at the end of most days.
More often than not, this work will involve a lot of reading. However, you may sometimes be expected to take home practice quizzes or tests. If your homework does involve a lot of reading, don’t shirk it. You will certainly be quizzed and tested during your training sessions. And make no mistake; the railroad representatives training you will take them seriously. If you consistently underperform on these test, you might be asked to leave the program. Don’t let that scare you though. If you’re serious about being a conductor, you’ll want to learn the trade. That means working hard.
Other Tests
Not all of the tests you take during training will be pen and paper. Many training tests will involve physical activities. After all, it’s one thing to know the ins and outs of the job and another to be capable of performing the necessary duties. One such test is called the hang test. This is a popular test among conductor training programs but your training program may or may not include it. This test requires trainees to hold onto a steel ladder for a specified period of time (often one to two minutes) while performing another function with a free hand, usually making signals. In most cases, you will pass even if you get the signals wrong. The trainers are primarily looking to determine how physically capable you are of multitasking while holding on to a train side ladder. If you consistently fail to hold on, you will likely be asked to leave the program.
At the end of the training, you will be subject to a large cumulative exam. This test will cover everything you’ve learned about conducting and determine how prepared you are to move forward.
Chapter Seventeen: Where to Apply
Being familiar with the application process and the various demands that may be placed on you is only half of the battle. To say that there are dozens of railroad companies in the United States is to put it very mildly. In fact, there are dozens of railroad companies in the United States that start with “A” to say nothing of the rest of the alphabet. And that’s only part of the story. Canadian rail companies have lines that run through various parts of the US and many American rail workers have gone on to work for them. Basically, you’ve got your work cut out for you if you think you’re going to apply to every job under the sun. It’s time to think hard about the kind of conductor you want to be and the kind of company you want to work for.
Ask the Obvious Questions
We’ll begin by offering some guidelines for finding the right fit. The following questions should hopefully already have occurred to you, but it’s worth emphasizing the importance of knowing what you want and going after it. If you’re looking to become a conductor, then you are looking for a career change. Don’t settle now.
Passenger or Freight? Let’s start with an easy one. These jobs have some very dramatic differences. For more information on what distinguishes a passenger conductor from a freight conductor, visit the chapters on Types of Conductors and Responsibilities.
Where do you want to work? Are you only looking for work based out of your home town or city? Are you willing to travel to a new city for the right job? If so, which cities would you prefer and which are deal breakers?<
br />
What is the lowest salary you are willing to work for? While there is some consistency across the industry, different train companies may have varying salary schedules. This is especially true for smaller companies that may not be able to compete with larger ones.
Most freight companies are very similar from an employee perspective. They follow the same industry regulations and have similar contracts with local unions. Passenger companies might vary a bit more in terms of length of shifts and the number of crew members under you.
Highlighting the Biggest America Has to Offer
Obviously, we can’t do justice to every potential employer on the market. That would take an e-Book about ten times the size of this one. However,we can take a peek at the biggest companies in the United States and, therefore, the ones you are most likely to end up working for.
Amtrak
Amtrak is the public name for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, and it’s the most highly recognized passenger train company in America. Amtrak reaches not only forty-six states in the US, but also three Canadian provinces. With more than 500 destinations, it is an extensive railroad network that works hard to get people where they want to go.
Amtrak offers extensive benefits to its employees, including vacation, holidays, rail-privileges, and family and medical leave. Their health benefits cover straight health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, and more. Because they are such a large company, they are able to take care of employees in this way.
Conductor- The Heart & Soul of the Railroad Page 9
