Hey guys, like the title says I have been invited to to a hiring session by Norfolk Southern. Can you give many any ideas/tips on what to do,what not to do,attire,etc… Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
Suits for those expecting to work inside a Corperate office. “Working clothes for the weather” for everyone else.
Dont go in there telling everyone about your Trains.com accounts or other railfan related activity, you are expected to be on the Railroad’s time now and dont need those distractions.
That is how I would approach it. There are others who have been through the process that can definately steer you in the right path.
Congrats and good luck!
BE THERE EARLY…BE THERE EARLY… this is key you also dont know what a railfan is you know nothing about railroads. answer all questions in the test with common sense. there is questions like if your car can go 70mph would you drive that fast. then they ask it later if your car could go 90 mph would you drive that fast. yes for the first and no for the second. common sense go in alert ready to work dressed in good jeans ( not torn and not baggy or showing your rear end) and a good shirt not a rock concert shirt or somwthing from west coast choppers or orange county choppers nor beer shirts. have no police record and better not have many tickets. do not worry about the 200-300 people that show up in the 1st hour most will leave due to being scared. they will tell you and mean it that you will be drug tested anything in the last year will show up. dont be nervouse and think quick good answers in the interview. and think before hand about this 1 question. why do you want to work for Norfolk Southern? If you come off with i wanted a good job. you wont make it. If you say something on the lines of I want a career that the i have a chance for promotions. that I will be incharge with hard work how far i will advance that my future in this company is controlled by me.
where are you trying to hire on at?
Think before hand about this 1 question. why do you want to work for Norfolk Southern?
That’s a good question anyway, why in the heck WOULD anyone want to work for NS?!?!?!? Much better pay out there, but a bunch of BS no matter which road you make it on with. Either way, best of luck to you in your search.
When I first hired on, I got a valuable piece of advice that I should have heeded: There’s the door, now RUN!
Be smarter than I was…
Everyone thanks for the good advice, I’ll keep these things in mind.
Check pms.
know of a gal that ocassionally appears here on the forums. she likes her job.if you get on the former nyc line through nw ohio you might see me at work too.
stay safe
joe
Show up late. Wear a basket ball jersey with pants hanging off your butt. Also talk while someone else is standing at the front of the room talking about the job requirements. I’m not being smart here I attended a couple of those sessions and whitnessed this first hand. Oh yea these same ones also got interviewed. Seriously, don’t be like these folks, just be casual and professional. Good luck too.
Here’s exactly what to expect when you walk in the door. The first 30-60 minutes will be spent on listening to the HR rep telling you about how great NS is, and that they’re a Fortune 500 Company who has won the Harriman Award for 15+ years in a row. (I’ve been to so many of these stupid hiring sessions, I’ve got the speech memorized, as all of the reps use the same one…I try not to laugh at it too much) You’ll get a break after all of this BS, then it’s time to sit down and take some wonderful aptitude tests. Again, I’ve been to so many of these things with this bunch that I’ve also practically memorized these tests as well. If you play dumb and ignorant (which is all they seem to hire down here in this area nowadays), you’ll move on to the interview. They basically ask if you know what your getting into, and reiterate the stress and lifestyle change you’ll be making if you get the job. And make sure you remember the phrase “lifestyle change.” Your HR rep will use it at least 50 times over the course of 4-5 hours. (along with the “Harriman Award”) All I know is that I’ve wasted several hours of life away that I’ll never get back trying to get hired by NS!
All this aside, good luck with the interview. Maybe you can succeed in getting hired, and add some intelligence to the upper management ranks one day!
Why is it, when someone posts one of these threads regarding interviewing with, getting hired by, or working for the railroads, there seems to be alot of negativity in the replies. Those of us who understand, know that railroading is tough work, and the railroads can be a beast to work for, but then, so can any company. How about balancing with some positives? Every job has something to like about it. At my last job, I didn’t like the people I worked for, and the job (9-1-1 Operator in the ghetto) had it’s bad times, but, I did like the people I worked with, and we had a great time on our shift, despite the crap that went on.
I know that, as a railroader, one has to be able to do extremely physical work, it’s reality, and perhaps switching out cars when the snow is blowing and it’s -10 degrees is no picnic, but certainly there are aspects to the job that are likeable, right? It’s one thing to educate a person interested in working for the railroad in the realities of the job… the long hours, the lifetyle change, heavy, physical work performed out doors at all times in all weather, the 24/7 on call, and going to work when called, regardless of the time of day. That’s a fair thing to do, to sugarcoat it, wouldn’t be fair, or right. But, sometimes, just as an objective observer, the complaints and negativity from some is a turn off. Is any job perfect? No… but, every occupation has something to like about it, else we wouldn’t be doing it. Railroading is one of those jobs, along with construction, firefighting, law enforcement and 9-1-1 that you have to want to do, most people, in my experience, got into those lines of work because they had a desire, perhaps a passion for it. Many people get into those jobs because there is something they very much enjoy about it. For me, as a 9-1-1 Operator, even though the shift was a rough
[quote user=“TimChgo9”]
Why is it, when someone posts one of these threads regarding interviewing with, getting hired by, or working for the railroads, there seems to be alot of negativity in the replies. Those of us who understand, know that railroading is tough work, and the railroads can be a beast to work for, but then, so can any company. How about balancing with some positives? Every job has something to like about it. At my last job, I didn’t like the people I worked for, and the job (9-1-1 Operator in the ghetto) had it’s bad times, but, I did like the people I worked with, and we had a great time on our shift, despite the crap that went on.
I know that, as a railroader, one has to be able to do extremely physical work, it’s reality, and perhaps switching out cars when the snow is blowing and it’s -10 degrees is no picnic, but certainly there are aspects to the job that are likeable, right? It’s one thing to educate a person interested in working for the railroad in the realities of the job… the long hours, the lifetyle change, heavy, physical work performed out doors at all times in all weather, the 24/7 on call, and going to work when called, regardless of the time of day. That’s a fair thing to do, to sugarcoat it, wouldn’t be fair, or right. But, sometimes, just as an objective observer, the complaints and negativity from some is a turn off. Is any job perfect? No… but, every occupation has something to like about it, else we wouldn’t be doing it. Railroading is one of those jobs, along with construction, firefighting, law enforcement and 9-1-1 that you have to want to do, most people, in my experience, got into those lines of work because they had a desire, perhaps a passion for it. Many people get into those jobs because there is something they very much enjoy about it. For me, as a 9-1-1 Operator, even thou
I work out of doors making decisions within the mission objective for the day. That alone is so worth the job itself. Not cooped up inside a cubicle experiencing stress, job strain and being second guessed or negatively overturned until it becomes very stressful just choosing if one should get a doughnut or not during the first break.
People die miserably and just the idea that one person is ill or sick and coughs it up inside that building, I dont want it. They can keep thier sniffles. And use wages to get a flu shot! Those things are only 10 bucks.
Anyhow.
I wanted to point out that Baggy Pants showing Heinys and underware is totally unacceptable. To see one employee like that totally requires that person to be sent home for the day with no pay until he or she obeys the dress code.
To see a railroad employee wearing baggy paints makes me totally not think of the company as a professional operation running commerce in a respectable manner. In fact people who choose to wear that loose and trashy clothing only tells me that they are not worthy of self respect, pose a danger (May be a fire arm hidden under that bulge) etc. I dont bother with these individuals for one moment. They get sent home and not by me neither. There are three bosses above me and the first one that sees it will roar and rip up that person’s day time card.
Go dressed nice,not work clothes.I wore a three piece suit when I hired on in 1991,it shows self respect and respect to the interviewer.
Most certainly go early.
Don’t fret when they say your weekends are all but gone.Remember your starting out new and are expected to give up things for a good job,such as weekends,holidays,etc.Senority will give you these things back in due time.
Also remember that the r.r. is a 24/7 operation and thats the way you’ll fill for the first few years like you’ve workeed 24/7.
Don’t tell them you can’t start right away,because that’s what they will ask you.More than likely it will take some time after the interview to start working after they pick people.
And only answer the qustions that they ask.Don’t alert them to something that they wasn’t going to ask.
Go to bed early to look sharp.
Goodluck !
Oh yes… one other thing.
Build a room with a phone, comfy bed and light proof windows. If you are going forth to drive a choo choo you need to be asleep whatever the law says for you to sleep ready to move as soon as your feet hits that cold floor.
I recall a cab rule in trucking that once you went into the sleeper and closed the light barriers, no one is to bother you. Not the family, not the co driver, not the policeman … no body.
Until you can find and maintain safe haven for nothing but sleep you will never truly rest at home.
Dont worry, that phone will ring soon enough.
Also one other thing. I dont know railroad men very well but when you are off duty until… 4 am the next day… you wait until 4 am. If the railroad calls you at… 2 am. Say you are still off duty and need to report this break of your required rest time.
You aint going to be happy being constantly interrupted in life by the needs of the Railroad. Keep in mind you are serving the United States and we cannot do things without railroad men who are willing to serve when it is 50 minus zero outside and the train is broke in two 200 miles away without a crew.
I cannot say enough “DONT VOLUNTEER INFORMATION.!” Keep that mouth shut as soon you finish answering a question. Or you might literally talk yourself out of work.