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Trainee Train Driver, Managers interview.

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daves5

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Hi all
Last year I had a DM interview for a Trainee Train Driver. Unfortunately I did not pass. The feedback was, was that I did not give a good enough answer to the question "How do you concentrate for long periods of time on a boring task". When I answered the question, I was asked to elaborate on how I "actually" do it. To which I struggled to answer.
I have an interview next week and as much as I try I cannot come up with a good answer to a question I know is on its way.
Any advice would be fantastic.
 
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4F89

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Not comedy, it's a physical act that can help you concentrate.... which is what you asked for.
 
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daves5

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Tell me your kidding. How does opening a window or drinking a coffee help you concentrate. Help you with fatigue possibly but concentration.......
 
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Stigy

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daves5 said:
Tell me your kidding. How does opening a window or drinking a coffee help you concentrate. Help you with fatigue possibly but concentration.......
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It depends what the answer was that you gave, as to what the best detail was to include. Concentration lapses and fatigue tend to go hand in hand. If driving a car for a long journey, the best way would be to stop and take a break. That isn’t possible necessarily with train driving. However, being well rested and making sure you make the most of the breaks you do have (coffee, going for a walk etc?) will help you concentrate for the rest of your duty. Or play ‘count the roadside furniture’ on a long car drive? That can be transferred to trains ;)
 
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RustyB

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daves5 said:
Hi all
Last year I had a DM interview for a Trainee Train Driver. Unfortunately I did not pass. The feedback was, was that I did not give a good enough answer to the question "How do you concentrate for long periods of time on a boring task". When I answered the question, I was asked to elaborate on how I "actually" do it. To which I struggled to answer.
I have an interview next week and as much as I try I cannot come up with a good answer to a question I know is on its way.
Any advice would be fantastic.
Click to expand...

I had the same or a very similar question.

I said that I'd make sure in advance I was well rested and in a good frame of mind. Prior to/during the task I'd ensure I was free from any distractions. Lastly some TOCS encourage talking through what you are doing whilst doing it to stay focused. Or at least 'risk triggered commentary' when approaching red signals or junctions. Anywhere you could make a mistake..

Hope that helps!
 
train_lover

train_lover

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daves5 said:
Tell me your kidding. How does opening a window or drinking a coffee help you concentrate. Help you with fatigue possibly but concentration.......
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I'm sure British Rail had a fatigue management program that encouraged just that. A range of different ideas were put forward including saying out loud what you see (similar to what the Japanese do). Utilising windows to allow cold air into the cab etc.
 
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daves5

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Stigy said:
It depends what the answer was that you gave, as to what the best detail was to include. Concentration lapses and fatigue tend to go hand in hand. If driving a car for a long journey, the best way would be to stop and take a break. That isn’t possible necessarily with train driving. However, being well rested and making sure you make the most of the breaks you do have (coffee, going for a walk etc?) will help you concentrate for the rest of your duty. Or play ‘count the roadside furniture’ on a long car drive? That can be transferred to trains ;)
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Hi Stigy
I thought I gave what I believed to be relevant answers i.e.; Being rested, hydrated etc. It was when I was asked, "How do you specifically manage to concentrate", that I struggled.
 
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LeGrimpeur

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daves5 said:
Just that as an answer.....I think not!
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I would politely suggest that if you come onto this forum asking for help getting a job and a qualified driver is attempting to assist you, calling them a comedian and rebuffing them might not get you very far.
 
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daves5

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I do not believe he was being helpful at all. In addition to that, the further replies were far more helpful and informative. Just what I was hoping for.
I appreciate I was asking for some help but there is no way that was an answer to go to an interview with solely on its own. Qualified Drivers answer or not!
 
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baz962

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LeGrimpeur said:
I would politely suggest that if you come onto this forum asking for help getting a job and a qualified driver is attempting to assist you, calling them a comedian and rebuffing them might not get you very far.
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The poster he called s comedian isn't qualified.
 
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daves5

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LeGrimpeur said:
I would politely suggest that if you come onto this forum asking for help getting a job and a qualified driver is attempting to assist you, calling them a comedian and rebuffing them might not get you very far.
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Can I also point out that after my reply to Jimathys post I did in fact put a smiling emoji denoting the fact that I believed he was making a joke.
Unfortunately his rather passive aggressive tone in subsequent posts afterwards was not helpful.
 
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Red18

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Did the Manager ask "How do you specifically manage to concentrate?" or did he/she ask "how do you think other people would concentrate?"
Because, if it's the former then it sounds like you don't have answer and maybe that's because you don't do it.
And surely thats the whole point of the interview.
They are looking for someone who has these skills.
A good interviewer will dig deep and will be able to tell if you are giving a genuine honest answer to a question or a bs answer that someone on a forum gave you.
This is one reason the MMI interviewer will ask you to "tell me more about that" or ask "how did that make you feel" over and over again.

Maybe think of a better example to give. If you are on a long car journey how would you concentrate (without a radio)?
Opening a window as mentioned above is not a bad idea. Works for me, helps to keep me alert when tired.
How about mentally breaking the journey into smaller sections?
So if you drove from London to Edinburgh rather than think about the destination think about a point 20 miles away and make that your focus. When you reach that point pick another location 20 miles away and focus on that.
If you're driving a train with 20 stops enroute then you would do the same thing. Think ahead but in small chunks; the next junction, the next speed change, the next station stop etc.
 
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daves5

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Red18 said:
Did the Manager ask "How do you specifically manage to concentrate?" or did he/she ask "how do you think other people would concentrate?"
Because, if it's the former then it sounds like you don't have answer and maybe that's because you don't do it.
And surely thats the whole point of the interview.
They are looking for someone who has these skills.
A good interviewer will dig deep and will be able to tell if you are giving a genuine honest answer to a question or a bs answer that someone on a forum gave you.
This is one reason the MMI interviewer will ask you to "tell me more about that" or ask "how did that make you feel" over and over again.

Maybe think of a better example to give. If you are on a long car journey how would you concentrate (without a radio)?
Opening a window as mentioned above is not a bad idea. Works for me, helps to keep me alert when tired.
How about mentally breaking the journey into smaller sections?
So if you drove from London to Edinburgh rather than think about the destination think about a point 20 miles away and make that your focus. When you reach that point pick another location 20 miles away and focus on that.
If you're driving a train with 20 stops enroute then you would do the same thing. Think ahead but in small chunks; the next junction, the next speed change, the next station stop etc.
Click to expand...
Hi Red18
Yes, he seemed to want me to be very specific.
Your advice on breaking the journey into smaller sections was not one I had considered but seems logical. I guess you do these things subconsciously anyway without realising. Just need to get it across in interview situation.
Thanks
 
crebbs1

crebbs1

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Everything you do that takes time, you will get bored if you don’t break it up. If you start your working day thinking about home time, it will be a tough day.
If you start your day focusing on the next task, then the next task after that and so on, the day flies by.
Like you say, subconsciously you will do that but it’s conveying it across.
 
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Red18

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daves5 said:
Hi Red18
Yes, he seemed to want me to be very specific.
Your advice on breaking the journey into smaller sections was not one I had considered but seems logical. I guess you do these things subconsciously anyway without realising. Just need to get it across in interview situation.
Thanks
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Go with an example of when you have used one of these techniques though.
For example, If you just say "I would break a long journey into small chunks....." then the bs alarm rings.
If you say "I drove overnight to Edinburgh recently and to help me concentrate I broke the journey into small sections etc. .." sounds better.
There is a difference between giving an answer you think is the right one and giving a 'real world' example of when you have actually used a technique.
Better to try and find an example of when you have genuinely used a technique though so you can answer honestly when pressed.
I think I talked about when I spent a day doing some complicated but boring technical wiring. I explained how I planned what I was going to do beforehand so I was prepared and then how I paused periodically to check my work before re-focusing on the next section etc.. I also explained how I talked my way through the wiring saying out loud what I was doing as sort of a verbal check. This is also a recognised technique used by Train Drivers to help maintain focus. Risk Triggered Commentary.
 
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daves5

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crebbs1 said:
Everything you do that takes time, you will get bored if you don’t break it up. If you start your working day thinking about home time, it will be a tough day.
If you start your day focusing on the next task, then the next task after that and so on, the day flies by.
Like you say, subconsciously you will do that but it’s conveying it across.
Click to expand...
Red18 said:
Go with an example of when you have used one of these techniques though.
For example, If you just say "I would break a long journey into small chunks....." then the bs alarm rings.
If you say "I drove overnight to Edinburgh recently and to help me concentrate I broke the journey into small sections etc. .." sounds better.
There is a difference between giving an answer you think is the right one and giving a 'real world' example of when you have actually used a technique.
Better to try and find an example of when you have genuinely used a technique though so you can answer honestly when pressed.
I think I talked about when I spent a day doing some complicated but boring technical wiring. I explained how I planned what I was going to do beforehand so I was prepared and then how I paused periodically to check my work before re-focusing on the next section etc.. I also explained how I talked my way through the wiring saying out loud what I was doing as sort of a verbal check. This is also a recognised technique used by Train Drivers to help maintain focus. Risk Triggered Commentary.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the good advice. Apart from the dodgy start, I have found this and previous posts very helpful. Thanks to you all for your time. It's given me something to think about.
 
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C.T.P.

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daves5 said:
Hi all
Last year I had a DM interview for a Trainee Train Driver. Unfortunately I did not pass. The feedback was, was that I did not give a good enough answer to the question "How do you concentrate for long periods of time on a boring task". When I answered the question, I was asked to elaborate on how I "actually" do it. To which I struggled to answer.
I have an interview next week and as much as I try I cannot come up with a good answer to a question I know is on its way.
Any advice would be fantastic.
Click to expand...

Scratching your balls/butt/armpits, picking your nose, burping, farting etc.
 
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Lewis H

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Mgv1349 said:
Unbelievable sometimes.. I guess you have to do the training to understand people actually do recommend these things to help you concentrate lol.
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Not really, it’s being realistic. I used the examples of drinking coffee, opening windows, switching between sitting and standing, because in previous safety critical roles, these methods had proved effective ‍♂️
 
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Stigy

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Well I just said I have a nap and let nature take its course :lol:
 
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