Northern Rail vacancies

C J Snarzell · 19 Apr 2019

Hi there

I'm still quite new to this forum.

Does anyone know the time scale Northern Rail take to get back to you after submitting a job application?

I recently applied for one of the apprenticeships which I note are still advertised and have been on their vacancy board now for several weeks.

Quite a few other jobs seem to come and go off their vacancy board quite quickly such as the trainee driver roles which I assume are very popular and recieve many applicants. I believe they can get over 100 applicants for the trainee train driver jobs as they are extremely sought after.

I've noted Northern Rail are recruiting a conductor to work out of Manchester Victoria which seems like a good opportunity. The vacancy only appeared on Wednesday. I spoke to a former police colleague a couple of weeks ago who worked as a PCSO for many years and he now works as a conductor for Northern. He said the conductor role is probably one of the best jobs to go for. I think he is aiming to become a driver in the future but he said being a conductor is a great way of building up experience and certainly one that will establish yourself with the bosses and the recruitment people.

Anyone got any views on this? I'd appreciate some advice and tips.

C J

RailUK Forums

Stigy · 19 Apr 2019

C J Snarzell said:
I've noted Northern Rail are recruiting a conductor to work out of Manchester Victoria which seems like a good opportunity. The vacancy only appeared on Wednesday. I spoke to a former police colleague a couple of weeks ago who worked as a PCSO for many years and he now works as a conductor for Northern. He said the conductor role is probably one of the best jobs to go for. I think he is aiming to become a driver in the future but he said being a conductor is a great way of building up experience and certainly one that will establish yourself with the bosses and the recruitment people.

Anyone got any views on this? I'd appreciate some advice and tips.

C J

I can’t answer your first question but I’m sure others will be able to help.

Regarding the conductor role; I’ve never been a conductor but have worked on the railway for 12 years. I agree it’s a good way to gain the experiences needed to become a driver, as the two roles aren’t a million miles apart. For example, both rely on your ability to follow rules and procedures, and both are safety critical roles. Being a conductor or guard first will also help no end with the recruitment process for driver, especially when the time comes to attend the MMI and DMI interviews as you’ll be able to easily relate a lot of the questions to the role of conductor or guard.

C J Snarzell · 30 Apr 2019

Just regarding this thread - I applied for the trainee conductor post at Manchester Victoria recently but dipped the paper sift. I was e-mailed by Northern in just a few days to let me know I had been unsuccessful. The post has now been removed from the vacancy board so I'm assuming Northern have received more than enough applications.

I applied for one of the apprenticeships also advertised about four weeks ago but still not had any sort of update from Northern. All the apprenticeship posts are still on the vacancy board and have been on there now since late Feb/early March. Does anyone have any idea about timescales for these or whether or not I should chase it up with them?

Seems odd I would dip the conductor post in a short time frame but not hear back about one of the apprenticeships.

C J

Aivilo · 30 Apr 2019

I believe the apprentice applications are being looked at case by case where as there is some automation for conductor/driver.

The railway recruitment process is lengthy at times and I advise every one to remain patient and allow the team to sift through the 1000s of applications they receive

Cyclist · 1 May 2019

It took Northern 4 months to decline one of my Driver job applications.

Saxon79 · 1 May 2019

I applied for Driver Jobs back in December and both say application in process. I also applied for the conductor role and that says application in process. Northern certainly are slow. Even slower than the Prison Service and they where slow.

Class-jnr · 1 May 2019

I received an email late last night says they apologies about the wait and it can take up to two weeks!

Saxon79 · 1 May 2019

Class-jnr said:
I received an email late last night says they apologies about the wait and it can take up to two weeks!

It takes longer than that. I had an email saying 2-4 weeks and it's been way longer than that.

RBSN · 1 May 2019

C J Snarzell said:
Hi there

I'm still quite new to this forum.

Does anyone know the time scale Northern Rail take to get back to you after submitting a job application?

I recently applied for one of the apprenticeships which I note are still advertised and have been on their vacancy board now for several weeks.

Quite a few other jobs seem to come and go off their vacancy board quite quickly such as the trainee driver roles which I assume are very popular and recieve many applicants. I believe they can get over 100 applicants for the trainee train driver jobs as they are extremely sought after.

I've noted Northern Rail are recruiting a conductor to work out of Manchester Victoria which seems like a good opportunity. The vacancy only appeared on Wednesday. I spoke to a former police colleague a couple of weeks ago who worked as a PCSO for many years and he now works as a conductor for Northern. He said the conductor role is probably one of the best jobs to go for. I think he is aiming to become a driver in the future but he said being a conductor is a great way of building up experience and certainly one that will establish yourself with the bosses and the recruitment people.

Anyone got any views on this? I'd appreciate some advice and tips.

C J

Hi C J,

If you do get to the interview stages be aware that ‘Northern Rail’ ended in 2016. They will want to you know a little about the company on your interview - ‘Northern’ is the current brand-franchise, not ‘Northern Rail’

May seem like I’m being picky but remember there will be many applicants going for the same role and they do point-score at the interview stages.

In regards to waiting time; it can take months.

Good luck

Saxon79 · 18 May 2019

So I checked one of my applications and it now says end of process. I have had no emails saying I have been unsuccessful. Should I assume that I have been unsuccessful?

C J Snarzell · 19 May 2019

I dipped two applications for Northern in April but I did receive an e-mail from them on both occasions that turned up in my junk folder.

It's always worth just regularly checking your spam or junk folder as I've applied to Virgin Trains too and their e-mails pop up in my junk as well!!!

Kimbob · 2 Jul 2019

Hi All,
i have applied for a drivers job with northern, i have been invited to an interview unfortunately i am on holiday the day of the interview.
i have emailed to reschedule at there convenience also contacted DTM who advised it is not a problem for me to speak to HR (which i have done) to let them know who i have spoke to and as it is only me i may be informed at short notice.
currently i am a conductor so am aware the roles are similar just having an issue with scenarios and how to word them any help would be greatly received.

thanks in advance

Grae · 2 Jul 2019

Hi kimbob ,
I’ve gone through the process with Northern this year and been successful , just awaiting a training course , all I can advise is try to structure your answers using the STAR method
Situation
Task
Actions
Result
Give as much information as you can , don’t rush , and don’t be afraid to go back to a question , the scenarios are your time to shine , and also don’t forget to research what’s going on in the company , who’s who , etc ,
Get through this part then just the psychometrics to start on ,
I to am a conductor

ST · 2 Jul 2019

Hi Kimbob,

Did you receive an End of Process notification on your online account and then were invited to interview or does it say something else on your online account? This might help with some questions on the other thread around Northern.

Thanks in advance.

Kimbob · 18 Jul 2019

Grae said:
Hi kimbob ,
I’ve gone through the process with Northern this year and been successful , just awaiting a training course , all I can advise is try to structure your answers using the STAR method
Situation
Task
Actions
Result
Give as much information as you can , don’t rush , and don’t be afraid to go back to a question , the scenarios are your time to shine , and also don’t forget to research what’s going on in the company , who’s who , etc ,
Get through this part then just the psychometrics to start on ,
I to am a conductor

Thank you Grae
Still waiting for the interview date as I'm on annual leave but great advice I can only try my best

Kimbob · 18 Jul 2019

Sharetrades said:
Hi Kimbob,

Did you receive an End of Process notification on your online account and then were invited to interview or does it say something else on your online account? This might help with some questions on the other thread around Northern.

Thanks in advance.

Share trades
I received an email saying it will be another 2 weeks before a reply I logged on after 2 weeks and it says assessment later that day I receivedan email saying I was successful for an interview unfortunately I was away on holiday and I'm on my second week of annual leave I spoke to our DTM who said it's not a problem to re-arrange but maybe short notice

ST · 5 Aug 2019

That makes sense, I had heard the vacancy had gone internal. Any developments?

tommo1097 · 11 Aug 2019

Stigy said:
I can’t answer your first question but I’m sure others will be able to help.

Regarding the conductor role; I’ve never been a conductor but have worked on the railway for 12 years. I agree it’s a good way to gain the experiences needed to become a driver, as the two roles aren’t a million miles apart. For example, both rely on your ability to follow rules and procedures, and both are safety critical roles. Being a conductor or guard first will also help no end with the recruitment process for driver, especially when the time comes to attend the MMI and DMI interviews as you’ll be able to easily relate a lot of the questions to the role of conductor or guard.

Sorry, but conductor and driver roles are miles apart.

Stigy · 11 Aug 2019

tommo1097 said:
Sorry, but conductor and driver roles are miles apart.

In terms of competencies at interview stage they’re not.

tommo1097 · 11 Aug 2019

Stigy said:
In terms of competencies at interview stage they’re not.

And drivers rules requirements during every eventuality and also during the job itself to control the train, speeds, slippy season, braking, stations stops patterns.

Stigy · 11 Aug 2019

tommo1097 said:
And drivers rules requirements during every eventuality and also during the job itself to control the train, speeds, slippy season, braking, stations stops patterns.

I’m not saying one can compare the two roles identically. However, for the benefit of interview competencies (all non-technical), they’re similar.

Kimbob · 21 Aug 2019

Sharetrades said:
That makes sense, I had heard the vacancy had gone internal. Any developments?

No I had an interview 6th August not heard the outcome yet

C J Snarzell · 22 Aug 2019

Kimbob

If I was you I would be chasing up your interview outcome. It's a little bit unfair to make people wait more than two weeks!!!

I've sadly dipped two interviews in the last few months. The first one I was told the bad news two days later and the second interview took place on a Monday and I received the dreaded email on the Friday.

I went through a range of emotions during the waiting period including anxiety and restlessness. I built myself up for the first one and it felt like a blow when I was told I had been unsuccessful. The second one also came as a blow but I had actually already convinced myself I hadn't got the job anyway which I was able to bounce back from really quickly.

The point I'm making is that no one should really have to wait so long after an interview because of the added stress it puts you through.

I would ring the HR people for an update about this.

C J

ST · 22 Aug 2019

Kimbob said:
No I had an interview 6th August not heard the outcome yet

Good luck

Aivilo · 22 Aug 2019

If an interview stresses you out then any safety critical role isn't for you.

It's very normal and well documented how long the recruitment process is on the railways.

Kimbob It's been just over two weeks my friend don't go chasing anyone just yet. I wish you the very best of luck with the outcome

Louby · 22 Aug 2019

there's the real world and the railway, very far apart , 1 week in real world is 6 in railway world!

Lee0901 · 22 Aug 2019

Kimbob said:
No I had an interview 6th August not heard the outcome yet

Hi Kimbob
I had driver interview in January and despite sending numerous emails to HR I didn't get an answer until May. As long as it says 'application in process' on DB site then I reckon you'll be ok. It is annoying being left in limbo, but its worth the wait I start end of September.

Kimbob · 22 Aug 2019

C J Snarzell said:
Kimbob

If I was you I would be chasing up your interview outcome. It's a little bit unfair to make people wait more than two weeks!!!

I've sadly dipped two interviews in the last few months. The first one I was told the bad news two days later and the second interview took place on a Monday and I received the dreaded email on the Friday.

I went through a range of emotions during the waiting period including anxiety and restlessness. I built myself up for the first one and it felt like a blow when I was told I had been unsuccessful. The second one also came as a blow but I had actually already convinced myself I hadn't got the job anyway which I was able to bounce back from really quickly.

The point I'm making is that no one should really have to wait so long after an interview because of the added stress it puts you through.

I would ring the HR people for an update about this.

C J

I have rang twice 1st time the one dealing with the replys was off I phoned again a few days later and gave HR my phone number still nothing also I emailed earlier and still waiting on a reply

Kimbob · 22 Aug 2019

My online application still says assessment

Kimbob · 22 Aug 2019

Aivilo said:
If an interview stresses you out then any safety critical role isn't for you.

It's very normal and well documented how long the recruitment process is on the railways.

Kimbob It's been just over two weeks my friend don't go chasing anyone just yet. I wish you the very best of luck with the outcome

Thank you

Northern Rail vacancies

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