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Time off for assessments
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Supertrains19
Member
If your an internal candidate then most allow time off if the same TOC if your going to a different TOC then hopefully it falls on a rest day or you take it as holiday and if external then again hopefully a day off or holiday.
Supertrains19
Member
It’s difficult because often railway recruitment is very slow especially between assessments and interviews, and sometimes very little notice so it can be very difficult, in my case I was lucky they fell on rest days and late turns but I have to say some I pushed it to the wire to get into work on time with no one the wiser.
It's hard I knew recruitment would start again in 2020 I wasnt expecting this soon. I work for a small family run company so its noticed when I phone in sick etc and it's so out of character for me. I've email recruitment, just hope the understand and let me put it off until my holiday rolls round. I hate a missed opportunity but I dont want to be under any unnecessary pressure when undertaking any assessment.
C J Snarzell
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I went to a few TOC interviews and assessments last year. It's a case of running the gauntlet with your present employers - I tended to get away with the odd days leave and on one occasion I attended an interview in the morning and got into work for a afternoon shift starting at 2pm.
I honestly believe that if you make the effort it will count in your favour. I've actually been to two assessment days in the last 12 months where candidates have not shown up. It beggers belief that someone would apply for something and not see it through when they get through the first couple of stages in the recruitment process!!!
CJ
I honestly believe that if you make the effort it will count in your favour. I've actually been to two assessment days in the last 12 months where candidates have not shown up. It beggers belief that someone would apply for something and not see it through when they get through the first couple of stages in the recruitment process!!!
CJ
Umm the only really option I have is to phone in sick, then I'm there under false pretences. Some people probably wouldn't even bat an eye lid, but it just doesn't sit right with me.
CloudDriver
Member
Its a difficult one, personally I think employers should show more consideration when it comes to short notice interviews or interviews in general. They would not want one of their own employees to act the same way.
Employers whos recruitment process is spread out over many days should absolutely show more consideration, they are the worst!
Its just life I suppose and ultimately it comes down to you- go for it and take a few sick days or remain where you are.
Employers whos recruitment process is spread out over many days should absolutely show more consideration, they are the worst!
Its just life I suppose and ultimately it comes down to you- go for it and take a few sick days or remain where you are.
Gemz91
Member
Can you take unpaid leave?
No I already have done that twice this year. Plus someone has booked a weeks leave unpaid and the directors have had a fit so all leave needs to go though them. Its probably not so bad if you work for a big company but when someone phones in sick in a small company it has a massive knock on effect. I'm also quite high up, which means a day off sick isn't necessarily a day of sick as I'm heavily relied upon. I'll speak to recruitment in the morning and see what they say.
I am kind of hoping to face the same dilemma, pending an invite to interview for a role I applied for and passed both assessments. I am currently building up TOIL and will take the necessary time off if I get the chance. The last time I was in this situation I took the day off well in advance for the assessment at the depot. I then got an interview but it was bad timing as my manager was also off that same day and we're a two man operation. I had no choice but to pull the 'I have a hospital appointment' card, which I had to attend as it was a follow up for something I had been diagnosed with before (in all honesty!).
But that aside, I firmly believe in chasing your dreams, so just do whatever it takes to make that leap into a career you should never look back on!
But that aside, I firmly believe in chasing your dreams, so just do whatever it takes to make that leap into a career you should never look back on!
Dynamonic
Member
For my first sets of assessments, I was able to organise shift swaps, but when it came to the final stage, I struggled to get time off organised. I ended up having a heart to heart with my very understanding manager, spilling the beans about what I was honestly up to, and she immediately let me have the day off for it. She really appreciated my honesty. It couldn’t have worked out nicer in the end. 
I had to attend a few assessments/interviews in my previous job. My job was fairly flexible to the extent that I could pretty much do what I wanted as I was in charge of my team. However, I also had a good manager who was more firm but fair. If I needed anything, he’d bend over backwards to help. When I went for my DMI, I was in a position where I could organise my own work diary so it was a bit easier. I really feel for those who struggle to get the time off that easily, as it’s often a struggle, especially with shifts.
The thing is, if you want something badly enough, you’ll do whatever you need to do to see it through. It’s a captive audience for these jobs and TOC/FOCs can get away with giving short notice to attend interviews and even medical, with no promise of another chance if you can’t make it.
The thing is, if you want something badly enough, you’ll do whatever you need to do to see it through. It’s a captive audience for these jobs and TOC/FOCs can get away with giving short notice to attend interviews and even medical, with no promise of another chance if you can’t make it.
Av80r
Member
5 odd years ago I breezed through to the final interview stage for a trainee driver position (childhood dream job) on the back of the fact I'd done far more psychometric tests with my then current job in nuclear power and had plenty of safety critical experience in similar senses to train driving - memorizing 72 hour startup procedures for three different plants, 60 point emergency shutdown checklists for the same three, sitting in the watch controllers seat staring at 250 information points for 6 hours at a time with deadman pedals and having to correctly accept various system alarms within 20 seconds or put plants into auto-shutdown.
The HR twit then gave me the final interview date and time, with zero flexibility, 48 hours before. He treated me as if I could skip a shift or ask my team leader for a cheeky afternoon off and was a bit surprised ("are you sure you WANT to skip the interview?") when I said I had no chance of being able to attend, he responded as if I was choosing to not attend because I had a cinema date at the same time...
It was then that I realised the system is partially against those in truly safety critical positions, as I've had it many times since with inflexible assessment centres with less than a weeks notice. Maybe they only want to hire people who frequently bunk off work despite being responsible for "quite a lot".
The HR twit then gave me the final interview date and time, with zero flexibility, 48 hours before. He treated me as if I could skip a shift or ask my team leader for a cheeky afternoon off and was a bit surprised ("are you sure you WANT to skip the interview?") when I said I had no chance of being able to attend, he responded as if I was choosing to not attend because I had a cinema date at the same time...
It was then that I realised the system is partially against those in truly safety critical positions, as I've had it many times since with inflexible assessment centres with less than a weeks notice. Maybe they only want to hire people who frequently bunk off work despite being responsible for "quite a lot".
I’ll be brutally honest here, but you sound like someone who’d be a nightmare trainee anyway. Been there, done that attitude with an air of arrogance. If you were in a job with such responsibility, were you not authorised to make certain decisions on your flexibility?
221129
Established Member
Until someone else you work with is also at the assessment.
Or you forget that the same grandparent has died a couple of times already and you’ve used that excuse before...
And if you’d swallowed your pride and called in sick to attend the interview you might have spent the last five-odd years doing your childhood dream job.
It would have been no skin off the “HR twit’s” nose. He would have simply crossed you off the list and moved on to candidates who were willing to show more flexibility. That’s just the nature of the beast, I’m afraid.
Nobody likes lying but sometimes you have to think of the bigger picture, as someone else said above.
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I have to agree and that exactly what I will do.
Eggs&Bacon
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For my first sets of assessments, I was able to organise shift swaps, but when it came to the final stage, I struggled to get time off organised. I ended up having a heart to heart with my very understanding manager, spilling the beans about what I was honestly up to, and she immediately let me have the day off for it. She really appreciated my honesty. It couldn’t have worked out nicer in the end.
Same for me this, didn't sit well with me making up excuses to probably the best manager I've had. When i got to the later stages I told him what I needed time off for. His answer was go for it with my blessing, let me know if you need anymore time off, good luck and let me know when another recruitment drive happens so I can apply.
I was lucky enough to have a good manager when I needed time off to go to my medical for GWR. I had no more leave I could take, and as I respected him and he knew I had been placed in a talent pool, I just told him how it was. I know it’s a bit different to assessments, but the fact is he didn’t have to let me go to it. He basically said “do what you need to do and good luck”. I think I just swapped a shift around in the end and he was satisfied with that.Same for me this, didn't sit well with me making up excuses to probably the best manager I've had. When i got to the later stages I told him what I needed time off for. His answer was go for it with my blessing, let me know if you need anymore time off, good luck and let me know when another recruitment drive happens so I can apply.
So are you saying, you explained during your DMI that you had claimed to be sick to attend your DMI?
If you had a manager who was understanding and you could trust with that information, that’s great, but also quite rare in my experience.
I must admit I’m surprised there are posters here who balk at telling a white lie and calling in sick to attend an interview. I can only assume they’ve never worked in the corporate world!
Employers generally have absolutely no loyalty to employees and those same managers people feel guilty about lying to wouldn’t hesitate to bin them off in a second if corporate needs dictated. It’s naive to think otherwise.
Sometimes it’s necessary to put yourself first!
Well said! I get on really well with my manager, but I know for a fact that the company get the hump if you're looking for other work as it's probably deemed that your hearts not in it and they're not getting the most out of you. There's also the risk of treating you like crap and forcing you to leave of you don't get the job, so definitely worth a white lie or two for the potential greater good.
Exactly that. And how it showed how committed I am to ensuring I present myself as well as possible.
Bear in mind this was at the medical stage. As I said earlier, everything before that I had to improvise to an extent.
May manager knew I’d be going to the medical regardless I guess.
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