How many applications and interviews until you cracked it?

[Seehof]

This is a sad thread. When I started (1980) it was a phone call to Personnel (as it was called), an interview and you were in. I am not sure all these psychological tests are so wonderful as I know somebody who passed and was taken on as a Conductor but is very short tempered and once told an older person to f**k off as they wanted to bring a shopping trolley on to a pacer. He had numerous other “incidents”.
To all those who have applied or who are waiting for their real start dates, I wish the very best of luck and send my best wishes.

 

[driver9000]

It took 7 years applying on and off from leaving school aged 16. I applied for all kinds of roles and landed a trainee driver vacancy when I was 23.

 

[PaulBusDriver]

Glad to hear it dude, we were at the 1st FL assessment together. Been driving nearly 18 months now!

I had no previous experience, just fell lucky i think, passed everything first time.

Good on you mate, nice to see that perseverance pays dividends.
Were you at the assessments in crewe when I was?

 

[4F89]

Yes mate, think we spoke beforehand. I had a different username back then tho, had to change it due to company media policy.....

 

[Barney07]

Applied for a Conductor Role with GC 2006 and got offered the job, applied for Trainee Driver Role in 2018 for GWR and passed all stages and was offered the job sept 2019 with a jan2020 start.

 

[Bosch91]

Applied for two jobs, had one interview and been in one “talent pool” which has now expired.

although I’m trying to get into the engineering side of things rather than operations.

 

[joshuan542]

First time for me, however internally trying to move up has so far taken me 4 different interviews

First application I was successful and got a shunter driver role.
Second application I was successful and got a trainee driver role.
Keep persevering!

Awaiting my interview for shunter in two days, any tips or heads up?

 

[Robnw67]

I've applied for 8 driver jobs over 3 years, never made it to an interview, but at 53 years old, I guess that train has left the platform a long time ago.........

 

[Dave19801980]

I was a bus/coach driver for 15 years before joining the railway....and i’m so glad I managed to get a foot in the door for so many reasons...even before covid. I applied in October’18....and went through all of the tests etc to start July’19.

Thinking back to the whole process I consider myself very lucky to have gone through all the psychometrics and been offered a job.

Never ever give up as there is a good reason why job adverts get so many applicants....but never let that number put you off....go for it as you’ll never know otherwise.

 

[dctraindriver]

I've applied for 8 driver jobs over 3 years, never made it to an interview, but at 53 years old, I guess that train has left the platform a long time ago.........

Well considering the retirement age is now 62 and there was a 52/53 year old bloke on our course years back I can’t see why. Keep it at.

 

[sw1ller]

5 applications, 2 interviews, 1 I missed because I was on holiday, the letter must have arrived the day I left for the airport, when I got back home I opened the letter and I’d missed the interview by 20 minutes, haha. It was also 150 miles away too so I had no chance. Looking back, I’m glad I missed it now. Keep at it and good luck.

 

[MP20]

Keep going mate and don’t think your under qualified for any role or need to take a lesser role to get your foot in the door. I applied for a few things to get into the industry to eventually try to become a driver. Never heard anything at all back, not even and interview but got the first drivers job I applied for. Stick with it and it will happen

 

[daveswest]

Wrote a letter to to British Rail southern region in 1986 asking about job opportunities for train driving , invited to an interview , asked how I would get to work ( just wanted to know that I would walk if had to ) answered a few questions about a timetable and was in ! Happily driving for 34 years now , no contact within the railway to get in at starting time either
Dave

 

[JLyons]

6 years and 25 applications later and I still can't crack the railway. I'm not sure whether to put my efforts into something else now or to continue.

How many applications did you make it until you got that offer?

Keep going mate, I was trying getting on for 10 years, will happen eventually

 

[BTU]

6 years and 25 applications later and I still can't crack the railway. I'm not sure whether to put my efforts into something else now or to continue.

How many applications did you make it until you got that offer?

It took me 17 years and 5 applications 2 times I was offered the job 3 times I failed the managers interview.

 

[MDCW]

Thanks, good advice

Over the last couple of years I'm on application 8.
3x Signaller.
1x station supervisor.
1x conductor
2x trainee driver (1 role withdrawn).
I was starting to feel it would never happen but I can understand why none of these got anywhere near a job. I'd not truly appreciated what was required on a railway application so what I submitted even after tweeking it each time would never have appealed to the companies.

I then spent a few months really researching what's needed (this forum is a gold mine tbh) and my first application after has got me into a talent pool. Hopefully it leads to a job but if it doesn't it's given me the confidence to keep trying until I do get my opportunity.

In my limited experience I'd advise to step back, do some serious research, then look at you application responses/cv with an open mind and potentially change the hole thing to suit the job you're going for.

Best of luck mate.

Thanks, good advice. I passed a DMI, fell short at MMI. Accepted back in for another trainee driver process with just DMI and MMI to do. That was exactly a year ago, covid has slowed things down and my original assements will expire in July this year so not enough time to take the interviews again and sit in a pool.. so back to the beginning again. I was so close! Hopefully next time...

Keep going mate, I was trying getting on for 10 years, will happen eventually

Thanks for your encouragement. I hope at 47 I still have time

Keep going mate and don’t think your under qualified for any role or need to take a lesser role to get your foot in the door. I applied for a few things to get into the industry to eventually try to become a driver. Never heard anything at all back, not even and interview but got the first drivers job I applied for. Stick with it and it will happen

Good for you. I will certainly keep going. Thanks your encouragement too.

 

[Mintona]

I applied for a job on a station in early 2008 when I reached my 18th birthday and was offered it, started in June 2008. Since then I have moved TOCs twice. The only job I applied for and didn’t get was a conductor role with my original company in 2009, they said I wasn’t experienced enough so I applied for the same role with a different company and did get it. I then got a trainee driver role with the new company in 2012 and moved to my current TOC as a qualified driver a few years later.

Been quite lucky really but have moved all over the country in the process.

 

[387star]

Well I failed the concentration test for Guard in 2010 by rushing through and obviously not understanding the test. Failed a maths ticketing test for a gateline job too in 2011.

On the flip side I did well at the application stage passing the sift for Freightliner , C2C, EMT, Greater Anglia, SWT FGW and GTR trainee drivers and I've been driving four years now

Passed the driver assessments first time but fell back on a few interviews

 

[TD1]

Passed the all the psychometric assessments first time and got offered a trainee job at second DMI attempt. Even though with the first one I was unsuccessful, it definitely served as good experience nonetheless going forward to take into the next one where I was successful!

 

[387star]

I was also lucky also with the first time. I applied in Spring 2015 with MTR. I was fortunate as I saw the post on here about them taking on a few hundred trainee drivers for the project. I didn't know anyone in the industry.

I got through all the stages and started in early 2016 and qualified late Summer.

I was lucky in the sense that they were taking on so many drivers, however, I think they said a few hundred / thousand people applied for each position so I must have done something right. The biggest hurdle was the group bourbon test. From memory 20 odd went down to 4 or 5.

In terms of tips, stay focused on each stage, do your research - be that the company, routes, industry news. When I got through to the interview stage I found out who would be conducting it and looked at their LinkedIn profiles and was able to weave in some of their railway interests (CBTC, etc. into the interview).

Re linked in That's smooth of you !

Like you I was lucky in that TL were recruiting a huge number of drivers through 2015. In fact my application hadn't been sifted but as I had completed assessments to an enhanced standard I fired off an email and got an interview. Someone posted all the questions on here so that helped lol.

I was in a talent pool for over six months at the TOC I worked for as a Guard in 2015 and was still waiting when I handed my notice in. Indeed someone who failed the same round of interviews ended up starting before me as I made a rather daft decision not to go through the interview again for another depot which hadn't recruited in ten years.

As everyone says keep knocking thst door will fall eventually. I know a few Guards who are desperate for driving but won't consider elsewhere and seen to think they are owed the job. Sadly there is no guaruntee of progression from Guard to Driver and it must be sad for those Guards who really want to go Driving.

 

[TeaTrain]

I think it’s a little unfair to say that ’knowing someone’ on the inside helps. In this day and age it makes no difference, as is testament to the amount of people on this forum saying so.

Perseverance really is important. Some people have got in first time (which is amazing! Nice one peeps!). While others like myself have taken a different approach.

I never thought about working in the railway at all. I was a lecturer and artist at the National Gallery ,Somerset House and other Museums and Galleries around London. I also worked my way up in that career from being a gallery assistant.

I moved back home in North Wales and needed work. I seen an ad for Arriva Trains Wales and decided to apply. I was successful and begun working in a new career on the railway. I fell in love with it. I knew however that my heart was set on being a driver and begun to apply at ATW. I didn’t even get through the sift!

A few years later I had to move to Manchester and was out of the railway. It has taken me 5 years, with applications to ATW, Virgin, Northern and TPE (my current employer) before I finally got it. I passed all my assessments, my two years lapsed and had to retake them all again for TPE. I passed them and started my functional skills training today!

I think it would be good to decided what part of the railway interests you and perhaps hone in on that. Because I personally think having a shotgun approach won’t be as effective.

I worked as a guard but had secondments in the booking office, rail replacement officer and platform member. Each had transferable skills which gave me more experience. It gave insight to how each team member is interlinked in the operational side of the railway.

I also had many personal issues which I knew put me at a disadvantage. But TPE looked at me as a human and gave me the opportunity to show that those issues are not negative but have defined the person I am today.

I hope you do manage to get onto the railway if it is truly what you want. Because doing something you love and enjoy is far easier.

 

[MiNi]

13 applications over 3 years so far.
1 assessment centre day & that's it so far.

14th is currently live. Just waiting for the generic email reply.

 

[joshuan542]

1 attempt and fail with SWT for commercial guard

1st attempt with GTR (TL north) to get in as an RCO

2 years down the line now and a further 6 internal interviews I now have a new progressed role with Southern

 

[Stench]

One

 

[OneLowban]

1st application went all the way but only just failed DMI.

Second application DMI passed and offered a trainee driver job.

I always say to anyone unless you have no lives for the tests left then carry on with your life but never give up trying if you really want it.

 

[Fratton Guard?]

1 here also, but still yet to get a start date due to covid

Passed first time too in December 2019, and I'm in the same boat, waiting for the call. I'm 4th in the que for Fratton.

 

[Charlie9649]

1 here also and I have just had my offer to start training on the 19th July

 

[LuckyJackal]

So I applied for maybe 9 different trainee train/shunter driver jobs.

I got through to the assessment stage in 2019 and failed the bleep and phone book(TRP1).

1st chance gone! so then I left it for a bit I felt disheartened and thought that maybe this role was just not for me. Out of the blue, a friend of mine had An assessment and asked if I could help him, this ignited the love for this role in me again.

I then replied and got through, and with determination and a load of research and the private messages on this forum I'm now happy to say that I am waiting on my start date on the 19th of July.

The point of this is not to give up, because if you want it, and are willing to work hard for it, simply will be yours

 

[Fratton Guard?]

1 here also and I have just had my offer to start training on the 19th July

So I applied for maybe 9 different trainee train/shunter driver jobs.

I got through to the assessment stage in 2019 and failed the bleep and phone book(TRP1).

1st chance gone! so then I left it for a bit I felt disheartened and thought that maybe this role was just not for me. Out of the blue, a friend of mine had An assessment and asked if I could help him, this ignited the love for this role in me again.

I then replied and got through, and with determination and a load of research and the private messages on this forum I'm now happy to say that I am waiting on my start date on the 19th of July.

The point of this is not to give up, because if you want it, and are willing to work hard for it, simply will be yours

Well done guys really pleased for you, which TOC, what role and where if you don't mind me asking

Well done again

 

[MiNi]

14th is currently live. Just waiting for the generic email reply.

Another 2 applications done recently.Another 2 generic emails received. Unfortunately on this occasion you haven't been successful etc. Jobs on my doorstep,jobs far away all end up going the same way.