Interview Advice - Resilience and Motivation

[D1015]

Hi there,
I recently attended an interview and sadly failed it. The TOC in question refused to give feedback, but there were a couple of questions which sort of stumped me, and I'm wondering if insight from 'inside' the business, ie people who already work on the railway might be able to enlighten me please. I was asked, "How do you maintain resilence?"

The definition of resilience is as follows:

the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
"the remarkable resilience of so many institutions"

For me, I'm not quite sure how 'resilence' as a tangible item can measured or utilised in the railway industry as a signaller or a train guard, say. I mean. Both roles have stressful times, let's say you're stuck for an hour at a main station due to a track failure and passengers are complaining and getting angry at you. So what would you do to 'stay resilient'? I'd have made sure that I looked after myself health and sleepwise to ensure that I can do the best job I can. I'd stay calm, professional and open to customer needs as seen fit. I'd take any aggression on the chin and not let it get to me personally. I'd maintain a level head and a situational awareness to ensure that the larger scenario remained safe for everyone and not just the people I was directly interacting with at any one given moment. Then once I got to a rest room, or got home I suppose I'd let off steam, calm down and let it wash away; once the day is done the day is done I believe?
Am I missing something regarding resilence and what managers/TOCs are looking for please?

A second question was relating to motivation. Basically, during a quiet period during a shift, how would I keep myself motivated? Let's say you're a trainguard/manager. You've completed all your checks, done your tickets, checked the safety of the train, onboard equipment such as toilets and there's no stops for ten to fifteen minutes. How do you stay motivated?


I looked this up online and found only corporate answers. One example was a list thus:

Stay positive.

1. Set professional goals for yourself.
2. Create a schedule/daily plan.
3. Track your success.
4. Prioritise tasks and keep track of time.
5. Build relationships.
6. Contribute and share your ideas.
7. Clear all distractions.

A second answer was as follows:

Set goals
Reward yourself
Celebrate wins
Practice gratitude
Set clear goals
Surround yourself with motivated people
Break down big tasks
Create a routine
Give yourself rewards

Now, in an office/corporate role these would be good ideas. But in a railway operational role, as for say the above example of being a train guard who has done all their tasks, both safety critical, customer service and train punctuality, sat in the back cab of a moving train? How? I stated that I would double check the passenger areas and then read up on my rulebook and rules updates, reminding myself the why as to the what, in order to maintain and update my knowledge and skills to ensure I would be at my best and remind myself why the rules needed following, to maintain a high standard of safety.
Again for this seemingly tricky [in railway ops context] question, I'm not quite sure what is actually the 'best' way to 'maintain motivation'.

Would anyone be able to provide an insight as to how to fulfil these two criteria? Many thanks

 

[RY4966]

Hi there,
I recently attended an interview and sadly failed it. The TOC in question refused to give feedback, but there were a couple of questions which sort of stumped me, and I'm wondering if insight from 'inside' the business, ie people who already work on the railway might be able to enlighten me please. I was asked, "How do you maintain resilence?"

The definition of resilience is as follows:

the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
"the remarkable resilience of so many institutions"

For me, I'm not quite sure how 'resilence' as a tangible item can measured or utilised in the railway industry as a signaller or a train guard, say. I mean. Both roles have stressful times, let's say you're stuck for an hour at a main station due to a track failure and passengers are complaining and getting angry at you. So what would you do to 'stay resilient'? I'd have made sure that I looked after myself health and sleepwise to ensure that I can do the best job I can. I'd stay calm, professional and open to customer needs as seen fit. I'd take any aggression on the chin and not let it get to me personally. I'd maintain a level head and a situational awareness to ensure that the larger scenario remained safe for everyone and not just the people I was directly interacting with at any one given moment. Then once I got to a rest room, or got home I suppose I'd let off steam, calm down and let it wash away; once the day is done the day is done I believe?
Am I missing something regarding resilence and what managers/TOCs are looking for please?

A second question was relating to motivation. Basically, during a quiet period during a shift, how would I keep myself motivated? Let's say you're a trainguard/manager. You've completed all your checks, done your tickets, checked the safety of the train, onboard equipment such as toilets and there's no stops for ten to fifteen minutes. How do you stay motivated?


I looked this up online and found only corporate answers. One example was a list thus:

Stay positive.

1. Set professional goals for yourself.
2. Create a schedule/daily plan.
3. Track your success.
4. Prioritise tasks and keep track of time.
5. Build relationships.
6. Contribute and share your ideas.
7. Clear all distractions.

A second answer was as follows:

Set goals
Reward yourself
Celebrate wins
Practice gratitude
Set clear goals
Surround yourself with motivated people
Break down big tasks
Create a routine
Give yourself rewards

Now, in an office/corporate role these would be good ideas. But in a railway operational role, as for say the above example of being a train guard who has done all their tasks, both safety critical, customer service and train punctuality, sat in the back cab of a moving train? How? I stated that I would double check the passenger areas and then read up on my rulebook and rules updates, reminding myself the why as to the what, in order to maintain and update my knowledge and skills to ensure I would be at my best and remind myself why the rules needed following, to maintain a high standard of safety.
Again for this seemingly tricky [in railway ops context] question, I'm not quite sure what is actually the 'best' way to 'maintain motivation'.

Would anyone be able to provide an insight as to how to fulfil these two criteria? Many

Hello there sorry to hear about this,

I myself cannot help you but may i ask what role did you get interviewed for and location as i have an interview for a Trainee Senior Conductor Role Comming up?
anything you could tell me about it that you havent put above.

many thanks

 

[D1015]

Hello there sorry to hear about this,

I myself cannot help you but may i ask what role did you get interviewed for and location as i have an interview for a Trainee Senior Conductor Role Comming up?
anything you could tell me about it that you havent put above.

many thanks

Hi there.
Different TOCs ask different questions. However I can assure you that it wasn't for your hopeful TOC. I'm also not been able to disclose much of mine - I'm looking for answers myself. Wish you the best of luck in your application mate,

 

[nolypops83]

A second question was relating to motivation. Basically, during a quiet period during a shift, how would I keep myself motivated? Let's say you're a trainguard/manager. You've completed all your checks, done your tickets, checked the safety of the train, onboard equipment such as toilets and there's no stops for ten to fifteen minutes. How do you stay motivated?

Perhaps when they say motivation they mean how do you remain focused. So rather than going back to your cab, how do you remain on task when there's nothing for you to do at that moment in time, how do you stop yourself from drifting. So say you go back to your cab and drift off for a second, forget which part of the journey you are on, forget when/where the next station is, forget anything you might need to do at that stop like assist a passenger. I'm just generalising here as I don't know the specifics for the role or the TOC. Just a guess!

 

[AverageJoe]

For next time I would say don’t be afraid to ask the interviewer to explain the question.

I had a question that was asked of me quite confidently and I wasn’t sure what they were after, I asked them to explain the question to me and the look of panic on their faces because it was a tricky question and they didn’t know the answer either

In the end we came to an idea of what they were looking for and I was able to think and provide an acceptable answer.

I’m not saying this is the case with you but they aren’t looking for everyone to give the right answer. The chances are you didn’t give the answer they were looking for because you haven’t had that kind of experience in life yet so you didn’t have anything to fall back on. That’s not your fault but sometimes these questions are trying to sift out the ones that have had certain experiences and a proven record of being able to deal with such situations.

Also remember that you don’t have to give them examples from a work setting. It can be anything in life.

 

[PupCuff]

Sometimes it can also be about how you answer a question. The railway likes using competency based interviewing where they are expecting examples from you if situations where you have previously demonstrated the competency, eg for the resilience question you could give an example of a time that a project you were working on came up against various setbacks, and what you did to overcome those. You can then demonstrate knowledge of the role by relating what you did in that circumstance to the challenges you might face in the role you're applying for.

 

[Neatro]

Reading through your potential or actual answers you used sounded more like you'd researched what you thought the company would like to hear rather than your own personal take or experience on the given questions.

Especially the part where you'd go back to cab and read the rule book and think of why rules are important seems an odd thing to do.

As others have said though it's also how you respond and answer the question as well as the question itself.

 

[AverageJoe]

Reading through your potential or actual answers you used sounded more like you'd researched what you thought the company would like to hear rather than your own personal take or experience on the given questions.

Especially the part where you'd go back to cab and read the rule book and think of why rules are important seems an odd thing to do.

As others have said though it's also how you respond and answer the question as well as the question itself.

I’d go back to the cab, read the rule book, contemplate on how I can improve revenue for the company and then clean the train after my shift free of charge… do I get the job now mr?


Joking aside that’s another reason why I think providing tons of info about what the questions will be and how to answer is a bad idea.

It creates robotic well rehearsed unnatural an unrealistic answers which the interviewers can probably see right though.

When I had my interview I was hmm’ing and arrr’ing and taking time to think of how to answer this question based on my experiences.

 

[Neatro]

I’d go back to the cab, read the rule book, contemplate on how I can improve revenue for the company and then clean the train after my shift free of charge… do I get the job now mr?


Joking aside that’s another reason why I think providing tons of info about what the questions will be and how to answer is a bad idea.

It creates robotic well rehearsed unnatural an unrealistic answers which the interviewers can probably see right though.

When I had my interview I was hmm’ing and arrr’ing and taking time to think of how to answer this question based on my experiences.

I was exactly the same, I feel this forum has a lot of good help on the assessment format but a lot of bad information about exact questions and answers.

I went in with only research of only the company and relied on my experiences which I formulated around the question I was given, with "err", "hmm" and even "can we come back to this" replies.

 

[Ducatichick]

I was exactly the same, I feel this forum has a lot of good help on the assessment format but a lot of bad information about exact questions and answers.

I went in with only research of only the company and relied on my experiences which I formulated around the question I was given, with "err", "hmm" and even "can we come back to this" replies.

I have just been offered a job as a shunter (yay) and this was exactly the approach I had. I did my homework on the TOC and then relied on my own experiences to answer the questions asked. For the ones which were essentially aimed at those in industry, I just asked if I could take an educated guess (eg identifying point differences) so that I could demonstrate my technical knowledge there and then. I didn’t do too badly by all accounts even when they explained I wasn’t expected to know the answers, I wanted to highlight myself in the best and most honest way.

Going into an interview with the hopes of getting asked pre rehearsed questions feels to me like a bad idea.

To say I am freaking STOKED to have got this job is an understatement. Very excited to start.

To the OP, I’m sorry I can’t be any help but I would say that these interviews are most certainly not designed as a “box ticking” exercise. They want to get to know you, as someone has already mentioned, if you’re unsure on how to answer something-tell them, they will know what further questions to ask you to try queue memories of an example experience you can refer to. They also appreciate that whoever is sat in front of them is likely nervous, anxious to make a good impression and they will help you.

Best of luck moving forwards.

 

[D1015]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for the points and answers given so far. Appreciate the time taken. Alas, this still helps me no closer in getting an understanding to my questions, mainly "resilience" and "motivation while on the job". Especially resilence.
A couple of you questioned my answers in a "saying what I believe the company wants to hear vs a real situation" deal. I can understand that especially with motivation, but with the resilence section, as outlined above -- isn't that what onboard staff do? So to rephrase then;

how do onboard and operation staff 'maintain resilence' and motivation please?

 

[AverageJoe]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for the points and answers given so far. Appreciate the time taken. Alas, this still helps me no closer in getting an understanding to my questions, mainly "resilience" and "motivation while on the job". Especially resilence.
A couple of you questioned my answers in a "saying what I believe the company wants to hear vs a real situation" deal. I can understand that especially with motivation, but with the resilence section, as outlined above -- isn't that what onboard staff do? So to rephrase then;

how do onboard and operation staff 'maintain resilence' and motivation please?

So excuse me if I’m incorrect and I don’t wish to sound rude, but reading between the lines it looks like you are saying “I don’t have the answers to pass the test on my own back, but I still want the job so can you guys pass it for me?”

Although this is a great forum full of useful information it isn’t somewhere to come to get people a job that someone otherwise wouldn’t get.

 

[nolypops83]

I have just been offered a job as a shunter (yay) and this was exactly the approach I had. I did my homework on the TOC and then relied on my own experiences to answer the questions asked. For the ones which were essentially aimed at those in industry, I just asked if I could take an educated guess (eg identifying point differences) so that I could demonstrate my technical knowledge there and then. I didn’t do too badly by all accounts even when they explained I wasn’t expected to know the answers, I wanted to highlight myself in the best and most honest way.

Going into an interview with the hopes of getting asked pre rehearsed questions feels to me like a bad idea.

To say I am freaking STOKED to have got this job is an understatement. Very excited to start.

To the OP, I’m sorry I can’t be any help but I would say that these interviews are most certainly not designed as a “box ticking” exercise. They want to get to know you, as someone has already mentioned, if you’re unsure on how to answer something-tell them, they will know what further questions to ask you to try queue memories of an example experience you can refer to. They also appreciate that whoever is sat in front of them is likely nervous, anxious to make a good impression and they will help you.

Best of luck moving forwards.

Congrats! That's great news.

So excuse me if I’m incorrect and I don’t wish to sound rude, but reading between the lines it looks like you are saying “I don’t have the answers to pass the test on my own back, but I still want the job so can you guys pass it for me?”

Although this is a great forum full of useful information it isn’t somewhere to come to get people a job that someone otherwise wouldn’t get.

I see it more as understanding the question so you can make sure the example you give is the right one. It's hard because the answers they gave weren't enough to get them through the interview stage but without any feedback how can you improve for next time? I don't think the OP is asking for us to write the answer for them, just to make sure they understand what they are being asked.

 

[D1015]

Congrats! That's great news.



I see it more as understanding the question so you can make sure the example you give is the right one. It's hard because the answers they gave weren't enough to get them through the interview stage but without any feedback how can you improve for next time? I don't think the OP is asking for us to write the answer for them, just to make sure they understand what they are being asked.

Thank you for your reply. This is it. I don't want a coached, word for word answer that I can quote parrot fashion. Someone raised this as a valid point previous. What I am trying to gain is an understanding in general of what's being asked; hence my lengthy first post which I hoped would have explained this. Then once I can attain that understanding then yes, I can link up my own experiences and career to answer it off my own chest.

 

[AverageJoe]

Congrats! That's great news.



I see it more as understanding the question so you can make sure the example you give is the right one. It's hard because the answers they gave weren't enough to get them through the interview stage but without any feedback how can you improve for next time? I don't think the OP is asking for us to write the answer for them, just to make sure they understand what they are being asked.

Reading above I thought there was some great advice to the initial question the OP asked.

To come back and then ask for a direct answer to me is a little too much.

 

[nolypops83]

Thank you for your reply. This is it. I don't want a coached, word for word answer that I can quote parrot fashion. Someone raised this as a valid point previous. What I am trying to gain is an understanding in general of what's being asked; hence my lengthy first post which I hoped would have explained this. Then once I can attain that understanding then yes, I can link up my own experiences and career to answer it off my own chest.

I get you.

Reading above I thought there was some great advice to the initial question the OP asked.

To come back and then ask for a direct answer to me is a little too much.

Fair enough. I think it's ok to ask. Everyone's mind works differently, people interpret things in different ways. I'd ask at the interview, what do you mean by resilience or motivation just to clarify, or ask for an example maybe. Depends on the interviewer but they usually help steer you back on track if you are going off topic, or not hearing the answer they need.

 

[AverageJoe]

Thank you for your reply. This is it. I don't want a coached, word for word answer that I can quote parrot fashion. Someone raised this as a valid point previous. What I am trying to gain is an understanding in general of what's being asked; hence my lengthy first post which I hoped would have explained this. Then once I can attain that understanding then yes, I can link up my own experiences and career to answer it off my own chest.

There was some useful answers given above already.

If you don’t understand the question ask them to explain.

Also you can’t think of any examples in your life where you have had to maintain resilience?

They asked you how you maintain resilience, not how you would do if you were on the railway. You wouldn’t know the answer to that because you are not in the job.

Some of these questions require reading between the lines and when people don’t realise that they come on here asking answers.

It’s all part of the test, it’s not meant to be easy it is there to sift out the ones that can’t answer things on their own back. No offence intended.

I get you.



Fair enough. I think it's ok to ask. Everyone's mind works differently, people interpret things in different ways. I'd ask at the interview, what do you mean by resilience or motivation just to clarify, or ask for an example maybe. Depends on the interviewer but they usually help steer you back on track if you are going off topic, or not hearing the answer they need.

Exactly everyone’s mind works differently and surely that is part of the test.. can this person understand the question? can they read between the lines? Do they have the skills and confidence to challenge and ask for an explanation of the question and not rush in a pressure situation?

 

[nolypops83]

Exactly everyone’s mind works differently and surely that is part of the test.. can this person understand the question? can they read between the lines? Do they have the skills and confidence to challenge and ask for an explanation of the question and not rush in a pressure situation?

No that's not what the interview is for. They want you to tell them about your transferable skills. The question needs to be clear otherwise people could misinterpret it. I don't think there should be any room for "reading between the lines" as you say, especially in a safety critical role. It works both ways. Ask clear concise questions so there's no room for misinterpretation. I don't know what the question was exactly so hard to tell if it applies here.

Thank you for your reply. This is it. I don't want a coached, word for word answer that I can quote parrot fashion. Someone raised this as a valid point previous. What I am trying to gain is an understanding in general of what's being asked; hence my lengthy first post which I hoped would have explained this. Then once I can attain that understanding then yes, I can link up my own experiences and career to answer it off my own chest.

Have you read up on non technical skills? There's a lot of info about how they relate to the driver role but it applies to conductors/guards too I think.

 

[AverageJoe]

No that's not what the interview is for. They want you to tell them about your transferable skills. The question needs to be clear otherwise people could misinterpret it. I don't think there should be any room for "reading between the lines" as you say, especially in a safety critical role. It works both ways. Ask clear concise questions so there's no room for misinterpretation. I don't know what the question was exactly so hard to tell if it applies here.

Fair enough. Personally I think they do want to see how adaptable you are but I see your point.

And as you point out, on the railway if you don’t understand something you don’t do anything until to get full understanding… so don’t move and question.. which applies to these interviews.

It sound to me like the question was clear if you look at the OPs original post so I don’t see the issue in answering it.

 

[nolypops83]

Fair enough. Personally I think they do want to see how adaptable you are but I see your point.

And as you point out, on the railway if you don’t understand something you don’t do anything until to get full understanding… so don’t move and question.. which applies to these interviews.

It sound to me like the question was clear if you look at the OPs original post so I don’t see the issue in answering it.

I think for a trainee role they cut you some slack, as you don't know all the ins and outs of what's expected. They make it pretty clear about challenging things when you aren't sure or think they might be wrong, they definitely did with Northern during the driver interview, but I don't know about conductor or any other TOCS. They outright asked me and I was able to give a specific example of when that has happened in previous roles.

Anyway back to the question.

Resilience - how do you keep your head when everything around you is turning to crap? So on the railways that might look like cancellations, delays, weather issues, a fatality, whatever. What have you done in your current role, or previous roles where you've had to keep everything going despite last minute changes, things getting cancelled, angry customers. How did you roll with the punches?

Motivation - Check this out. https://www.thehelpfulrailtrainer.co.uk/nts-non-technical-skills.html Motivation sits under self management and is listed as performing beyong the minimum requirements of the role. So just describe a time when you've gone "above and beyond" as they say, not just going through the motions of the job. So on the railways making sure that customers can get to where they need to be safely and on time is the priority, but nothing trumps safety. I think that links nicely into customer service too. We all have customers in one way or another and we provide a service, we want them to be happy.

Remember these are just transferable skills, you just need to give them one example of a time when you've done the above in you job or life and use the STAR technique to structure your answer.

Also to point out, you might not have done anything wrong per se, you just didn't make the cut. That could be for a number of reasons. If they interviewed 8 people for 1 job, you could still have been 2 out of 8 and missed out by a very small margin.

 

[Horizon22]

To answer the OP I would apply still apply the STAR criteria to a question on resilience:

For example, you describe a tough situation you have had to deal with at work / life / at home. What did you have to do and why was it difficult? Talk about what strategies you had to remain resilient (e.g. take a deep breath / break down the task / prioritise / ask for support). Things can and go wrong on the railway and you may have to be stuck for hours or be alone with hundreds of people asking questions and getting rude. How would you deal with that? How would you deal with an out-of-course and technical problem without losing your cool? What techniques can you use (body language / don't take it personally / tools / systems available to you).

As you haven't had feedback, you may be overthinking it slightly. You might have given a suitable response, but not an excellent one.

 

[Samsanbor]

Hi there,
I recently attended an interview and sadly failed it. The TOC in question refused to give feedback, but there were a couple of questions which sort of stumped me, and I'm wondering if insight from 'inside' the business, ie people who already work on the railway might be able to enlighten me please. I was asked, "How do you maintain resilence?"

The definition of resilience is as follows:

the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
"the remarkable resilience of so many institutions"

For me, I'm not quite sure how 'resilence' as a tangible item can measured or utilised in the railway industry as a signaller or a train guard, say. I mean. Both roles have stressful times, let's say you're stuck for an hour at a main station due to a track failure and passengers are complaining and getting angry at you. So what would you do to 'stay resilient'? I'd have made sure that I looked after myself health and sleepwise to ensure that I can do the best job I can. I'd stay calm, professional and open to customer needs as seen fit. I'd take any aggression on the chin and not let it get to me personally. I'd maintain a level head and a situational awareness to ensure that the larger scenario remained safe for everyone and not just the people I was directly interacting with at any one given moment. Then once I got to a rest room, or got home I suppose I'd let off steam, calm down and let it wash away; once the day is done the day is done I believe?
Am I missing something regarding resilence and what managers/TOCs are looking for please?

A second question was relating to motivation. Basically, during a quiet period during a shift, how would I keep myself motivated? Let's say you're a trainguard/manager. You've completed all your checks, done your tickets, checked the safety of the train, onboard equipment such as toilets and there's no stops for ten to fifteen minutes. How do you stay motivated?


I looked this up online and found only corporate answers. One example was a list thus:

Stay positive.

1. Set professional goals for yourself.
2. Create a schedule/daily plan.
3. Track your success.
4. Prioritise tasks and keep track of time.
5. Build relationships.
6. Contribute and share your ideas.
7. Clear all distractions.

A second answer was as follows:

Set goals
Reward yourself
Celebrate wins
Practice gratitude
Set clear goals
Surround yourself with motivated people
Break down big tasks
Create a routine
Give yourself rewards

Now, in an office/corporate role these would be good ideas. But in a railway operational role, as for say the above example of being a train guard who has done all their tasks, both safety critical, customer service and train punctuality, sat in the back cab of a moving train? How? I stated that I would double check the passenger areas and then read up on my rulebook and rules updates, reminding myself the why as to the what, in order to maintain and update my knowledge and skills to ensure I would be at my best and remind myself why the rules needed following, to maintain a high standard of safety.
Again for this seemingly tricky [in railway ops context] question, I'm not quite sure what is actually the 'best' way to 'maintain motivation'.

Would anyone be able to provide an insight as to how to fulfil these two criteria? Many thanks

I believe you didn't fully understand both questions indeed.

The questions were personal and directed to you only; but seems you answered thinking to what '"railway workers" would have done instead.
They wanted to hear how well you can manage some kind of situations.
There isn't Google search to answers at these and a railway forum won't help you either, sorry.
We all have different tresholds hence we react differently when emotions are involved.

I can easily tell you what I do to manage myself, but will it work for you?

 

[D1015]

Appreciate the input here from the people who saw where I'm coming from - @Horizon22 and @nolypops83 thank you very much. I can go away now, consider my own career experience and construct my own answers (as opposed to the accusation of wanting to be spoon fed) for future camapigns. Thankyou for all your help.