Northern Rail Trainee Drivers - Liverpool

[Garyjames1701]

Just been added to the indeed recruitment site, for those interested!

Trainee Train Driver
http://www.indeed.co.uk/viewjob?from=appshare&jk=d9ae251ab3299503

Cheers,

Gary

 

[johnsonr380]

Total contradiction on what we we've been told that there's no planned recruitment in the north west until the franchise renews.

 

[387star]

One thing I have discovered is the railways are very changeable jobs you are told won't happen happen jobs which seem to be going ahead get cancelled

 

[LFO]

One thing I have discovered is the railways are very changeable jobs you are told won't happen happen jobs which seem to be going ahead get cancelled

Wonder why they have not used the talent pool to fill these positions?

 

[387star]

Wonder why they have not used the talent pool to fill these positions?

Good question but I have no dealings with northern living down south who knows!

 

[johnsonr380]

I'm in the pool for lime street, have been for 15 months. Wonder what this means for me and others in the same position. Phone call on Monday I think, just want to clarify my position. I've eagerly awaited a call and now this has happened.

 

[LFO]

I'm in the pool for lime street, have been for 15 months. Wonder what this means for me and others in the same position. Phone call on Monday I think, just want to clarify my position. I've eagerly awaited a call and now this has happened.

Honestly thought that they would use the on hold talent pool rather than going to the expense of a recruitment drive again.

 

[johnsonr380]

Recruitment said there will be no further courses or recruitment this year. I appreciate things change but that was 2 weeks ago? Mixed messages about it all, why so close to the renewal of the franchise do they want to fill up the pool.

 

[LFO]

Recruitment said there will be no further courses or recruitment this year. I appreciate things change but that was 2 weeks ago? Mixed messages about it all, why so close to the renewal of the franchise do they want to fill up the pool.

Who knows mate. Maybe they are planning for any potential new franchise routes from Liverpool and therefore they may need more trainee drivers that are currently in the pool for Liverpool Lime St. I hope that is the case for you. Did you get the e-mail for Northern the other week?

 

[johnsonr380]

Who knows mate. Maybe they are planning for any potential new franchise routes from Liverpool and therefore they may need more trainee drivers that are currently in the pool for Liverpool Lime St. I hope that is the case for you. I Just can not understand why you have not been kept informed when the situation looks like it has changed. Did you get the e-mail for Northern the other week?

Hope so mate. I've not had an actual email off them fir around 11 months now. I've only heard via here about people getting emails. Another thing I noticed is on the advert it's 60 minutes travel time. It was that when I applied to Manchester, she told me there was a change in rule to 45 minutes do it put me out for Manchester so she put me to lime street. Now its back to 60 minutes?

 

[JohnFM]

Just been added to the indeed recruitment site, for those interested!

Trainee Train Driver
http://www.indeed.co.uk/viewjob?from=appshare&jk=d9ae251ab3299503

Cheers,

Gary

Gary, no one has said it as they're too intent on looking at their own bellybuttons, musing the why's and whatfor's , so I will say it.

Thank you Gary for posting the link. It is very much appreciated.

 

[Garyjames1701]

Gary, no one has said it as they're too intent on looking at their own bellybuttons, musing the why's and whatfor's , so I will say it.

Thank you Gary for posting the link. It is very much appreciated.

Haha, you're very welcome. Good luck to those applying! I'm in a talent pool for GTR but moaning doesn't achieve much, just have to wait it out

 

[TDK]

Wonder why they have not used the talent pool to fill these positions?

The purpose of the so called "talent pool" is to hold drivers for possible recruitment, in my experience the "talent pool" is a sad part of recruitment.

As explained on this forum before the people in the talent pools and no disrespect to them passed the tests etc. but other candidates were better so got the jobs. Many companies and it looks like Northern are one of them will recruit positions see the quality of the intake and if there are 5 positions and the results from the intake are still better than the poor souls in the talent pool then the new candidates get the job. Sad I know but fact certainly a big yes.

 

[LFO]

The purpose of the so called "talent pool" is to hold drivers for possible recruitment, in my experience the "talent pool" is a sad part of recruitment.

As explained on this forum before the people in the talent pools and no disrespect to them passed the tests etc. but other candidates were better so got the jobs. Many companies and it looks like Northern are one of them will recruit positions see the quality of the intake and if there are 5 positions and the results from the intake are still better than the poor souls in the talent pool then the new candidates get the job. Sad I know but fact certainly a big yes.

I knew that the best scores are at the top of the "list" but I thought that they would eventually work through this rather than run a recruitment drive at expense to the company, hence putting people in a "talent pool". I can only think that Lime St actually has no on hold candidates themselves hence the recruitment drive.

 

[Llama]

That policy [of re-advertising despite a list available in the talent pool] is definitely the case, seems to have been increasingly so over the last few years, probably due to the fact that there have been some trainees recruited who haven't quite cut the mustard in the last few years. There have been recent positions advertised internally despite the population of the talent pool.

 

[387star]

Some times everyone goes into a talent pool like with gtr but the difference is everyone is guaranteed a place hence the medicals as it is a huge drive

Sometimes internals are held back and they re advertise externally for business reasons

No one in a talent pool has done badly sometimes they just fill it up so they have more flexibility

 

[WCMLaddict]

Some times everyone goes into a talent pool like with gtr but the difference is everyone is guaranteed a place hence the medicals as it is a huge drive

Do you want to bet?

Certainly at Northern the pool is just that. It is supposed to have a number of candidates in it so that the best can be fished out when needed.
Now you can see why I was so surprised at the news in another thread about recruitment freeze.

 

[387star]

Do you want to bet?

Certainly at Northern the pool is just that. It is supposed to have a number of candidates in it so that the best can be fished out when needed.
Now you can see why I was so surprised at the news in another thread about recruitment freeze.

I am simply going by what I and others have been told officially by HR

 

[LFO]

Flexibility in terms of picking the best from the new recruitment drive and putting these at the top of the pile ?

 

[Bucko]

The purpose of the so called "talent pool" is to hold drivers for possible recruitment, in my experience the "talent pool" is a sad part of recruitment.

As explained on this forum before the people in the talent pools and no disrespect to them passed the tests etc. but other candidates were better so got the jobs. Many companies and it looks like Northern are one of them will recruit positions see the quality of the intake and if there are 5 positions and the results from the intake are still better than the poor souls in the talent pool then the new candidates get the job. Sad I know but fact certainly a big yes.

This is how TPs traditionally operated.

TDK you seem to know your stuff, is it possible a TOC could have every candidate in a talent pool, or are people getting it wrong on there?

 

[Garyjames1701]

Deleted

 

[387star]

One thing I would say is it is a shame you are not told your score in relation to the performance as if you never get taken on I Would rather be told I failed and have done with it and then be offered feedback but now they pass loads but lots might never make it I realise in the real world that isn't easy though

 

[MadeinWigan]

Northern have a terrible attitude towards recruitment. If people's scores aren't good enough why don't they tell you! It's not like it's the end of the world, there are other jobs out there. It's the lack of transparency, lack of honesty that has rankled.

I've given up on the drivers job, any company that treats potential employees like Northern do isn't a company that I want to work for. I've committed to another path now. I'm going to leave my name down as I'm curious as to how they will end it but at least I don't have to wonder if that call will ever come.

 

[traintraining]

Certainly strange but could be forward planning?

If they only have say i.e 15 in the pool, and forecast to need 25 drivers for courses in 2016.... Then obviously they are going to get cracking and recruit??

 

[JohnFM]

It has nothing to do with "not being good enough" or the company not being honest. If you fail you fail. If you do not fail then you're in the pool. It is that easy.

They recruit in the same way as many employers; you sit tests and interviews, pass them, then wait for a slot. They will do this many times as more slots come up. If you fail, then you're not in the pool.

Allocating a 'score' is useless as it is a sliding scale. Telling you the score is a pointless bit of info as you have no reference, neither does the company.

If the next batch of interviewed candidates are lower than you; you're in. If they're higher than you, you're not in.

Accusing them of dishonesty is just showing a complete disregard for any kind of explanation and, to be honest, any employer would be very happy not to have people who are keen to denounce at this very early stage.

 

[Champo]

Applied again.What's the worst that can happen? Passed everything last year for depot driver but nothing happened.

 

[MadeinWigan]

So you've been sat in the pool for 18mths have you? Been talked to condescendingly by HR for daring to contact them twice in 18mths? I passed the tests, I'm in the pool, my scores "were" good enough. If that has changed and the scores are no longer good enough, just tell us, we can cope. It is underhanded, I'm not ignoring explanations, I'm living being sat in the pool and I previously put too much hope into getting the job. It is only a job at the end of the day and I won't be treated in this manner, it's not on, hence me committing to something else.

I do not accept that it's just the way they work, it stinks and they should realise that they are messing with people's lives. If they are prettying things up for the people who take over the franchise then that stinks even more. Never forget that the people making the decisions don't give a stuff about you, you are literally just a number to them.
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Well JohnFM, you are obviously a fan boy of Northern. I'm sure they would be happy to pass me over, in effect they already have. Dishonest may seem like a strong word to you but I can assure you that it isn't to me. I put masses of effort into the application process and the assessments. I made decisions based on the probability of the offer coming(my fault, I accept that). What is your experience, you obviously have an interest so it would be great to hear your story.

 

[LFO]

Applied again.What's the worst that can happen? Passed everything last year for depot driver but nothing happened.

Good luck with the application. Are you on hold for depot driver?

 

[Aivilo]

They must have a decent compliment at Lime street as they won't fill a franchise handover quota with trainees surely.

 

[LFO]

They must have a decent compliment at Lime street as they won't fill a franchise handover quota with trainees surely.

No idea how it works mate. I wonder how many are currently still in the pool for Northern for Manchester and Wigan?