Technician - Signal Maintenance.

[Mikey536]

Hi guys,

I spotted a Network Rail - Technician (Signal Maintenance) job on Indeed recently. I am an ex-RAF Aircraft Technician (engines), although I've been working in IT since I left the mob. I’ve really been wanting to get back to engineering for some time now and thought I'd apply just on the off chance. However, having read some of the posts on here regarding Technician roles for those who have no rail experience, I'm wondering now if I've made a huge mistake. Although I have a fair amount of engineering experience, is there any training provided when you start?

The criteria mentioned standing in for the Team Leader, which I'm really not sure about now. Although I have supervisory experience from the RAF, I am pretty sure that experienced colleagues aren't going to take kindly to some new wet nose coming in, without a clue and telling them what to do. In addition my background is mainly mechanical, with no formal electrical training, so what impact will this have?

I submitted my CV and application online, today I was sent an invitation to carry out SHL testing. It's obvious from my CV that I have no rail experience, so after reading the posts here, I'm now wondering why they are even offering me an assessment.
I really wish the Job Spec had been much more detailed. I'm hard working and pick things up really quickly, but I'm just wondering how it would actually work from day one if by some miracle I was offered the job.

Any advice gratefully received.

Mike

 

[Mikey536]

Hi guys,

I’ve been back and forth on whether or not to take the SHL test for the last couple of days. I was informed that I had 5 days to complete it from the date of invitation (2nd July). I was considering contacting the recruitment department and withdrawing my application. In the end I decided that I might as well take it, if anything just for the experience as I’ve never taken one of these tests before.

I’m still not sure about the job should I get past the test and get invited for interview. Any advice you can offer in relation to the other points mentioned in my original post would be really appreciated.

Thanks and stay safe!

Mike

 

[Jay_123]

Cut a long story short, do you have an s&t background?

 

[Mikey536]

Hi Jay,

Thank you for your reply.

No I don’t. As I said before, it is blatantly obvious from my CV that I don’t have any experience in this area, hence my confusion as to why I have been invited to take SHL tests in the first place. Surely if I had no experience my application wouldn’t have been progressed to this stage?

Ultimately, I don’t want to waste their time or mine if this is a going to be a fruitless exercise.

Many thanks

Mike

 

[Jay_123]

The test is automated mate, everyone does it who applies. Operative>Technician>Team leader

For operative - no prior experience is needed, its basically seen as an off the street role

Where as technician is like someone with experience in the chosen field, so in your case S&T experience, when a team leader absent, a technician is the one who steps in and makes the calls out on the jobs 9/10

 

[Mikey536]

Ok thanks, as I said I’ll take the test anyway for the experience.

If the application process is automated then I’m sure everything will be brought to a halt when an actual person sees that I have no rail experience. Shame though, sounded like a really interesting job.

Cheers

 

[Rockhopper]

All the S&T type jobs I have seen advertised have made it clear if previous experience is needed or not. Usually it is isn't needed unless its a senior role.

 

[alxndr]

I know one person who got an S&T job with NR off the street with no prior experience, although it is exceedingly rare so don't get your hopes up too much. Incidently that person also had military experience and there can be a decent crossover of skills/ethos between the two (shifts, following rules, communications etc). It's unfortunately unlikely that you'll get it, but I wouldn't pull the plug on it yourself.

Network Rail obviously do train people, as you need the competency to touch a specific piece of equipment to do anything more than work under instruction. That said, getting the courses isn't the quickest thing in the world, and they generally not be expecting to need to train a technician up right from scratch.

As for stepping up and covering the team leader, it is expected of technicans. That said, the majority of teams are small, usually three people, and the majority of teams are friendly enough that people are willing to forgive a few areas that you're lacking experience and knowledge as long as you're generally willing and likeable. A decent team will help you out, as long as you're willing to help them out in return, and take the responsibility for decisions made. In my experience a team leader's role is more about carrying the responsibility than dishing out orders.

There will always be some people whose nose will be put out of joint with someone new coming in above them but the job should have been advertised internally first, and if that's the case why didn't they get to step up to technician?

 

[Mikey536]

Thanks guys for all of the advice, it is really appreciated. I’ll just crack on with the test and see what happens next.

Cheers

 

[Jay_123]

Just FYI, the roles have what you called a “job/training matrix” and the person undertaking the role is required to hold these competencies

Please dont think im being funny/negative im just giving my honest opinion, ive never heard of anyone getting a technician job off the street with no prior experience. However, with your background it could help quite alot mate as it sounds along the same lines

 

[Mikey536]

Thanks Jay.

I took the test and the next day I was notified that they wouldn’t be taking my application any further. This didn’t come as a surprise really, after the advice I had received here. The thing that gets me is that they said it was for the following reason:

Progress Application

What does that even mean? It doesn’t tell me if I even passed the test!

I’ve written to them for feedback but haven’t had a reply yet and if I’m honest I doubt they will. This seems to be a trend in civvy street.

Oh well, onwards and upwards.

Thanks again for all of your comments guys, they were really appreciated.

Cheers and stay safe

Mike

 

[Rockhopper]

I don't think they will give feedback if you fail at the first stage. I'm assuming you didn't score high enough on the SHL tests to reach the benchmark?

The advert will have a list of essential and desirable criteria. The one I'm looking at now for a signalling technician - in the essential criteria section its doesn't mention anything about any kind of railway experience. In fact in the blurb above it says "we'll provide all the training and support you'll need to succeed"

So, open to people with no railway experience which is probably why its advertised externally.

 

[Mikey536]

Thanks Rockhopper

It would be nice to know if I had passed or not. I’m now stuck wondering if it’s because I didn’t pass, or that I did pass but when they continued reviewing my application and CV I didn’t meet their requirements.

Quite often I and other people I know have applied for jobs at lots of companies and never heard anything back at all. But with NR, they took the time to write to say that they wouldn’t be taking the application further, which is fair enough. But why not be clearer with the reasons for it, instead of being so mysterious. It’s just frustrating that’s all.

Anyway, I won’t lose any sleep over it. Onto the next job application.

Cheers

 

[Jay_123]

I don't think they will give feedback if you fail at the first stage. I'm assuming you didn't score high enough on the SHL tests to reach the benchmark?

The advert will have a list of essential and desirable criteria. The one I'm looking at now for a signalling technician - in the essential criteria section its doesn't mention anything about any kind of railway experience. In fact in the blurb above it says "we'll provide all the training and support you'll need to succeed"

So, open to people with no railway experience which is probably why its advertised externally.

“Knowledge of discipline-specific maintenance, inspection, faulting and renewal techniques” is one of the essential

 

[Jay_123]

Thanks Jay.

I took the test and the next day I was notified that they wouldn’t be taking my application any further. This didn’t come as a surprise really, after the advice I had received here. The thing that gets me is that they said it was for the following reason:

Progress Application

What does that even mean? It doesn’t tell me if I even passed the test!

I’ve written to them for feedback but haven’t had a reply yet and if I’m honest I doubt they will. This seems to be a trend in civvy street.

Oh well, onwards and upwards.

Thanks again for all of your comments guys, they were really appreciated.

Cheers and stay safe

Mike

Keep a look out for the operative positions mate, you will stand a good chance with your background in my opinion. The technician jobs go external because people from different companies (siemens,vital etc) have s&t too so it gives them a chance as they cant apply internally

 

[a340egkk]

You won't get a job in S&T unless you have at least some of the required courses - the only ways basically to enter into S&T are via becoming an operative and hoping courses come your way, or by doing an NR Engineering Apprenticeship.