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Unsuccessful Shunter interview

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Bucephalus

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5 Feb 2018
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Hey there. I had my shunter interview with south western railway yesterday and found out this morning it was a 'no'. The competency interview questions were brutal, I felt I didn't have enough of the right experience to answer them confidently.

I already have arrangements in place to start as a trainee bus driver in a couple of months so will still have a new job, I was merely holding out to see if I could get in with SWR. Nonetheless, I feel disproportionately gutted by it.

Just wondering, will bus driving will be a help to me or not should I have another crack at the railway in the future?
 
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Dave19801980

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30 Dec 2018
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There’s nowt wrong with bus driving. I passed in 2005 with Stagecoach and I went on to work for National Express for a few years before moving to European coach touring for different companies to where I find myself now....working for a local coach company but trying my best to get in to the world of train driving.

I can’t speak for everyone or any TOCs but dealing with everything i’ve had to deal with when transporting the general public around and concentrating for long periods of time can only be an advantage.

The rest is down to all the info you’ll find on here to get through the assessments/interviews and the determination to succeed despite the occasional knockback.

Even the rough times are good experience for future times.

Best of luck.
 
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Jlob2804

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Sorry to hear that Bucephalus. Dave is right, all you can do is stay determind. Stacking the odds in your favour as a bus driver is a good idea for when the the next opportunity comes around.

I've got an assessment for SWR trainee train driver on 22nd of Jan. Doesn't seem to be a thread for it on here, unless I've missed it?

Can you remember any of the questions they asked as I expect they'll be similar to mainline drivers questions. It sounds scary and I'm brikcing it, so any charitable advice would be much appreciated?

Thanks.
 

Bucephalus

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Thankyou everybody. And to be fair, bus driver was a job I got offered on my third attempt, I remember feeling just as gutted getting the knock back from my first bus driver interview, so I'll have another look at rail in the future.

And hi Jlob2804, I'm gonna type up a pm for you right now...
 

Trainguy90

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Don’t beat yourself up, I hate competency based questions with a passion and whenever I have practiced answers they always throw in a question I’ve never heard before, all you have to remember is you can use examples from your personal life not just your work life, and although it can be hard to relate these things to their question sometimes the simplest thing is an ok answer if you structure it well.
It’s always worth a crack to keep trying if you want to work on the railway, one other suggestion is to ask for feedback if you haven’t already, might not be what you think
 

Bucephalus

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Location
London
...one other suggestion is to ask for feedback if you haven’t already, might not be what you think

I think I'm gonna ask for feedback, I need to phone first anyhow. The rejection email says not to apply again in six months but I need to ask them what happens to my guard (swr) and train driver talent pool (gwr) applications that are still live
 

OneLowban

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30 Oct 2017
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693
Sorry to hear that mate. For what it's worth I have previously been a bus driver and in a bus control room, both positions helped me with my application to the railway. Best of luck in future and definately try again.
 

baz962

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8 Jun 2017
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3,279
I think I'm gonna ask for feedback, I need to phone first anyhow. The rejection email says not to apply again in six months but I need to ask them what happens to my guard (swr) and train driver talent pool (gwr) applications that are still live
Have you passed psychometric testing.
 

sw1ller

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I failed 5 interviews before being accepted, 4 of them for guard or station staff roles! Weirdly, I got further in my driver applications. It can be something you’ve missed in the interview or just that there was an exceptional candidate that got the nod over you. You’ve just got to keep trying. I’m terrible at interviews and had to work so hard to get that 6th one right. I’ve come from a coach/HGV background and I now know many others that have too. You’re in good company. That being said, the drivers at our place have all sorts of backgrounds, from warehouse to pilots. Many people already have the experience, they just don’t recognise their own achievements. They think the examples have to be brilliant scenarios from their work life. One of mine was to do with my own family. Just think of the questions asked, get an example and use the STAR/STARR format to answer. Good luck with your new career and good luck for the railway too.
 

Bucephalus

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Have you passed psychometric testing.

There was no group bourdon test, tea-occ, or tones test, although the particular role was on the ground with no driving.

I had four paper assessments that I had to go in for that included an alphanumeric test, some scenario based multiple choice, and one involving switches. I also did an alphanumeric test online along with two situation judgment (I think these were for guard and gwr driver though)

Edit, thanks sw1ller
 
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baz962

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There was no group bourdon test, tea-occ, or tones test, although the particular role was on the ground with no driving.

I had four paper assessments that I had to go in for that included an alphanumeric test, some scenario based multiple choice, and one involving switches. I also did an alphanumeric test online along with two situation judgment (I think these were for guard and gwr driver though)

Edit, thanks sw1ller

Ok , so you need to wait six months with that particular company. You should be able to apply elsewhere straight away if the tests were not part of the psychometric testing or if you passed them . Good luck with whatever you do.
 

Lewis H

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11 Dec 2018
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Sorry to hear that Bucephalus. Dave is right, all you can do is stay determind. Stacking the odds in your favour as a bus driver is a good idea for when the the next opportunity comes around.

I've got an assessment for SWR trainee train driver on 22nd of Jan. Doesn't seem to be a thread for it on here, unless I've missed it?

Can you remember any of the questions they asked as I expect they'll be similar to mainline drivers questions. It sounds scary and I'm brikcing it, so any charitable advice would be much appreciated?

Thanks.
When you go for your assessments there’s no interview as it says on the invite, the only time you are one on one is when you do the colour blindness test and if you’re the last one left at the end of the testing.
 

Jlob2804

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When you go for your assessments there’s no interview as it says on the invite, the only time you are one on one is when you do the colour blindness test and if you’re the last one left at the end of the testing.

Thanks Lewis H.

Guess I can relax(ish) on the assessment day then. If I do get though and need to do MMI or DMI at next stage then hopefully Bucephalus advice will come in handy :D
 

Lewis H

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Thanks Lewis H.

Guess I can relax(ish) on the assessment day then. If I do get though and need to do MMI or DMI at next stage then hopefully Bucephalus advice will come in handy :D

I’ve literally had my DMI and MMI this week with SWR, and been offered the job today, so as and when they come about, give me a shout if you want any advice or tips and I will help where possible!
 

Jlob2804

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I’ve literally had my DMI and MMI this week with SWR, and been offered the job today, so as and when they come about, give me a shout if you want any advice or tips and I will help where possible!

Congratulations and good luck with the training. I will do, cheers mate.
 

Konik

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17 Dec 2018
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Having bus driver background will help you a lot on managers interview and structured interview mainly because both jobs are Public Transport jobs and bus company will put a lot of effort to teach you about health and safety at work, clear communication, team work etc. It will also give you a lot of scenarios for structured interview as you will have to work on your own, make decisions on route, deal with customers (important!), you will get stuck in emergency situations (accidents), work under pressure (diversions, time table). I'm currently on last stage (DMI) with WMT (and i'm a bit nervous admittedly), but my current role is within National Express on supervising (and driving before that) for over 13 years. I found structural interview enjoyable (i know, a bit weird that!), but it was all down to experience I already have with NX and all traning they get you through your career. All interview process is basically your potential employer trying to find out if you got treats they are looking for - most important being customer service (how you treat others), health and safety, rules and regulations, following procedures implemented by company (and bus companies got a lot of them too!), clear communication with everyone (customers, dispatch, reports to manager etc). I'm sure spending some time in bus service will help a lot.
 

Bucephalus

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..I found structural interview enjoyable (i know, a bit weird that!)...

I get that. I was kinda looking forward to my SWR day because I don't actually mind interviews. Only on that day, I got my a*** well and truly kicked!

I have always felt that bus driving was my logical next step, well now it will almost certainly be a reality. Whether it is for 2 years or 20 years is entirely up to me. Either outcome I'll be happy with. And thanks, it is reassuring to know it will be relevant to rail.

Edit: congratulations Lewis H!
 
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gaerne58

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28 Mar 2019
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46
Hey there. I had my shunter interview with south western railway yesterday and found out this morning it was a 'no'. The competency interview questions were brutal, I felt I didn't have enough of the right experience to answer them confidently.

I already have arrangements in place to start as a trainee bus driver in a couple of months so will still have a new job, I was merely holding out to see if I could get in with SWR. Nonetheless, I feel disproportionately gutted by it.

Just wondering, will bus driving will be a help to me or not should I have another crack at the railway in the future?

If you don't mind me asking, what type of questions were asked and how long was the interview? I'm guessing questions about when you had to work as a team, dealing with difficult situations, why you want the job and what you can bring to it?
 

ChelseaFrank

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11 Sep 2019
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Lewis H, firstly, congratulations! Do you remember roughly what the questions were? I have passed my Assessment day and MMI and I am due to have my Line Manager Interview in a few weeks. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
 

ChelseaFrank

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11 Sep 2019
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Location
South West
Bucephalus, sorry to hear that you were unsuccessful! I have my line manager interview in a couple of weeks and was wondering if you remember any of the interview questions at all?
 

ChelseaFrank

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11 Sep 2019
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Location
South West
I’ve literally had my DMI and MMI this week with SWR, and been offered the job today, so as and when they come about, give me a shout if you want any advice or tips and I will help where possible!

Lewis H - Do you know remember roughly what kind of questions they asked? Or would you be able to provide any tips? I have my DMI coming up for a Shunter Role. Thanks!
 

Lewis H

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11 Dec 2018
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I
Lewis H - Do you know remember roughly what kind of questions they asked? Or would you be able to provide any tips? I have my DMI coming up for a Shunter Role. Thanks!
If you search ‘DMI’ using the search bar, I made a thread on every question you could be asked, everything that I could think of anyway, searching that will also bring up loads of information you will find helpful.
 

gaerne58

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28 Mar 2019
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I'll just add that there were no questions to trip me up in my interview (even though I wasn't successful). The questions I had were like, tell me about a time when you felt accomplished/rewarded. About a difficult time you had to deal with at work with colleagues. What skills I have that would apply to the job. What do you know about the role you are applying for. Why do you want to work for the railway.

Nothing really technical, just a chat really... They did say though, pretty much after the interview had finished, not to be disheartened if I don't get the job. But to keep trying as they want someone like me. So I'm trying again for another position. Good luck in yours!
 

Busandrail

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30 May 2018
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I started off driving buses when I was 20 out of necessity of needing a better paying job than tesco, plus I hated being inside a building all day.

10 years on and I'm now about to start driving trains for GWR. I found I had so much to draw on when it came to interviews for trains,so it will more than help you in the future. Like others have said, they're both very similar roles in essence, public transport and lots of responsibility.

Good luck in the future mate
 
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