What do they look for in an applicant?

[Ally2900]

Just as the title says really. From personal experience, is there anything that would strengthen my application?! Previous experience with shift work etc.? I've decided to take the plunge and apply for any trainee train driver roles that come my way. Eeek! I know the competition is fierce, so would love to hear previous experiences of applying and being successful (and what made you feel you were successful). I don't really have any experience with the railway (none - actually!) I am an ex-teacher and have been teaching abroad so I feel my application would be really weak.

Love to hear previous experiences of being successful and what you think the railway are looking for in potential applicants.

 

[AlwaysLearning]

Just as the title says really. From personal experience, is there anything that would strengthen my application?! Previous experience with shift work etc.? I've decided to take the plunge and apply for any trainee train driver roles that come my way. Eeek! I know the competition is fierce, so would love to hear previous experiences of applying and being successful (and what made you feel you were successful). I don't really have any experience with the railway (none - actually!) I am an ex-teacher and have been teaching abroad so I feel my application would be really weak.

Love to hear previous experiences of being successful and what you think the railway are looking for in potential applicants.

I’m going through the process now (just passed my psychometric test). The only thing I could recommend is to tailor your application to direct the focus to the main characteristics of being a train driver. Safety is paramount for a train driver. I don’t know anything about being a teacher but I would assume you’re responsible for the safety of your pupils? Talk about the training that you undertook to comply with the safety regulations. Customer service is important for a train driver so look at the similarities with how you engage with your students and their parents. Difficult/ challenging conversations. Concentration is another key attribute so maybe the time you spent staying up late marking exam papers accurately? I’m sure once you start looking at the similarities between the two careers you’ll be able to reel off achievements that will strengthen your application. Read the job description of the TOC you’re applying to so you know what they expect from a potential candidate. Good luck!

 

[MostlyHarmless]

Just as the title says really. From personal experience, is there anything that would strengthen my application?! Previous experience with shift work etc.? I've decided to take the plunge and apply for any trainee train driver roles that come my way. Eeek! I know the competition is fierce, so would love to hear previous experiences of applying and being successful (and what made you feel you were successful). I don't really have any experience with the railway (none - actually!) I am an ex-teacher and have been teaching abroad so I feel my application would be really weak.

Love to hear previous experiences of being successful and what you think the railway are looking for in potential

Well that's a tricky question... I would say take a good look at the 'Career as a trainee driver' thread on this forum. It will give you lots of useful information and insight.

On the positive side, train drivers come from all walks of life including teachers so don't worry that you have no previous railway experience. The hardest bit of the journey is actually waiting... for the vacancies to appear and everything after!

Sorry the answer is a bit vague but feel free to DM me if you have any specific questions. I'm currently training as a driver

 

[Ally2900]

Thank you for your reply. The reason I ask is, the more research I've been doing, the more it seems that all applicants who are successful either have experience in a job that involves shift work, knowledge of the railways or can demonstrate excellent hazard perception or observation skills either from driving or operating machinery. Not sure how true that is but surely I think that would help?

Well that's a tricky question... I would say take a good look at the 'Career as a trainee driver' thread on this forum. It will give you lots of useful information and insight.

On the positive side, train drivers come from all walks of life including teachers so don't worry that you have no previous railway experience. The hardest bit of the journey is actually waiting... for the vacancies to appear and everything after!

Sorry the answer is a bit vague but feel free to DM me if you have any specific questions. I'm currently training as a driver

Not sure how to send a DM. Would love to chat further with you about the process.

 

[MostlyHarmless]

Thank you for your reply. The reason I ask is, the more research I've been doing, the more it seems that all applicants who are successful either have experience in a job that involves shift work, knowledge of the railways or can demonstrate excellent hazard perception or observation skills either from driving or operating machinery. Not sure how true that is but surely I think that would help?



Not sure how to send a DM. Would love to chat further with you about the process.

I'll drop you a message on here.. think you need to have posted 10 messages to send a DM

 

[Ally2900]

I’m going through the process now (just passed my psychometric test). The only thing I could recommend is to tailor your application to direct the focus to the main characteristics of being a train driver. Safety is paramount for a train driver. I don’t know anything about being a teacher but I would assume you’re responsible for the safety of your pupils? Talk about the training that you undertook to comply with the safety regulations. Customer service is important for a train driver so look at the similarities with how you engage with your students and their parents. Difficult/ challenging conversations. Concentration is another key attribute so maybe the time you spent staying up late marking exam papers accurately? I’m sure once you start looking at the similarities between the two careers you’ll be able to reel off achievements that will strengthen your application. Read the job description of the TOC you’re applying to so you know what they expect from a potential candidate. Good luck!

Thanks for this. I briefly worked at the post office too and that could be very stressful at times! Can I ask, what previously jobs you had before applying that you felt strengthened your application?

 

[AlwaysLearning]

Thanks for this. I briefly worked at the post office too and that could be very stressful at times! Can I ask, what previously jobs you had before applying that you felt strengthened your application?

I’ve always worked in retail so it’s mainly shift work like you mentioned but then I’ve been a Hospitality manager so there’s also the safety aspects such as food temperature controls, due diligence, fire safety. Obviously, retail has a very strong customer service element so I believe that also helped. The most important skill will always be safety for a train driver so I would recommend tailoring your CV to highlight all the safety aspects of being a teacher. Looking after a room for of children isn’t easy and if anything happens to them, it’s on you. It takes a very level headed person that works well under pressure, and always puts the safety of the pupils first to be a teacher. How is that different from being a train driver?

 

[Ally2900]

Thank you for your advice.. I do have some retail experience (M&S, NEXT, POST OFFICE, MCDONALDS!) As a teacher we have a lot of safeguarding training, so we need to know the importance of keeping children safe. I'll put in an application when it opens and hope for the best!

 

[Haru]

Take a look at the 7 non technical skills and see how you can relate your experience to them.

 

[ComUtoR]

Our interviews have set questions to ask. What they are looking for is someone with the ability to answer those questions correctly and fully. It's all well and good saying 'talk about safety' or 'talk about the non technical skills' but if those questions don't come up, then its worthless trying to crowbar them into the interview.

I think the best advice is to be prepared with what you are able to answer. Give full and complete answers with emphasis on what you did. Be open minded, arrive on time, dress smartly. Good body language is important and being able to respond to a challenging question.

One of the few universal questions that gets asked is 'tell me about the company' It is one you can revise for and all the knowledge is freely available. Probably one of the easiest questions to get wrong too. You would be surprised how many people just have a quick look on the website and give the most basic and minimal answer.

 

[Grvrdvicdr]

Just as the title says really. From personal experience, is there anything that would strengthen my application?! Previous experience with shift work etc.? I've decided to take the plunge and apply for any trainee train driver roles that come my way. Eeek! I know the competition is fierce, so would love to hear previous experiences of applying and being successful (and what made you feel you were successful). I don't really have any experience with the railway (none - actually!) I am an ex-teacher and have been teaching abroad so I feel my application would be really weak.

Love to hear previous experiences of being successful and what you think the railway are looking for in potential applicants.

My drivers course had a primary school teacher on so don’t let that put you off

 

[Rockhopper]

The first hurdle is getting past the application form stage and getting an interview. Most applications are read by machine these days as there are so many of them so it important to get as many of the words that are used in the job description into your application and covering letter.