Hello all, I have been applying with BNSF for a few months now and I have finally been invited to a conductor trainee hiring event in Denver for a position in casper/greybull Wyoming. I have a few questions. I am 18 years of age, I am wondering if I even have a chance at getting hired and it will be my first time at a RR hiring event, and I am very serious about the position and working for the railroad one day, it is a dream of mine. My grandfather was an engineer for SOO LINE and my father is serving his 20th year at BNSF as a Superintendant at a major diesel shop. My uncle has also worked for BNSF as a conductor. My father has contacted the HR lady who is set to interview me and let her know my name and told her I was very interested in working for BNSF. As far as it goes it is left up to me to provide a great interview. Can anyone tell me what types of questions to expect and how to handle them? I am really interested in seeing what the railroad exactly wants from me. I know to stress safety and to not bring up the fact that I like trains a lot, but rather let them know I want to help the company out as much as possible. Do I bring a copy of my resume? and if so, am I supposed to carry around whatever files I have with me all day? I'm not sure if this makes a difference, but based on my performance in high school I was allowed to take college courses through the college in my town, i only took about 5 classes. Is it necessary to bring my transcript for that? Thank you for all of the answers, anything will help and I would greatly appreciate any advice! thank you all, Michael S.
Yes bring your resume & your transcripts. You want to show them your skills AND you're willingness to learn more. Don't "beat them over the head" w/ these things, but make sure they see them. And talk about any places you worked where safety was important & how you learned to work safely. And mentioning your RR relatives won't hurt if you can tell them what your learned about RRing & safety. And if you have any experience working around heavy equipment is definitely worth mentioning. Also talk to your RR relatives about what they know about interviews w/ BNSF. Good luck.
mscog135, Good luck with the hiring session. If you don't mind, let me know how it goes. I am hopefully going to be going to one my self next week. Fingers crossed.
I just had my interview and career preview with BNSF for a conductor position in South Dakota. As Axle said, safety seems to be huge for the company and they even opened the preview with a safety brief which included a building evacuation plan and taking note of who in the room knew CPR, hah. At the end of my interview (which was a three-person panel) I was told that I would be receiving a conditional job offer; for the original poster in this thread, here is what I did to get there. 1. I tried to dress appropriately (business casual); my outfit consisted of pressed slacks and a knit golf-type shirt with matching belt and dress shoes. 2. I tried to be polite and professional ("Yes, sir / no, sir") with the BNSF staff when addressing them. 3. I brought a notepad and folder and took notes during the presentation. I tried to ask questions and remain engaged. 4. I printed my most recent resume and cover letter on card stock and presented it to the interviewers prior to the interview. 5. During the interview, I emphasized the importance of situational awareness, adherence to company policy and most importantly, BEING SAFE! I know the original post in this thread is a little old, but if this info can help someone then that's all that matters. Please feel free to PM me with questions. Spooky
Congratulations, Spooky, hope it's the start of a long, rewatding career! PS Your tips sound like good ones.
