Hello everybody! I just wanted to thank everyone on the board for providing tons of helpful insight and information. I was recently invited to a Hiring event this Thursday in Scottsbluff, Nebraska for a position in Alliance, Nebraska, and if I hadn't found this site, I would have felt a lot less prepared for this interview. If anybody else has any last minute advice for me, I would appreciate it very much! Thanks again everybody and wish me luck! Heme13
Only advice I can offer is general - try to be well rested, be honest with answers and be optimistic but realistic, especially about yourself (if they ask). Congratulations on moving forward in the process and good luck!
dont try answering any questions with an answer you think the railroad people want to hear. They're really looking to see if you can respond to a situation quickly and without fumbling all over. Wear clean and neat clothing,no torn jeans or pants hanging halfway off your arse. business casual is always good(polo shirt & khakis). make sure your hair is clean and groomed. If facial hair is part of your appearance, be sure it is neat,clean and trimmed. Hint if it ain't on your drivers license....lose it! Your beard & 'stache will grow back(P.S. this aint a hard-fast reccomendation but "scruffy" works only for your girlfriend). Otherwise be calm and collected. You are up against a lot of competition and you have to sell your good points. Break a leg!!!! Charlie
Safety safety safety safety. That's what they're looking for. Safety first, before ANYTHING else!! And if they ask you what would you do if you saw a fellow employee doing something unsafe, you'd go to him and tell him to stop, and help him out. Good luck!
Hey Everybody! So I just drove the 9 hours back home from Scottsbluff, and wanted to update you guys on how it went. I think it went pretty well! The process started at 8, went through the slide show, and then received our interview times. My interview was at 11:00, but it didn't actually start until about 11:30. Was asked pretty basic questions, and I hopefully answered them well. I always never know how I did after interviews because I am always so nervous I can never remember how it went! I think my odds are pretty good though, considering only 21 people showed up for 15 jobs. The hair drug test was pretty bad though.. haha. I felt like I was getting my haircut with how much hair this woman took! 3 big snips from my head, and now I am left with a 1 and a half inch bald spot. Luckily I have enough hair to cover it up! I was kinda surprised though. I read everywhere that they conducted a set of tests before your interviews, and we didn't have to take them. I also read that we wouldn't hear back from them for 4-6 weeks, but the HR employees said we could hear back in as soon as 48 hours. Maybe because they are rushing to make the start date for classes January 5th? Now the waiting game again.. hboy: Thanks for the responses everybody!
Just as a personal take on the normal progression, my experience has been that they feel pretty good about your chances if they go to the time and expense of the drug test. Continued good luck!
So this morning I woke up to a conditional offer!! Not even 24 hours after the interview! I of course accepted the offer, and have started the process of the background check and medical examinations. I had a few questions about the whole process. I received an email today regarding some missing information from First Advantage. So I provided the additional information that they were asking for, but at the bottom of the email it also asks to provide a W2 and pay stubs for a quarter for every year worked. Being 19, I have never really had to file taxes, because I have never made enough, due to only working seasonal jobs while in school. And I have always been on direct deposit, so I don't actually have physical pay stubs. So I'm not sure what to do.. Any advice? Thanks guys!
Congratulations and Good Luck. I'm waiting to hear from CSX about a System Production Team (Track Work) interview in the near future.... phone screener said after the holidays.
For direct deposit, they usually offer an option to print out a pay sheet. You might inquire of that company's HR if such is possible.
Thanks for the quick replies! I will definitely try and get the pay stubs from my previous employers.. Although I don't know how successful I will be considering I worked at my earliest job when I was 14. Any advice when it comes to the W2's? I am almost positive that I don't have them for 3 out of the 5 jobs I have on my application, because I wasn't 18 while working there and didn't make even close to having to pay income tax. Maybe I should contact HR and see what they say? :question:
Yup. Exactly what I suggested earlier. That would be where to start. If your family had an accountant doing their taxes, ask them for pointers. And, they would have copies of any work they did on file.
Thanks for all the kind messages everybody! Just thought I would give a quick update. I finished the rest of the pre-employment process December 3rd, so now I'm just playing the waiting game again to hear back from them. Hopefully I hear something soon since it's less than a month away from the day classes are supposed to start, and I have to move 9 hours from home! I've looked up places to live, but I don't want to do anything until I get the final email. Also just wanted to ask a few questions. First, if they decide not to hire me, will they let me know? I'm not really concerned about not passing any of the background checks or medical stuff, I was just worried there might be some sort of other reason that they may not hire me and if they would contact me telling me so. Second, are there certain things I am not supposed to disclose to the public about the hiring process? I didn't think about that until after talking with someone, and them asking somewhat specific questions. So now I'm a little paranoid :sweat: Anyways, thanks again everybody! I'll be sure to let you know when I hear back from them!
My own personal experience with the BNSF is that they don't give a lot of advance notice. I received a phone call on a Monday from the HR toadie asking me if I wanted to drive or fly to Kansas City. Short answer is that he told me I would be flying there("BNSF is a first class outfit")on Southworst Airlines(not my idea of premium grade travel). Wednesday of that same week I received a certified letter giving me a confirmation number and flight number for my trip to Kansas City on Sunday and appropriate ground transport vouchers and telling me I would receive my lodging on arrival in Overland Park(N.A.R.S.) and that class would begin the next day, Monday. As for the hiring process, I don't know that anything should be "sensitive" about it. A/ I don't think it's legal to have a "secretive" hiring process, and B/ If something was sensitive,you should be told upfront. So I wouldn't be worried about it. Just for your own comfort, I wouldn't be trumpeting the fact that you are about to be hired by the railroad just in case you are not accepted. That could prove to be embarassing. Otherwise, barring any "skeletons" in your closet, it sounds to me like they will be calling you a conductor soon enough! Charlie
Hey everybody, Just a quick update! I got the email yesterday stating that I am medically qualified. I also checked my profile on BNSF.com, and the status for my application is now "Qualified." Also under the "Next Step" tab of my profile it says: "We look forward to you starting employment with BNSF Railway once all pre-employment steps are completed. We will be in touch with next steps." So as long as everything else runs smoothly, I'm hoping I will be getting the final email sometime this week with my start date, since class starts in 3 weeks! As always, thanks for the replies! Hopefully the next time I update this thread, it will be that I received the final email!
As I have said, many tiems, good news is always welcome. I hope this helps brighten your Christmastime.
