Hello, I am scheduled to goto a hiring session for UP next week. What can I expect from the session? Any dos or dont's? How long will it last? If I am accepted for employment how quickly will I start? What can I expect? Thanks! Michael
I applied for a UP position back in 2002. The application was pending for TWO YEARS before it disappeared to God knows where. I ended up going full time Army summer 2002 so I did not follow up on it. Very clumsy process.
I've gone to 7 different hiring sessions between BNSF and UP in just the last 3 years. My last two were on DEC. 1st and the 5th BNSF / UP. Gotta wait a min of 6 months between hiring sessions for both RR's. I've given up on the hiring sessions and going to school "NARS" for the job. Not a guarantee of a job but close. 90% hiring rate Guaranteed interview with BNSF. Out of the two RR's I'd say UP is the easier of the hiring sessions
Well currently there is a real blood fest going on here in the Roseville hub. What is happening is the boards are getting reduced and the youngest in seniority is getting cut off. That means chasing your seniority to who knows where. We have seen people in Sparks sent to Klamath Falls and now are getting cut off there. Some will go to Bakersfield, Oakland or Roseville. Being single and willing to live out of a car or truck is a must right now. Hopefully, if you can hang in there, late spring or early summer will see an increase of work allowing everyone to get back to where they want to work. Also, if you get an interview, don't come off as a foamer or too knowledgeable about the railroad. If you are going through the interview process a second or third time, change your tactics or responses to questions a bit. UP has not been very consistent in who it hires. No rhyme or reason it just depends on the interviewer's attitude at the moment. Some sessions seem to hire more people in their 30s and other times the 20 something group gets the nod. Greg
I don't consider myself a foamer. Don't take pictures, listen to scanners, or chase trains in anyway. Just talk to people on the Internet and read though forums (wonder if they do an internet seach during background checks). Anyways I alway try to steer clear of anything that will even give the slightest hint of being a railfan during Interviews. That's One thing you find out pretty quickly if you do any kind of research on getting hired !
There is no short cut to apply. It took me about an hour to do mine. I applied and hired by UP march of 05. Train service is very different, it's not for everybody!
It took me about an hour to do my application online. It took about six months before UP called me for an interview. I hired out March of 05. They recieve hundreds of applications for trainservice. They interviewed 250 people for the hiring session over a 5 day period. They only hired 21 of us, so you can see not evryone gets hired sorry to say. But good luck!
Does anyone know if this is still the case? I realize this is post is about six months old, and that's why I'm curious. I went to the Roseville hiring fair last spring, and made it to the interview portion, but didn't make the final cut. After reading this right after that, I was glad I didn't. Well, now my six month waiting period is over, and I'm seeing articles about UP needing people, so I'm thinking about applying again. Are there still cut offs out of the Roseville hub? How about the Portland area? I live in Oregon, so Portland, Eugene or maybe even Eastern Oregon would be more attractive than Roseville, if there is enough work. Anyone heard anything? Thanks!
I know it's not in your area (North Platte NE) but when I went in to do the initial paperwork they metioned something about trying to hire about 40 (in North Platte) a month for the next few months. So maybe the "HOT JOBS" really are HOT JOBS on there website.
Hey Mike, thanks for the info...and for the update to the question about your status that I asked on the BNSF board! Congrats! I drove across Nebraska last month, and as I passed thru the North Platte area, I heard radio ads for UP's recruiting fair. I hadn't thought much about a railroad job since I got turned down in March, but those radio ads got me wondering if my six month waiting period was up. When I discovered that it was, I saw the Hot Jobs on UP's site, and got even more curious. How do you feel about moving to Nebraska? I may go ahead and apply for one of those positions in North Platte, in addition to Portland. Being a west coast guy, I'm a little concerned about what my "weather wimp" factor would be! I'm used to gray, rainy winters in Oregon, with temps that don't often fall lower then the mid-20's...if that. A frosty midwestern winter would be a new experience for me! (But worth it, if that's what it takes to break into UP.) Good luck...keep us posted!
I guess I'll just have to wait an see how the winters are there compared to Denver (which are pretty mild). I spent 2 years up in Minot,ND and the temp there was about -20 for a week at a time with about a -40 wind chill. It's pretty windy in Nebraska but I don't think it'll be that extreme. If I had been hired in Denver I'd have to deal with 3 foot or more snow drifts up in the mountains. Wouldn't you have the same in Oregon with mountain snow drifts. Really I believe that Nebraska will be actually easier to work at because it's UP's Trans-Con line (all ACS). We'll just have to see what "Nebraska" is all about.
I guess if you can handle a North Dakota winter, you can stand just about anything! You may be right about snow drifts in the mountains here in Oregon...I hadn't thought about that. I hate to sound ignorant, but what does ACS stand for?
A.C.S. (Automatic Cab Signal) I believe that it's better than C.T.C. (Centralized Traffic Control) Reading the rules you can go by the cab signal over having to wait til you see the next signal. But of course this wasn't covered in class so I'll have to see if this is true once I begin training.
===================================================== METRA(Chicago) uses ACS on various routes. I am familiar with the BNSF Aurora line. The ACS signal aspect is the authorizing indication, so if the cab signal changes to a more favorable aspect(or more restricting)you operate your train accordingly. It helps a great deal to keep the commuter trains to schedule because if you entered a block on an "Approach Medium" or "Approach" and the aspect changes to a more favorable indication,you can govern your speed accordingly. It takes a little time to get used to using the cab signal vice the actual signal board. Of course you still have to observe and comply with the actual signal indication should it differ or change. I recall there are/were a couple of X-overs on the west end of the line that would cause the ACS to drop to restricting momentarily, sometimes the aspect would remain, necessitating a call to the Dspr. On a 3MT high-speed main line,all track signalled for both directions,you DONT want to take chances! Charlie
