I got called for a hiring session!

UP called me for a hiring session today! Any tips from those who've been to one recently? I'm excited to say the least. Any info as to what a single guy could expect to take home every two weeks after probation? Thanks in advance.

-Scott

You make "minimum" during your GCOR classes (we were told ten bucks an hour) and when you pass that and your probation starts, you get 75 percent of what your average salary would be marked up. BNSF average is between 7-800 dollars a week for school, so I would guess roughly that for UP as well. When you graduate and get marked up, it depends on where you are working (yard or road), and how often you get called in. I've been reading some terminals the guys on the extra board are working a TON of hours and thus are making good money. The UP rep that spoke during my hiring session said that given the manpower shortage, 50k/yr is a reasonable number to expect salary wise.

Don't let anyone know you are a railfan and practice your interview skills. Believe it or not, that makes a difference. You will have a physical test and a written test. The written test is straight out of the rule book. Be sure and read each question carefully and you should get everyone right. The questions are basically paragraphs from the rule book. You will get an interview if you pass both the physical and written parts. Have two or three questions in your mind to ask the person(s) interviewing you. That usually makes a good impression. Good Luck!

Thanks for the advice. To be honest, I'm not a railfan. I started looking through this site just to find out more info about the job prospects. I've got my questions in mind and have thought about my responses to the ones they'll likely ask. I have a solid career right now, but the railroad is in the family blood, back east anyway (Conrail). I don't hate my current job, but it's just not the right one for me.
Wish me luck!

See my other post regarding the physical agility test.

Don't sweat the written test either. If you have basic comprehension skills, you will do fine.

Thanks steelwheels!

What do you make of the job so far?

Haven't started yet, classes begin the 23rd, I have my physical next monday.

My initial impression is that anyone who hired on during this labor crunch basically hit the jackpot. The railroad rep that spoke to us was almost BEGGING for people to be interested in management jobs. Hearing some stories about management, I passed but I will definitely be signing that sheet for Engineer school when it pops up. We were told that it used to be a long wait, sometimes years, but now he's got guys going to school who were only marked up as conductors for six months. I'm completely psyched about this, and not just in a railfan way. I'm excited for the change, the chance at learning something new and to be a part of the "new wave" of railroaders.

Anyone know what kind of time frame UP will give you between the hiring session and a potential classroom start date? I know it will vary, but what is your knowledge of it?

Thanks!

So can anyone tell me what the tests consist of, Math, reading weighting ect… and the physicals agilities test has too.

Test: Mulitiple choice reading comprehension. Most, if not all the questions are railroad-related and come from the various GCOR quizzes. If you have average comprehension skills, this is easy money. No psych exam like on BNSF where they ask you five questions 100 different ways.

Physical:

1) You stand on a box and do a "curl" with a bar attached to a chain. Measures your upper body strength.

2) You do a series of 1/4 circles holding a grip machine (to measure your grip strength. Not as easy as it sounds, the gripper can rotate and it's not easy to hold on to).

3) Situps. Cross your arms and touch the opposite shoulder, and do situps where you touch your elbows to your knees.

The good news is all these tests give you points towards achieving a minimum score. Meaning, if you are deficient in one category you can make up for it in the others. I'm a pretty big guy and didn't do a single situp that counted, but I almost yanked that chain out of the box, so I passed. Just do the best you can, and work on the areas you know you may have trouble with. You do these tests in the morning, then you interview the same afternoon. Candidates who are offered jobs are notified that night and you go back the next day to fill out your paperwork.

Good Luck!!

Well, the last time I decided to think about it more. But, this time I took the test and passed. I made a good interview and am waiting to hear back tomorrow night. The word is that the next class will start after the holidays. I have heard that average pay for a single guy is about 1800 every two weeks after taxes. That's about what I make now, but am working two jobs to do it. See what a college degree gets you these days? They already mentioned the possibility of a management position due to my degree. I told them I'd rather work the rails for a few years to get some credibility first. That seemed to be the right answer. Wish me luck fellas.

Hey steelwheels, maybe we'll get to protect the same board someday!

-The shoveler

Hey, good job on the test and interview, hopefully they give you a call and bring you on board.

You're not going to make that kind of money the first three weeks you're in GCOR class, that usually is 80 dollars a day six days, a week (I've heard this varies from terminal to terminal, who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and make more). After you pass that, you'll go on the ground and make around 120 a shift (135 when you get into remote training). This is also 6 days a week. You'll go back into conductor's class for two weeks at 120 a day. Once you mark up on the extra board, you get a guarantee. For you, the road extra board will be 80 percent of 2866 per half (2 week pay period) and the yard extra board will be 80 percent of 2166/half. You can "beat" the guarantee, but you have to be working 12 hour shifts six days a week to do it. Here in Portland right now it's virtually impossible to beat the yard guarantee, not sure how much the guys on the road board are working. Remember, according to rules you are hired at 75 percent of full wage. You get 5 percent of that for passing conductors and 5 percent a year after that. The UTU is looking to bring everyone up to 100 percent by next July just like they did for everyone who hired on pre-July 1 of this year. I missed it by a month. All these numbers I'm giving you are governed by whatever agreement you work under (UP, SP, other) so they also may be different where you are. It's in the ballpark, though.

As far as management goes, think long and hard about that one. We got the same speech about fast track management training, but after seeing what our managers go through and how they treat the guys on the ground, I decided not to go that route personally.

If you have any other questions about what you'll be up against, PM me...all this stuff is still fresh in my mind, I'll be happy to help you out.

theshoveler wrote:Anyone know what kind of time frame UP will give you between the hiring session and a potential classroom start date? I know it will vary, but what is your knowledge of it?

Thanks!

I was given 3 weeks notice, and that was pending a succesful completion of my Physical Ability, Drug Screen, Physical and Background Investigation.