Railroad Forums 

  • Interested in a RR Career

  • General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.
General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.

Moderator: thebigc

 #1304475  by gobucks90
 
Hey all,

I'm going to be graduating soon from college with a degree in Economics and I've been looking to get a job in the railroad industry. I applied for NS's Transportation Management Trainee program and did the phone interview and haven't heard back yet from them. My application status still says "in process" so I'm kind of curious how long they usually take to let you know if they're still interested or not. Also, I've been applying for Conductor positions with other companies. Do I have a shot at getting a conductor position or do I not really fit what they are looking for? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the help.
 #1306995  by Iconian
 
Patience. It took me six years until I was given a job offer. Don't get discoraged when you are not selected, but do not limit yourself to just this job opportunity
 #1307398  by catfish63755
 
Don't get in a hurry to find anything out. All of the railroads are slow to respond and hire, they advertise well ahead of when they want people to start.
 #1322142  by jboyle
 
Does anyone know when the next set of trainee classes will start? I have applied to the MOW, mechanical, and intermodal and they are all "in process". Thanks.
 #1322481  by dunee88
 
catfish63755 wrote:Don't get in a hurry to find anything out. All of the railroads are slow to respond and hire, they advertise well ahead of when they want people to start.
Very true. It could be quick or good be years and by quick I mean anything under a year
 #1323080  by terms-d
 
Iconian wrote:Patience. It took me six years until I was given a job offer. Don't get discoraged when you are not selected, but do not limit yourself to just this job opportunity
Iconian summed it up well. It may take a while, and it may not be the exact opportunity you want, but you'll get your foot in the door eventually. It took me 3 years, over 100 applications, and over a dozen interviews/hiring sessions before I landed my first job.

Persistence is the key -- it is well known that railroading is a difficult industry to get into, and many people simply don't have the patience to make it. Don't take rejections personally either or assume you're forever barred from applying for that job: for one job, I applied for the same job at the same location 3 times, finally making the cut on the third try; for another job, I must've applied about a dozen times all over the system before getting in. Even HR & Hiring Managers at hiring sessions tell you that if you don't make the cut the first time, keep applying until you do.
 #1324745  by gp80mac
 
You spent all that time, energy and patience on getting an economics degree.


Why waste it getting a job with the RR in operations?
 #1324946  by COEN77
 
gp80mac wrote:You spent all that time, energy and patience on getting an economics degree.


Why waste it getting a job with the RR in operations?
If a person has the right degree and is willing to be a team player they can move up rather quickly. I noticed recently some names in CSX that have been promoted to key positions. One that I knew just 14 years ago he was an assistant trainmaster now he's in a key position to move further up at the HQ in Jacksonville.