Western Railroad Discussion > Why do you want to work for the RR question.

When this question comes up at an interview what would be a fitting response to this question, without coming off sounding like your a railfan. Even more tricky if someone has a long career in a field that doesn't even remotely relate to the industy. Thanks.
I'm thinking something along the lines of...I've always held an interest in the transportation industry...like the idea of being responsible for the equipment and goods....

Tell them you LOVE trains. Any kind of train, as long as it is a train. Tell them that when you see a train going by, you literally LEAP into the air with joy at the site of it. Tell them if you can't get a job with the choo choo's you'll be very sad, cause this is your dream, and it's all you want to do. That should work perfectly. Trust me.

I wont even go into this because the railroads seem to hire the ( iam sorry all) but from my expierence, forget it as i got cut down from the railroads for many reasons, not the least of which is "gee I would like what i do". Wow, it seems like the railroad is the only corporation or the company who hires people that actually DONT like thier job, (sorry, thats what i seen in Chicago). Sorry.....just my opinion on what i have seen in the hiring process in chicago. (this was 2-3 years ago, BTW)
Please, lets not light the Flame!!!! Ive been so good lately....
TheHammer

Don't forget safety.........

YM

DON'T tell them you are a "foamer" or you'll never get hired. The best thing to say is about what you can learn from, and do for, the railroad. FORGET anything about knowing about the job. It's not what you think it is. You'll find out about what really goes on IF you gete hired.

Tell them that it beats working for a living. Seriously, if they mention safety, give them this little 19-word beauty: No job is so important,no service so urgent that we cannot take time to perform all work safely. We used to get extra credit on our tests at C.S.X.T. conductors school for being able to quote this--- good luck.

Don't mean to sound condescending or snide, but what about just playing it straight? Why DO you want to work for the railroad? There's your answer.

For what it's worth, speaking as a former railroader (five times over now), the railroads are thick with railfans, whether they admit it or not. As long as you don't make it obvious that it will interfere with your ability to perform your job, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I know a couple of fairly highly placed foamers who make no secret of it and it doesn't seem to have hurt them too much. One who is extremely highly placed.

When that question was asked of me I told the truth, money. I didn't say safety, I didn't say I liked trains or even the job, I said money.My interview then consisted of 30 more minutes talking about horses, (I don't like them either but I worked on a ranch). Don't forget about the question when they ask you how much time you've taken off work, on the job injuries.

Transportation! What a dynamic industry! Movement of goods and materials ADDS value to them. Every day is a new challenge. I enjoy problem solving in the face of adversity. The jobs can't easily be transferred to offshore companies. Communications companies transport data and conversations, TV networks transport ideas and entertainment, Newspapers transport news but I want to move the heavy stuff, the commerce of the nation.

Now you will have to come up with the specifics to flesh these topics out. That won't be too hard for a section or switchmans position but you will need more for the mgmnt training program.

Just tell them you want to be slowly tortured to death; that's why you want to work for a railroad!

How about a view from the outside looking in?
Why have I chose not to work in railroading...even though the business, geography and history fascinates me?

#1-Choice....a firm choice that I can live where I want and be home with my family.

#2-I don't ever want to witness someone dying because of their stupity or due to the sheer force of gravity.

Two years ago I almost went to work for both western railroads as an educational safety consultant (UP didn't want to pay their half). At this point I am glad that I am not working that job because it would have kept me away from home 3 to 5 days a week even though I would have been a blast!

One of the great upspoken benefits of my current career is that I can be around my children during their school years.

Yes...I would like the money and so would my wife...but sometimes you have to pay (not $$$) for lifestyle!

Gregg A. Pohll
Chiloquin OR

Hello railroad want-a-b's. First off. I tell everyone who wants to work for the RR, that you have to genuinely like RR's. I mean you have to want to have the whole damn anchelata. If you are just a foamer looking for a job, you'll hate it and soon quite.

Ok, so you say you like RR's so much you can't stand it. I would do anything to work for the RR you say. OK, I believe you! Now, what a lot of people don't know about RR's is the negetive side. Yeah, there's locomotives to look at, the possibility or being a RR engineer, running up the main line and making big money. Looking at trains all the time and getting paided for it. Sounds great doesn't it!

OK, here's the down side. You have no senority starting out. None!! You can't hold the worst job on the whole damn RR. You will be working the extra board for 10 to 15 years if you're lucky and bounching all over God's green Earth. You start out at 75% of full pay and it takes you 5 years to go to 100%. You will be gone away from home 80% of the time and when you are home, you will be subject to call so you can't plan anything. If you're not married and thinking about getting married, you will never find a girl in her right mind asking to marry a guy like you! Forget it. YOU love the RR too much. This will be your life! The RR life is a damn lonley one. No wife or one you harldy see and no freinds. Just the strange ones at the end of the line in some lowly hotel or the ones in a old man bar. Some life huh. Good luck, I've been there!

We've got a a guy named Jim Ludban (ex CSX) as our operations director and he's actually quoted the 'No job is so important,no service so urgent that we cannot take time to perform all work safely'
line. I wondered where he got it from!!

Tell them you know UPRRENG, and people wonder where he gets his nickname. Don't listen to that booger. Say something about the pay, or that you like working with others.(team Work). Just keep in mind that the money is only good when your working. U.P. now has 80 some odd guys furloughed in the L.A. area.

then why on earth did they test people in LA a couple months ago? was that all just in case the retirement bill went though?

I am sure that this has been discussed before, it's not uncommon for the bnsf to hire at a location where they have or will be furloughing people. I am sure that the U.P. does the same. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Tax breaks involved?

We are hiring in April in Lincoln Nebraska and have ahd people trained and furloughed out of traing that have NEVER worked and haven't been recalled, and are furloughing people as we speak.