Getting a foot in the door.

Oh ok I thought commuter railroads had their own classification and weren't included in the regular class system. Interesting info.

I was hoping to find out what the procedure (if any) is when applying for open positions in multiple locations. Like many, I'm trying to get hired by any of the class 1 RR's. For example, on NS's website (and several others including UP, CSX, and BNSF) they have ALOT of listings for "conductors" in many different states, including where I live, here in NJ. I have no problem moving or living in any state, from Florida to Washington, Arizona to Maine. I spent 7 years in the Air Force and moved often. I'm not a crazy "railfan" and understand (as best I can w/o actually having worked for the RR) what the life entails.
I realize most people can only apply for a position where they currently reside, that's not my situation. I would assume certain locations in many states, offer a recipient a better chance of being hired based on their size, needs, amount of applicants, etc... Is it possible to find out, or is it common knowledge, where these locations are (I seem to believe NJ might be alot tougher than say Nebraska based on the population) ? When applying would you apply for several conductor jobs in several states or just choose one location? If you apply for a certain location and aren't choosen, can you choose and apply for a different location (NJ vs TX for example) ?
Please accept my apology if the questions above were previously covered in another discussion. Lastly, thank's in advance to any and all who take THEIR time to respond. I really appreciate it !!! Drew g

Click on any or all locations your willing to move to and apply in the app they'll ask are you willing to relocate.

I lived in Atlanta when I interviewed with the UP in Salt Lake City. No mention of the distance being an issue was brought up during the interview process.

I received a phone call from the UP HR Dept. asking if I was interested in working in Ogden, UT on a Wed. afternoon with training beginning the following Monday (5 days later!). It was an interesting transition and one that was made easier by my being single, able to pack-up my p-up truck with almost everything I owned and high tailing it to Utah with an overnight stay in Kansas City along the way.

Go for it. You never know what may come of it. Let the adventure being! I have no regrets.

Thanks guys for all the great responses. I really appreciate it very much. My situation is very similar to yours, slchub, I could be in my truck and gone for good same day. I have very little to pack up, and nothing that I need to worry about as far as leaving quickly (sell house, 2 weeks notice, etc..) and living somewhere new. BNSF has alot of openings right now and I see some in Montana. I'm dying to live out there. My only real concern is if I sign up for several positions in several different states and I'm lucky enough to be invited for an interview/testing, I could end up having to drive all over half the country. Don't get me wrong, I would do it, but if several interviews are scheduled on or near the same day, it could get very difficult and costly to be driving, flying, and renting hotels in several different states. Im going to spend some more time doing research. Thanks again gentlemen.

Just got hired and am currently in training for conductor at Canadian Pacific. They are hiring in alot of areas in the next year, 30 more conductors in Bensenville(Chicago) from now until June and alot of hiring in St Paul, Mn. Check their website for other areas.

How much would a Track laborer jobs like this pay?: http://tbe.taleo.net/NA9/ats/careers/re ... s=1&rid=62

It says, "The job requires the individual to follow standard safety procedures, be alert, and take necessary precautions (e.g., wearing/using protective clothes and equipment) to avoid possible injuries or health problems that may result from:
-- walking on irregular ground;
-- exposure to irritants/chemicals;
-- working around moving equipment and other types of equipment;
-- working at heights and elevations.
-- exposure to extreme cold and heat for periods of more than one hour.
-- subject to noise; causes worker to shout in order to be heard.
-- subject to atmospheric conditions that may affect the respiratory system or the skin; fumes, odors, dusts, mists, gases, or poor ventilation."

Does this mean that any kind of RR job requires people to wear masks? Can you still smell the fumes, gases, etc even with a mask on?

The company takes all precautions it can to protect employees from danger thru equipment, training, and safety briefings. It is dangerous work, but not THAT dangerous. If it were, they couldn't DO it! Remember, they are trying to cover ALL the bases at the outset, and usually it is never so bad as it sounds.

All anyone can tell you, the pay is worth the effort. If it weren't, they'd not be able to keep people! Nobody can tell you exactly what the pay rate will be until you are actually hired/marked up.

Staying safe is, when it is all said and done, is up to YOU. It is UP to YOU to use all precautions and proper equipment to prevent injury, If you are THAT worried about chemicals, solvents, and personal safety, I wouldn't take the job!

GF

I too did the shotgun approach. My uncle, who is also an engineer encouraged me to try the railroad. I ended up in Illinois, working for BNSF. I got called on a Friday, to report Monday. My family had a goodbye dinner for me on Saturday night, and I headed out from Connecticut. It was tough training in the day time, and searching for a place to live in the evening.
Find out what types of jobs are available before accepting the position. Also find out how large the seniority district is. I jumped at my first job. Luckily, it was a good move. I also got called by a couple of other railroads, just after I hired out. My point is that if you had a good Air Force career, you will likely fit in well, and have several offers. They like veterans!

Thanks EngineerSpike--I spent the last two months researching everything I could on the topic of getting hired with the RR. I even purchased that book called "How To Get A Railroad Job" and spent countless hours reading all sorts of posts on various forums. As anxious as I am to get a job, I don't want to quickly apply without learning as much as I can beforehand. I want to be fully prepared for the extended hiring process IF I make it thru the initial application, assessment tests, and interview/s. With most class 1 railroads making you wait a minimum of 6 months in between applications, simply applying without understanding the process can really be detrimental. Especially because no matter where you live, there are usually very few railroad opportunities. In most cases, only two or three max. This two month time period really helped me. It enabled me to work on my resume and gear it towards a position with the railroads. I also learned alot about these "personality and assessment" tests. I finally applied this past Sunday with both NS and CSX, and surprisingly I received a response from NS today, Wednesday, advising me "after careful review of my application and resume", I was invited to an interview next week. To be honest, I'm shocked. I wasn't expecting to hear anything back for possibly months, let alone within two days. As for CSX, the job posting doesn't end until January 31, so my application shows "pending review". I won't know if I'm invited to participate in the next process or have been declined for at least two more weeks. I'll let you know how everything works out shortly. Thanks to everyone who posted on this forum and offered some great advice and experiences. Reading them has helped me immeasurably. Thank you!!!

Gadfly wrote:
All anyone can tell you, the pay is worth the effort. If it weren't, they'd not be able to keep people!

Just something to add to this statement. There is a reason that after five years 66% of people that hired on at NS no longer work there.

Mike J: "Just something to add to this statement. There is a reason that after five years 66% of people that hired on at NS no longer work there."

Is that a fact ??? Almost 70% of all NS employees quit or are fired within 5 years ???? That seems outragous !!!! That means that only 3 out of 10 actually last more than 5 years. And certainly not all of these last until retirement. So taking it another step farther, that would mean almost NO ONE actually retires from NS than. How's can this be accurate?

You can't believe everything you hear/read i applied for conductor with csx in late feb and was at the redi in late may..first time applying without any railroad experience and hired out in the baltimore division.... i share this to say that if it's what you want go for it,because most of what i heard before being hired has been totaly untrue..


Just remember when you answer a question you probably should answer it the way a boss would want you to, not give some info from a book or someone telling you how it should be or what makes sense to them.

drewg350 wrote: Is that a fact ??? Almost 70% of all NS employees quit or are fired within 5 years ?

In 2009 for the businessweek article on "Best Places to Launch a Career" Norfolk Southern was on the list and they listed three year retention rate at 52% and five year retention rate at 37% (so I was wrong about 66%, it should have been 63%).

Regardless Mike, 63% or 67%, either way you cut it, that seems like an outragous amount of "turnover". How could NS be considered for "Best Places to Launch a Career" if almost 3/4 are gone in less than 5 years. I don't understand. Is NS the only RR with numbers like this? If so, they must be doing things completely different than their competitors. But I seriously doubt that. I can't see how the turnover ratio in the RR business is this bad. I know the jobs are tough and the lifestyle is basically non-existent for SOME positions, but its not like they're paying minimum wage. The wages seem very competitive, especially now that almost all the US manufacturing (and the machinist's jobs which normally pay well), have gone to China, India, and a bunch of similar countries. In other words, there aren't too many good "blue collar" jobs that offer the pay and benefits the RR does left in this country. Based on this, you would think people who got hired with the RR would stay with the RR, and thus turnover would be minimal. Certainly not the 63% figure listed above. Oh well, I don't understand.