Railroad Forums 

  • Norfolk Southern Ops Internship Questions

  • 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

 #1484975  by WesternNation
 
Good afternoon,

As I’m sure those who frequent this section remember, I posted a while back (May) about eventually wanting to become a trainmaster post-college and after hiring on from the bottom, etc etc. As it turns out, there is an opportunity for me to gain some experience early on in what actually working on a railroad is like. Norfolk Southern recently brought back their “Operations Supervisor” internship, with twenty different locations including Chicago, Elkhart, Toledo, Bellevue, Conway, and Allentown, to name a few. I feel like I have a chance at actually earning a spot this year, so I’ve decided to apply.

I have a couple of questions regarding what I could expect from the hiring process. I plan on submitting my application soon for several locations (most of them listed above), and I was able to talk to a C&S management trainee who works out of Toledo. He talked about having a culture assessment of some sort. I’ve never taken such a thing, so I was curious as to what it is and what would be happening after it. I remember the recruiter talking about flying us down to Atlanta for an in person interview after “other things”, but she never elaborated and we ran out of time.

Thanks,

-WN
 #1485619  by Acela150
 
WesternNation wrote:
Acela150 wrote:So you wanna be a train master?? Good luck being hated.
We've already had this discussion. If you have nothing to add, then don't say anything.
If you don't like the answer to the question that is a fact.. Don't ask it.
 #1485782  by WesternNation
 
Acela150 wrote:
WesternNation wrote:
Acela150 wrote:So you wanna be a train master?? Good luck being hated.
We've already had this discussion. If you have nothing to add, then don't say anything.
If you don't like the answer to the question that is a fact.. Don't ask it.
Except I didn't ask about being a trainmaster. This is an internship. The entire point of an internship is learning about and assisting in the position so you can decide if it is the right thing for you. Even then, that's not the question I asked. I didn't ask what it was like being a trainmaster. I didn't ask if I get to ride trains like a stupid foamer. I asked about the hiring process, mainly the culture fit test because I knew nothing about it. I've never taken a "culture fit test" before. And if do not have an answer to my question, then do not reply. Simple as that.
 #1486063  by Engineer Spike
 
I agree with the last statement. Who knows how much they want a free thinker, vs. someone who will be content to drink the Koolaid, and would tend to go along with the program. If this is what you want, then give it a shot. Some were rude about it, but I think that practical experience goes a long way. There have been many times where the word is to keep quiet, and fill your pockets. This is because without the experience, a manager has insisted that a move is made a certain way. Often it turns out to be the long way. Any junior varsity switchman could have seen a smarter way to accomplish the same thing.

All that I am saying is to keep your mind open. The company will tell you how the workers are dumb, sub human, warm bodies. Some of us are actually better educated than many bosses. Some will be helpful, and just want to finish up and go home. Othere will screw you silly, and you won’t even know it happened.