Train Driver Interview Questions And Answers

• Publisher: How2become
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781909229440
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Counseling in Career Development

Want to pass your Train Driver interview at the first attempt? Train Driver interview questions and answers is a comprehensive workbook that will teach you how to pass both the criteria based/structured and managers interviews with high scores. It provides an invaluable insight into the Train Driver interview scoring process as well as giving you sample questions and responses. This guide is created by the UKs leading train driver recruitment experts.

CHAPTER 1

ABOUT THE
TRAIN DRIVER
INTERVIEWS

During this section of the guide I will provide you with an explanation of the different types of interview you may be required to go through. It is important that you check with the Train Operating Company you are applying to which type of interview you will be sitting. Once you have this information you can then extract and use the appropriate sections from this guide during your preparation.

The two types of interview during trainee train driver selection are STRUCTURED/CRITERIA BASED INTERVIEW and a MANAGERS INTERVIEW. Let's now take a look at each of them individually in order to give you a better understanding of what is required and how they differ.

THE STRUCTURED/CRITERIA BASED INTERVIEW

The structured interview will come before the manager’s interview and is designed to assess whether or not you have the skills, qualities, attributes and experience to become a train driver.

The interview is so designed to provide the assessors with evidence of a candidate’s ability, motivation, personal style and attitudes in six key areas which determine how an individual will cope with the unique demands of the driving role and its environment. Prior to the interview you are asked to give relevant examples on a candidate interview form. The interviewer then uses this form as a basis for an in-depth exploration of your behaviour. The interviewer/assessor will then record the evidence you provide on a structured interview record form.

The Train Driver structured interview is based on thorough job analysis of the UK train driver role. The interview process has been used successfully within the UK for over 12 years and reveals invaluable evidence about a candidate’s approach to the role.

During your preparation I recommend that you think about your experiences so far in life in the following areas:

• Your ability to work well within a team;
• Your ability to work effectively under pressure;
• Your ability to learn and retain large amounts of job-related information;
• Your ability to provide a high level of customer service;
• Your ability to cope in an emergency situation;
• Your ability to follow rules and procedures;
• Your ability to work alone, unsupervised;
• Your ability to communicate effectively;
• Your ability to concentrate for long periods of time.

There are of course other key areas to the train driver’s role; however, the above key areas are an ideal starting point for your preparation.

Here are a few examples of structured interview questions:

SAMPLE STRUCTURED/CRITERIA BASED INTERVIEWQUESTIONS

Q. Provide an example of when you have worked as part of a team. Within your response please explain what you did and how you contributed towards the team.

Q. Provide an example of when you have had to communicate an important message to a group of people.

Q. Provide details of where you have carried out a safety-critical task.

Q. Provide an example of when you have delivered high-quality customer service.

Q. Provide details of a situation where you had to concentrate for long periods of time whilst working on a difficult task.

Q. Provide details of when you have learnt a large amount of job-related information.

Q. Provide details of when you have had to carry out a task in a highly pressurised environment.

Q. Provide an example of when you have carried out a difficult task unsupervised.

Q. Provide an example of when you have followed rules and procedures to complete a specific task.

Q. Provide details of when you have been in an emergency situation. What did you do and why?

The above sample structured interview questions all require you to provide a specific example of where you carried out a task or took a particular course of action. You will notice that the sample questions are all within the realms of the role of a train driver; therefore, it is perfectly acceptable for the interviewing panel to want to see EVIDENCE of where you meet each particular area being assessed. You will notice that I have capitalised the word EVIDENCE; this is because it is vitally important that you provide specific details of where you have already carried out the task or action in question in a previous or current role. Anybody can say at interview what they would do in a given situation, but actually providing details and EVIDENCE of what they have done in a similar situation is a far harder task.

As you can imagine, many people worry that they do not have the life experiences to answer these types of questions. I get lots of people ask me during my 1-day train driver course how do they obtain the experience to answer these questions. My simple answer is that they need to go out there and get the experience necessary. Of course, being a former firefighter I personally have lots of experiences in all of the above areas; however, I sympathise with those of you who find it difficult to think of situations that you have been in where you can provide EVIDENCE of the assessable area. The simple fact is this: you are applying for a position that carries a huge amount of responsibility and as such, it is vital that you have the knowledge, skills and experiences to do the job safely and competently. If you don’t currently have the experiences to answer the questions then you need to find ways of gaining the required level of experience. For example, there is nothing to stop you from embarking on a Health and Safety course in order to gain the skills and experiences required to answer the following two questions:

Q. Provide an example of when you have followed rules and procedures to complete a specific task.

Q. Provide details of where you have carried out a safety-critical task.

There is also nothing to stop you from asking your boss at work if you can deliver a presentation to your co-workers on an interesting subject that relates to your work. By doing this you will be able to answer the following question:

Q. Provide an example of when you have had to communicate an important message to a group of people.

If you are struggling to think of a situation where you have learnt a large amount of work-related information then why not embark on an evening class or learn a musical instrument?

The point I am making here is that there are ways in which you can gain experiences in order to answer the questions; you just need to think outside of the box a little!

The important factor to remember of that at no point should you be dishonest during the interview. People have asked me during my 1-day train driver course if it is wise for them to ‘make up’ fictitious scenarios so that they can answer the questions; my response is a resounding NO! There is absolutely no way that I want a train driver driving a train that I am a passenger on if he or she has lied at the interview; would you?

SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY!

The role of a train driver is one that is called in the industry ‘safety-critical’. The criteria for what makes a job safety-critical will depend upon the regulatory environment and/or the safety standards applied to the role.

The general consensus is that a job is safety-critical if it may lead to harm being caused (or not being prevented) to users, bystanders, other stakeholders, or the environment, although the range of causes and harm considered can vary. Basically, in a nutshell, the role of train driver is a highly responsible one which requires an ability to carry out the role safely, competently and professionally. If the job is not carried out in line with rules and safety procedures then harm may be caused.

During your preparation for both sets of interviews...