Railroads hiring in the US:

Indeed, that is exciting news.

We can only hope that the hiring trend continues in other industries.

Regards,
 
I've been looking at job postings every week for the last six months for UP, KCS, BNSF, KCT, and Amtrak. I've applied for conductor trainee at BNSF, KCT, and KCS more than once over this time frame and haven't received any call backs.

I truly believe it's random luck with regard to who gets the call backs for interviews. I have two close friends that have been at BNSF for about 15 years now. They have both told me the demographics of new hires varies greatly with age and background. My BNSF friends have told me some new hires struggle to put a sentence together and have doubts if they even have reading and writing skills above the sixth grade. Other new hires have white collar experience and seem very bright. One specifically had a banking background.

My background consist of white collar positions in the telecom industry but job security has always been an issue. I'd feel pretty lucky and excited to get an opportunity with the railroad. Maybe I need to dumb down my resume :o but I seriously doubt it has even been looked at with the flood of applications they receive on a daily basis.

As far as the recent uptick in railroad business it seems true. BNSF employees told me 2010 was a record year for revenues. The baby boomers are starting to retire and will have to be replaced.
 
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I've been looking at job postings every week for the last six months for UP, KCS, BNSF, KCT, and Amtrak. I've applied for conductor trainee at BNSF, KCT, and KCS more than once over this time frame and haven't received any call backs.

I truly believe it's random luck with regard to who gets the call backs for interviews. I have two close friends that have been at BNSF for about 15 years now. They have both told me the demographics of new hires varies greatly with age and background. My BNSF friends have told me some new hires struggle to put a sentence together and have doubts if they even have reading and writing skills above the sixth grade. Other new hires have white collar experience and seem very bright. One specifically had a banking background.

My background consist of white collar positions in the telecom industry but job security has always been an issue. I'd feel pretty lucky and excited to get an opportunity with the railroad. Maybe I need to dumb down my resume :o but I seriously doubt it has even been looked at with the flood of applications they receive on a daily basis.

As far as the recent uptick in railroad business it seems true. BNSF employees told me 2010 was a record year for revenues. The baby boomers are starting to retire and will have to be replaced.

The railroads also tend to look for people with military experience, and also outdoor experience. A white collar position would be great for a desk job, but the outdoor type is better if you're going to be climbing and walking in all kinds of weather.

Keep applying. This is what I was told over at Railroad.net and Yard Limits. I gave up after I got a job with Oracle, besides I've been diagnosed with PD, which would have written me right off the job boards immediately.

John
 
The railroads also tend to look for people with military experience, and also outdoor experience. A white collar position would be great for a desk job, but the outdoor type is better if you're going to be climbing and walking in all kinds of weather.

Keep applying. This is what I was told over at Railroad.net and Yard Limits. I gave up after I got a job with Oracle, besides I've been diagnosed with PD, which would have written me right off the job boards immediately.

John
YES! That means that I will have a greater chance of getting into a railroad job once I get my Eagle Scout rank in the B.S.A!
 
YES! That means that I will have a greater chance of getting into a railroad job once I get my Eagle Scout rank in the B.S.A!

LOL very funny :D

How about landscaping, road work, etc? Even warehouse and manufacturing maybe helpful. They want people who can work around heavy equipment, walk without problems on uneven ground (count me out now - I fall over easily, which is not a good thing), and even have a CDL or be able to obtain one within a few months of hire, depending upon the position.

Remember there are many positions within the railroad, and not all are T&E. If you have office experience, there are clerk positions, dispatcher, and others that can be railroad related, but not necessarily, out on the road. Once you get in, you can always apply for another position, which if this is like any company, usually is after 12 to 18 months at the hired position.

John
 
From what I've heard, the railroads deliberately avoid hiring railfans. (so don't mention that you hang around virtual railroad boards, either.)
 
YES! That means that I will have a greater chance of getting into a railroad job once I get my Eagle Scout rank in the B.S.A!

That's me all the bud!:cool:

Going to Michigan Tech for thier summer in Finland program, a class specifically intended for folks who want to get into railraoding; majority of participants are Civil engineer grads; I'm going for Mechanical engineering.
 
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