I've found a vacancy I'm really keen to apply for. As with most things in life these days, it's online.
It's important to appreciate that hundreds, if not thousands of people will be interested. There's serious competition.
The good salary, decent working conditions, final salary pension scheme and the rail staff travel concessions available make the role of a trainee conductor extremely attractive.
You should try and sign up to "job alerts" where the TOCs will e-mail you whenever a vacancy is advertised. Spend a few hours a week trawling through the web and keep an eye out.
Early applications are also essential. It is common to hear that once a certain number have been received, the remainder may be totally disregarded.
Stage 2 - Personal Details
Initially, the application process itself was fairly, (very), straightforward, requesting personal details, employment history training, academic record, professional record, (use this section to specify any training relevant to the role), and finally two people who could provide references.
If you can't complete this part, then you might want to think about your suitability! That said, don't become complacent. Make sure you complete the section accurately and honestly. Check, and think about everything twice!
It's gets much harder from here!
Stage 3 - Question Time
The next part of the online application asked me to specify the:
"Reasons for applying for this position"
... with a strict maximum response of 500 words.
This section will make or break your application. For the company I applied for, I've since found out that if the person reviewing your application wasn't hooked after reading the first two lines, you would be rejected. You'll need to provide an immediately confident, enthusiastic introduction to yourself and your reasons for applying. Towards the end, you'll need to demonstrate your understanding of the Trainee Conductor position, and how and why you are suited to the role.
Think about:
- The company. Why do you want to work for them? What do you know about them?
- The role. What do you know about the role? What can you bring to the role? What research have you done?
- You. What experience do you have? What do you hope to achieve? Why do you want to be a Trainee Conductor?
TIP: Write your answer using Microsoft Word etc., check your spelling, read it through a couple of times, check the word count and finally, copy and paste it all into the application form.
