Application as a trainee train driver for Northern was rejected with no feedback, should I give up?

[cmarzo]

Hi there, first time poster

Was quite disheartened yesterday to receive an email from Northern telling me my application has been rejected without feedback.
Had put my address (Liverpool) but the postcode where I would be travelling from as my girlfriends who lives near Manchester City Centre

Just not sure if it was my answers to the STAR questions that was not great or if my application was rejected for my Liverpool address within the application

would anyone be able to shed some light on this at all, or am I in the dark and should apply to a closer station to my address once a job comes up and work on my answers

thanks for any assistance

link for job if anyone is interested: https://northern.engageats.co.uk/Vacancies/W/3683/0/455071/23565/trainee-train-driver-manchester

 

[KaneLeb]

Train driver roles are very competitive roles, with 1000's of applicants. Don't let the rejection on this occasion get you down, and definitely keep applying. Always worth having a think about your answers to the questions and how you could make them better for next time. I was recently turned down by TPE with no feedback, which is fine - it would take TOC's/recruiters far too long to give each and everyone personal feedback on why they failed at this stage. As I said before, don't let it get you down, keep your head up, and apply for the next opportunities!

 

[will1989]

Hi there, first time poster

Was quite disheartened yesterday to receive an email from Northern telling me my application has been rejected without feedback.
Had put my address (Liverpool) but the postcode where I would be travelling from as my girlfriends who lives near Manchester City Centre

Just not sure if it was my answers to the STAR questions that was not great or if my application was rejected for my Liverpool address within the application

would anyone be able to shed some light on this at all, or am I in the dark and should apply to a closer station to my address once a job comes up and work on my answers

thanks for any assistance

link for job if anyone is interested: https://northern.engageats.co.uk/Vacancies/W/3683/0/455071/23565/trainee-train-driver-manchester

It's probably just done on your postcode, it's an incredibly easy way of sifting out applicants (of which they get thousands) without having to even read them. In the past I've applied for York (which is 60 minutes from my house) and got rejected outright due to the cut-off for Northern being 45 minutes. It's a little frustrating for me as I already do safety critical shift work so I know I can manage my life/sleep patterns accordingly but can also understand they need to adhere to their fatigue policy and also effectively whittle down the applicants.

Don't be disheartened, just keep plugging away at it, definitely consider other roles on the railway too to get a foot on the ladder.

 

[cmarzo]

many thanks for your replies, I'll keep at it!

It's probably just done on your postcode, it's an incredibly easy way of sifting out applicants (of which they get thousands) without having to even read them. In the past I've applied for York (which is 60 minutes from my house) and got rejected outright due to the cut-off for Northern being 45 minutes. It's a little frustrating for me as I already do safety critical shift work so I know I can manage my life/sleep patterns accordingly but can also understand they need to adhere to their fatigue policy and also effectively whittle down the applicants.

Don't be disheartened, just keep plugging away at it, definitely consider other roles on the railway too to get a foot on the ladder.

Train driver roles are very competitive roles, with 1000's of applicants. Don't let the rejection on this occasion get you down, and definitely keep applying. Always worth having a think about your answers to the questions and how you could make them better for next time. I was recently turned down by TPE with no feedback, which is fine - it would take TOC's/recruiters far too long to give each and everyone personal feedback on why they failed at this stage. As I said before, don't let it get you down, keep your head up, and apply for the next opportunities!

thank you for your replies, I realise just how sort after these roles are, I will keep at it!

 

[Horizon22]

Applications are normally auto-declined based on postcode if the commuting time is over the maximum. It is a blunt tool but with hundreds, if not thousands applying for jobs, it is something companies are comfortable doing and aligns with their fatigue policy. With so many applicants, it is also impossible to provide personalised feedback.

Don't give up necessarily though; you may want to look at some older threads of how long it has taken some people and the other routes people have taken who previously applied for driver roles.