Signaller role help please

[wawaw]

Hello all,

I am an external candidate who has been looking into applying to be a signaller.

I am new to this site as a poster however I have read pages and pages of forums. I have found a lot of helpful information so thank you all. However I often see people writing `the information is there`. Well the following are a few questions/things which I have been unable to find or I have missed:

Answers to any or all would be greatly appreciated.

1) Might sound a very basis question but I think sometimes basis stuff gets overlooked on these forums... can someone give me a summary of exactly the main duties of a signaller and what my role would entail.

2) If applying for a role where it says `within 1 hour` of a certain location how do I know what box I would be working at? I ask this because I am thinking of visiting a box to see what its like.

3) Should I visit a box and how do I go about doing this? One is five miles from my house would it be stupid to just turn up? Would visiting a box I'm not going to be working at be beneficial?

4) What is expected of me to be a competent signaller?

5) Is the interview any harder than the train drivers role?

Thanks for any help.

 

[godfreycomplex]

Hello all,

I am an external candidate who has been looking into applying to be a signaller.

I am new to this site as a poster however I have read pages and pages of forums. I have found a lot of helpful information so thank you all. However I often see people writing `the information is there`. Well the following are a few questions/things which I have been unable to find or I have missed:

Answers to any or all would be greatly appreciated.

1) Might sound a very basis question but I think sometimes basis stuff gets overlooked on these forums... can someone give me a summary of exactly the main duties of a signaller and what my role would entail.

2) If applying for a role where it says `within 1 hour` of a certain location how do I know what box I would be working at? I ask this because I am thinking of visiting a box to see what its like.

3) Should I visit a box and how do I go about doing this? One is five miles from my house would it be stupid to just turn up? Would visiting a box I'm not going to be working at be beneficial?

4) What is expected of me to be a competent signaller?

5) Is the interview any harder than the train drivers role?

Thanks for any help.

1 - Main duties of a signaller are keeping the railway and everything in; on or near it safe. Everything else is in parentheses.
(Also regulation of the train service; dealing with failure situations; routine maintenance work; and managing "operational situations" (terrible term but I'm trying to avoid jargon) when they arise. Also remaining alert and calm at all times; be it a nice sunny day with a glass of lemonade and a freshly cooked meal and the newspaper or the middle of your thirteenth consecutive night shift (no I'm not joking) with three separate failures to deal with and the very loud burglar alarm next to the box going off at full volume all night.
2 - If the job has a location that's most likely where you'll spend a large amount of your time. There are essentially two types of signallers; "static" and "relief". "Static" signallers; as the name suggests; work in only one location on a comparatively fixed roster. "Relief" signallers almost always work in several different locations but are "based" at one. That doesn't necessarily mean they work at that location any more than any other; but that box will be where their job nominally is. For example; where I work there are three small manual boxes in relatively close proximity; there are 4 static signallers in each box; and 4 relief signallers who are based at my box (which is in the middle) but work at all 3.
3 - As a general rule it's worth doing. Weekends are often best (and a packet of biscuits is never unwelcome on the railway) but not knowing what your local box is it's hard to recommend. If it's a smaller box I'd say pop in and say hello by all means but if it's a big panel box I wouldn't advise it. Unfortunately external candidates don't get the hiring manager's phone number.
4 - Google the Network Rail non-technical skills. That. Plus; be nice and ask for help if you need it; amongst other things.
5 - No idea I'm afraid as I've never done a train driver's interview.
Hope that helps

 

[signallerscot]

Once again I'll chip into a signaller recruitment thread to say do not just turn up at a signalbox expecting to get a look inside.

It doesnt matter if you're applying for a job, the signaller is not allowed to let you in without authority from his or her manager. The job is safety critical (meaning people's lives are potentially at risk if things go wrong) and it is vitally important that signallers are able to concentrate on their work without distractions. This is as true in a small mechanical signalbox with one train an hour as it is in a huge signalling centre. By knocking at the door and asking to be let in you are putting the signaller in an awkward position; most wouldn't turn you away but if their manager finds out about an unauthorised visitor having been in the box then it can be a career limiting or even career ending situation. You have no idea what is happening on the other side of the door - the signaller could be dealing with anything from a simple points failure to a fatality and needs to be left to get on with their job.

You wouldn't just turn up at Heathrow Airport without getting official permission and expect to get in the control tower if you were thinking about applying to be an air traffic controller, so why should the railway be any different? Just because most signalboxes are reasonably accessible to the public doesn't mean that the work that goes on inside them isn't private.

If you want to visit a signalbox before an interview - and I do think it's a very good idea because the reality of the job can be very different from most outsiders' ideas of it - then arrange it through Network Rail HR who will be able to pass on a request to local management.

 

[unclebob]

Hi there

I to am new to this forum and I can see there are many helpful people on here. I have been fortunate enough to have passed the online tests for the signaller role, but now I have to convince the interviewers!

I have some examples in my head for the competency based questions, but they have nothing to do with the railway industry (I was previously a police officer). Also I am unsure how to structure my answer, so that it is relevant to the signaller role.

Are there any kind people here, who would be willing to hold my hand and guide me through this part of the process?

Many thanks!

 

[signallerscot]

With your experience as a police officer I wouldn't think you'll struggle to answer the competency based questions, which are along the lines of "describe a time when you've had to make a decision under pressure", "give an example of a time when you've had to present complex information clearly to someone" or "have you ever had to act on something without having all the information available to you". As an external applicant the questions will be geared towards generic situations as opposed to railway specific scenarios.

 

[wawaw]

Thanks for the replies. Very helpful.

I have applied for two roles:

OA Crofton Halifax CC 107355 (G4)

OA York IECC 107420 (G4)

What does the OA and CC and IECC stand for please? I presume the G4 means grade 4?

 

[nom de guerre]

IECC = Integrated Electronic Control Centre.

 

[unclebob]

With your experience as a police officer I wouldn't think you'll struggle to answer the competency based questions, which are along the lines of "describe a time when you've had to make a decision under pressure", "give an example of a time when you've had to present complex information clearly to someone" or "have you ever had to act on something without having all the information available to you". As an external applicant the questions will be geared towards generic situations as opposed to railway specific scenarios.

thanks for the above. Yes you are right, I think I have some good examples, however, I guess I am unsure how to say the right thing! I mean, there must be "buzz" words that I need to get in or certain sub-competencies that I need to mention?

For example "describe a time when you've had to make a decision under pressure"

A. In 2017, as a police officer, I attended a report of robbery..........then there was a report over the radio of a stabbing.......I then had to prioritse the tasks........I took details of the robbery victims and asked them to make their way to the police station and I attended to the stabbing................the result was that the victim who had been stabbed was given immidiate first aid and potentially saved her life and the robbery victims were able to give finish their statements.

But I guess, I am just unsure about exactly what else I need to say, in order to get a tick box in the "sub-competencies". I am guessing that I need to speak for a good few minutes for each question. I am also guessing that for each question, there is going to be a score, that the interviewer will work out afterwards. This score will be worked out from a sub-competencies list. Am I making sense?:cry:

I guess what I am trying to say, I am just not sure that I will be saying the right thing, that will allow me to get the best possible score for each question asked.

help!!!

 

[signallerscot]

Your answers will be scored against Network Rail's eight non technical skills which are: Concientiousness, Attention Management, Relationships With Others, Multi-tasking Capability, Controlled Under Pressure, Planning and Decision Making, Communications, Willingness and Ability to Learn.

Now the example answer you've given could potentially be a good fit for a couple of the non technical skills areas: multi-tasking, controlled under pressure or planning and decision making but I'll show you how you'd be scored if you gave it as an answer for planning and decision making. Your interviewers will have a set list of positive and negative indicators that they'll apply to your answer. A positive indicator might be something like "Understands the need to review plans when a situation changes or more information becomes available" while a negative indicator might be "Appears unwilling to challenge own assumptions about a situation". There aren't any magic words or phrases you need to say and they're not really interested in the specific rights and wrongs of the situation you describe, they'll just listen to your answer, compare it with the list and score it accordingly.

To score highly your answer would need to clearly demonstrate you were able to understand you had to prioritise the two competing tasks and that you made your decision logically. You'd also need to describe that you understand that although the decision had to be made quickly, you also took time first to evaluate the potential risks and consequences of both courses of action. They want to know that you understand the importance of planning and that you're willing to reprioritise if the situation changes. It would be good if you mentioned that you'd seek further information as part of you decision making process and that you know making assumptions about a situation could lead to poor decision making.

If, however, you said that you were very uncomfortable with making important decisions, that you only went to the stabbing because you thought it'd be more exciting than taking another boring old statement, that you ignored it because you assumed another officer had probably heard the call and would attend or that you were completely unable to make a decision and just stood there thinking about it for half an hour, that you turned your radio off because you find that getting further information from your Control is too distracting or even just started rambling on about whether the man who'd been robbed was called John (or was it Steven, or Dave?) then you'd probably find that you wouldn't score very well on that question despite the situation being a very good fit for it.

Your example is great but I think it is missing an explanation of why you prioritised the stabbing over the robbery. You may think you're stating the obvious but to score really well you'd need to add that you immediately recognised that someone's life was in danger and that your involvement could make the difference between them living and dying. While you understand that taking a statement is a really important part of police work it is an administrative task that can be done any time anywhere so prioritising the stabbing after taking the pertinent details seemed the best course of action at the time. However if you received information soon afterwards that the stabbing was hoax call or that another officer and an ambulance crew were already on the scene, you would reconsider your decision. Equally you could reverse the answer and say you stayed with the robbery victim because you knew other officers were closer to the stabbing and that they'd be there quicker, that taking a statement quickly and accurately while the facts are fresh can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful prosecution and that the victim was distressed and becoming irate, then you'd score well too. They're looking for a logical, coherent explanation of your decision making process rather than the 'right' answer full of bullsh|t bingo buzzwords.

Does that help any?

 

[unclebob]

Your answers will be scored against Network Rail's eight non technical skills which are: Concientiousness, Attention Management, Relationships With Others, Multi-tasking Capability, Controlled Under Pressure, Planning and Decision Making, Communications, Willingness and Ability to Learn.

Now the example answer you've given could potentially be a good fit for a couple of the non technical skills areas: multi-tasking, controlled under pressure or planning and decision making but I'll show you how you'd be scored if you gave it as an answer for planning and decision making. Your interviewers will have a set list of positive and negative indicators that they'll apply to your answer. A positive indicator might be something like "Understands the need to review plans when a situation changes or more information becomes available" while a negative indicator might be "Appears unwilling to challenge own assumptions about a situation". There aren't any magic words or phrases you need to say and they're not really interested in the specific rights and wrongs of the situation you describe, they'll just listen to your answer, compare it with the list and score it accordingly.

To score highly your answer would need to clearly demonstrate you were able to understand you had to prioritise the two competing tasks and that you made your decision logically. You'd also need to describe that you understand that although the decision had to be made quickly, you also took time first to evaluate the potential risks and consequences of both courses of action. They want to know that you understand the importance of planning and that you're willing to reprioritise if the situation changes. It would be good if you mentioned that you'd seek further information as part of you decision making process and that you know making assumptions about a situation could lead to poor decision making.

If, however, you said that you were very uncomfortable with making important decisions, that you only went to the stabbing because you thought it'd be more exciting than taking another boring old statement, that you ignored it because you assumed another officer had probably heard the call and would attend or that you were completely unable to make a decision and just stood there thinking about it for half an hour, that you turned your radio off because you find that getting further information from your Control is too distracting or even just started rambling on about whether the man who'd been robbed was called John (or was it Steven, or Dave?) then you'd probably find that you wouldn't score very well on that question despite the situation being a very good fit for it.

Your example is great but I think it is missing an explanation of why you prioritised the stabbing over the robbery. You may think you're stating the obvious but to score really well you'd need to add that you immediately recognised that someone's life was in danger and that your involvement could make the difference between them living and dying. While you understand that taking a statement is a really important part of police work it is an administrative task that can be done any time anywhere so prioritising the stabbing after taking the pertinent details seemed the best course of action at the time. However if you received information soon afterwards that the stabbing was hoax call or that another officer and an ambulance crew were already on the scene, you would reconsider your decision. Equally you could reverse the answer and say you stayed with the robbery victim because you knew other officers were closer to the stabbing and that they'd be there quicker, that taking a statement quickly and accurately while the facts are fresh can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful prosecution and that the victim was distressed and becoming irate, then you'd score well too. They're looking for a logical, coherent explanation of your decision making process rather than the 'right' answer full of bullsh|t bingo buzzwords.

Does that help any?

Wow, thanks for that explanation- it was very thorough and helpful indeed.

I now know what I want! I am looking to get a list of the positive indicators for each of the 8 core competencies. So what I plan to do, is construct the answers to each of the 8 CC, then I will assess them against the positive indicators. I will then add extra info if I can see I may have left an indicator out. I hope this makes sense.

If anyone can post a url for the positive indicators used by network rail, I would be obliged.

 

[Llanigraham]

I don't think there are any "positive indicators" used.

 

[signallerscot]

Interviewing for signallers has changed since you left the job. What I posted above is the current procedure in 2017.

As for the indicators, there are around 10-15 for each question and reading them makes little sense without also reading the question to give them context. I'm not going to post the actual questions or the indicators, as I've probably already revealed too much about the process, but it's not really hard to think of some positive and negative traits for each of the 8 areas. It's like any other job interview in that if your answers demonstrate you've got a positive attitude, that you're willing to learn, engage with your new colleagues, take the role seriously and work hard then you'll come across well.

For example if they asked you something like "Have you ever had to work closely with someone you really didn't get on with and how did you deal with it?" an answer along the lines of "I tried my best to put my feelings to one side in work time because to me getting on with the job is more important than falling out with people." shows you are willing to compromise and work with others despite having differences with them, and is obviously going to score more highly than "I squared up to him on the first day and lamped him so he he would know who was boss" which shows you're not. It really is that straightforward.

 

[nom de guerre]

I am looking to get a list of the positive indicators for each of the 8 core competencies.

If anyone can post a url for the positive indicators used by network rail, I would be obliged.

The 'list' you're asking for is an internal HR framework. It isn't made available to candidates, for obvious reasons.

 

[unclebob]

Interviewing for signallers has changed since you left the job. What I posted above is the current procedure in 2017.

As for the indicators, there are around 10-15 for each question and reading them makes little sense without also reading the question to give them context. I'm not going to post the actual questions or the indicators, as I've probably already revealed too much about the process, but it's not really hard to think of some positive and negative traits for each of the 8 areas. It's like any other job interview in that if your answers demonstrate you've got a positive attitude, that you're willing to learn, engage with your new colleagues, take the role seriously and work hard then you'll come across well.

For example if they asked you something like "Have you ever had to work closely with someone you really didn't get on with and how did you deal with it?" an answer along the lines of "I tried my best to put my feelings to one side in work time because to me getting on with the job is more important than falling out with people." shows you are willing to compromise and work with others despite having differences with them, and is obviously going to score more highly than "I squared up to him on the first day and lamped him so he he would know who was boss" which shows you're not. It really is that straightforward.

To be fair to me I don't think it is unreasonable or wrong, to ask for the positive indicators. I've applied for a fair few jobs and many of the adverts clearly state what the competencies are and what the positive indicators are.

However, I am extremely grateful for the help you have given me thus far, so I am not going to annoy you by asking you for the information again!

thanks

 

[nom de guerre]

I don't think it is unreasonable or wrong, to ask for the positive indicators. I've applied for a fair few jobs and many of the adverts clearly state what the competencies are and what the positive indicators are.

And what did the Signaller advert state?

There is your answer

 

[GingerRH]

Interesting thread - Which box have you applied for?

 

[unclebob]

Interesting thread - Which box have you applied for?

if that question was for me, then I've applied to almost every single post in the south east