Talent pool duration

[Judgedools]

I was wondering what people's experiences were with trainee train driver talent pools. How long did you spend in the pool, how long have you been waiting or did your time ever run out.

 

[Stigy]

My experience was very short-lived. I was in it for a couple of months as GWR. I know a couple of people were in it for a matter of days for a couple of courses behind me.

On the flip side, I have a friend who applied at the same time as me and was placed in the pool at the same time (4 years ago now), albeit for a different depot. He never heard anything again and has since qualified at a different TOC.

It really is a case of “how long is a piece of string?” Unfortunately with talent pools. I’d urge anyone who’s placed in one to not base all hopes od a trainee driver role on that talent pool, and continue to apply for positions with other operators if they arise.

 

[Ptrains]

Exactly as has been said - there's no answer to this. I got a place in the driver talent pool at the end of November 2019, finally started in September 2021. On my course some had been in the pool a little longer than me, others were as short as 2 months

 

[Judgedools]

I ask as I have been waiting for just over three years for Exeter. Unfortunately not many choice of depots down my way other than Plymouth. If I was to apply for another depot I am guessing my three year old opc results would suffice

 

[Unknockable]

I don’t understand why TOCs advertise vacancies for trainees, stick them in a talent pool after all the tests and then leave them there for years? So if you’re in a talent pool (Which I assume all TOCs use) you’re not really guaranteed a job?

 

[43066]

I don’t understand why TOCs advertise vacancies for trainees, stick them in a talent pool after all the tests and then leave them there for years? So if you’re in a talent pool (Which I assume all TOCs use) you’re not really guaranteed a job?

It’s beneficial to the TOCs because it gives then a pool of candidates to dip into in a way that matches their recruitment needs, and enables them to manage the throughout of trainees in accordance with training capacity.

And yes, essentially you aren’t guaranteed a job and certainly shouldn’t resign from your current role until you’ve received, signed and returned your employment contract.

 

[C70]

Not quite the same, but 20 months for me in a guard talent pool before getting “the call”.

I’d urge anyone in a talent pool to apply for other positions, put the talent pool to the back of your mind and get on with your life. You really can’t predict when “the call” will come as there are so many parameters involved.

 

[BenjaminButton]

I was in a 2 year pool, when it came towards the end they emailed me to say they are extending it. I got offered another trainee driver job which I took and six months into my training the original TOC emailed to say the pool has expired.
The original TOC are always advertising for qualified drivers at the depot I was supposed to be at, it was a frustrating time!

 

[Horizon22]

It’s beneficial to the TOCs because it gives then a pool of candidates to dip into in a way that matches their recruitment needs, and enables them to manage the throughout of trainees in accordance with training capacity.

And yes, essentially you aren’t guaranteed a job and certainly shouldn’t resign from your current role until you’ve received, signed and returned your employment contract.

The issue is that often TOCs don't routinely keep good track of their talent pools and start a fresh new batch of recruitment even though there may be may be people who have been in the relevant talent pool for months or even years. Part of this problem is you can count most TOC's recruitment team members on one hand.

 

[Judgedools]

I did write a very short email to their recruitment the other week just asking if my name is still in the talent pool, training situation at the moment and prospects of needing drivers in the near future. Unfortunately the reply didn't address any of my questions, but they did reply at least.

 

[PNutt]

I was wondering what people's experiences were with trainee train driver talent pools. How long did you spend in the pool, how long have you been waiting or did your time ever run out.

2 and a half years from going into the talent pool to actually starting on a course.

 

[Token]

The issue is that often TOCs don't routinely keep good track of their talent pools and start a fresh new batch of recruitment even though there may be may be people who have been in the relevant talent pool for months or even years. Part of this problem is you can count most TOC's recruitment team members on one hand.

If their recruitment teams are so small, you’d think keeping their talent pool in order would be the most sensible action. How difficult is it to administer a spreadsheet? (That’s a rhetorical question). It seems, worryingly, that admin and organisational skills are not their strong points, which begs the question as to whether they even have the potential to get candidate’s details mixed up.

 

[ComUtoR]

I don’t understand why TOCs advertise vacancies for trainees, stick them in a talent pool after all the tests and then leave them there for years?

We have approximately 3k currently in our 'talent pool'

That's a lot of applicants to get through and the numbers keep growing.

So if you’re in a talent pool (Which I assume all TOCs use) you’re not really guaranteed a job?

I think of talent pools as "don't call us, we'll call you"

 

[Diedinium]

We have approximately 3k currently in our 'talent pool'

That's a lot of applicants to get through and the numbers keep growing.


I think of talent pools as "don't call us, we'll call you"

Jeezus that's a lot, which TOC is this for or are you not at liberty to say? (I really hope it's not Transport for Wales lol)

 

[DNCharingX]

3000!! I can see the final applicant in this pool getting a call in 10 years.

Talent pools are amazing, why dispose of qualified talent after picking someone to fill a position. However, I might be biased as I owe my job (not a driver) to a pool, and I will likely owe the driver job to a pool one day, but I understand the flip side of having to wait many years with no definite information, and I do dread this schrodinger's position experience...

 

[CFRAIL]

When I sat assessments a little over a year ago, I unfortunately didn't meet the required standard. I was advised I could try again after 6 months but in reality it would be a year or two because there were circa 4k awaiting assessments etc... one of my colleagues sat assessments more recently and was advised the number stood at around 3k now, so there is progress!

 

[Token]

We have approximately 3k currently in our 'talent pool'

Surely that’s a pointless exercise. Why keep adding to a list that’s unlikely to ever recruit 98% of the individuals on it?

 

[Yulbus]

I ask as I have been waiting for just over three years for Exeter. Unfortunately not many choice of depots down my way other than Plymouth. If I was to apply for another depot I am guessing my three year old opc results would suffice

I have been in the same pool since January 2020. If I apply for a different depot would I have to start the whole process again. I had an email from them this week telling me I'm still in the pool but they are not looking at recruiting this calendar year but I have seen they are advertising for experienced drivers at all of the depots. They thanked me for my patience lol.

 

[387star]

Surely that’s a pointless exercise. Why keep adding to a list that’s unlikely to ever recruit 98% of the individuals on it?

It makes sense from a diversity perspective as there's a drive to ensure enough women (just one example) are applying for the roles

 

[Token]

It makes sense from a diversity perspective as there's a drive to ensure enough women (just one example) are applying for the roles

I don’t think it’s for diversity reasons, as I know plenty of individuals who’d be a perfect fit, but have sat in talent pools for years and ultimately had their assessments time expire too, while those who applied two or even three years later get in the door straight off. It makes no sense at all. It’s probably more a case of knowing most will drop off the radar one way or another - fed up waiting and get a job elsewhere - but rather than just telling those individuals no we don’t think we want you, they just keep them hanging indefinitely while trawling for new applicants and taking them on instead.

 

[Stigy]

I don’t think it’s for diversity reasons, as I know plenty of individuals who’d be a perfect fit, but have sat in talent pools for years and ultimately had their assessments time expire too, while those who applied two or even three years later get in the door straight off. It makes no sense at all. It’s probably more a case of knowing most will drop off the radar one way or another - fed up waiting and get a job elsewhere - but rather than just telling those individuals no we don’t think we want you, they just keep them hanging indefinitely while trawling for new applicants and taking them on instead.

How do you know they’d be a perfect fit? Genuine question.

It’s the luck of the draw sometimes, but when TOCs/FOCs have recruitment campaigns aimed at targeting women to the job….we’ve done the diversity argument to death I guess.

 

[Token]

How do you know they’d be a perfect fit? Genuine question.

It’s the luck of the draw sometimes, but when TOCs/FOCs have recruitment campaigns aimed at targeting women to the job….we’ve done the diversity argument to death I guess.

I’d hazard a guess there are other diversity campaigns now far higher up the rankings than recruiting women. But if you’re asking the question as to how some applicants I know would have been the perfect fit, I am referring to those who’d have applied specifically for the sort of diversity recruitment campaigns you mention. They’ve passed assessments, had a DMI, and then not even received an outcome either way.

 

[TheAnswer89]

Absolute nonsense. Its performance based recruitment. You didn't get position, because there were people better than you in the pool. Some people are being offered a position on the course within two months of applying and there are others waiting years or never getting one. Key word. Performance. Performance based recruitment.

 

[ComUtoR]

Absolute nonsense. Its performance based recruitment. You didn't get position, because there were people better than you in the pool. Some people are being offered a position on the course within two months of applying and there are others waiting years or never getting one. Key word. Performance. Performance based recruitment.

Lol, yeah that tracks....

 

[43066]

I think of talent pools as "don't call us, we'll call you"

Which, to be fair, is exactly what they are. It isn’t supposed to be a nice system for the candidates, it is designed to favour the TOCs, by giving them a pool of vetted candidates they can dip into if they need to. No surprises there, and nobody is forced to apply for these roles.

I don’t think it’s for diversity reasons, as I know plenty of individuals who’d be a perfect fit, but have sat in talent pools for years and ultimately had their assessments time expire too, while those who applied two or even three years later get in the door straight off. It makes no sense at all. It’s probably more a case of knowing most will drop off the radar one way or another - fed up waiting and get a job elsewhere - but rather than just telling those individuals no we don’t think we want you, they just keep them hanging indefinitely while trawling for new applicants and taking them on instead.

Perhaps these people you think are a “perfect fit” haven’t, in fact, scored particularly highly, and the TOC has subsequently encountered others who have smashed the aptitude tests out of the park, so they’ve progressed those people first?

It isn’t pleasant, but there does seem to be an element of entitlement and an attitude of “I’m owed a response” on this section of the forum that wasn’t present when I went through the process a few years ago.

 

[Carl98k]

I have been in the same pool since January 2020. If I apply for a different depot would I have to start the whole process again. I had an email from them this week telling me I'm still in the pool but they are not looking at recruiting this calendar year but I have seen they are advertising for experienced drivers at all of the depots. They thanked me for my patience lol.

GWR by any chance?

 

[Stigy]

I have been in the same pool since January 2020. If I apply for a different depot would I have to start the whole process again. I had an email from them this week telling me I'm still in the pool but they are not looking at recruiting this calendar year but I have seen they are advertising for experienced drivers at all of the depots. They thanked me for my patience lol.

If it’s GWR, they’ve been recruiting qualified drivers to talent pools indefinitely for as long as I can remember.

 

[Horizon22]

We have approximately 3k currently in our 'talent pool'

That's a lot of applicants to get through and the numbers keep growing.

It’s not only a lot, but is completely unsustainable for a small recruitment team.

If it really is at those levels, better to just start fresh with a new campaign. Talent pools from my experience and listening to others can be incredibly badly managed - not out of spite but just the sheer resources required to handle them effectively and efficiently.

 

[ComUtoR]

Talent pools from my experience and listening to others can be incredibly badly managed - not out of spite but just the sheer resources required to handle them effectively and efficiently.

I'm not sure where the phrase actually came from. It seemed to pop into existence quite suddenly a few years ago. They exist because the railway recruitment system doesn't seem to have a 'no' option.

Once you are through the sift you almost guaranteed a place in a 'talent pool'. Failure rates in the psychometric stage means that you need a large pool of people to feed into the first grinder. Those successful applicants have their value increased. You can't just throw them away. So again, they sit in a pool somewhere. Not forgetting applicants often just use a TOC to get a psychometric pass and have multiple applications on the go.

The DMI process can also cause more issues. Ours has a tick box where those who don't make the DMI still get put in a pool to re-apply on 6 months.

Rail recruitment is pretty ruthless with its failures but if you have a pass it's valid for a long time and you still have plenty of chances to get a job.

Most other jobs just tell you "No" and then bin you application.

Don't forget that even if you reset the campaign, hundreds apply every time. If we told everyone with a pass 'no' recruitment will probably grind to an absolute halt.

 

[43066]

They exist because the railway recruitment system doesn't seem to have a 'no' option.

I suppose the “no” is either failing the selection or failing the DMI.

I understand talent pools have a time limit at which point if no job has been offered the place in the pool expires. This is more like being ghosted than being told “no”, but the effect is the same!