Talent pools!!....

[bigbear]

HI, Im not a big fan of talent pools and i cant see the point of having them, they either want someone or they dont, it does leave people hanging on for something that might never happen, tocs dont make it clear how long or how many people are in these so called pools and i for one always take it as a no and start looking elsewhere.

if you asked a girl out and she said no im guna put you in a talent pool with other men, would you wait??, no of course not, yes i know its not a similiar comparison, but if youve jumped thro all the hoops for a toc to get where you want to be, only to be told your in a pool then personally i would take that as a no!.

i dont do talent pools and i dont do lists, they either want me or they dont. ive passed stages 1 and 2 driver assesment a couple of months back, dont know what other peoples thoughts are or if anybody has ever been recalled from a pool to be given a interview, would value your comments....

 

[red2005]

There was 2 put in talent pools on our intake......I suppose it helps if there's light at the end of the tunnel (no pun intended) for example some companies have 3/4 intakes a year regular so you know you will get there.......but if you were put in one for virgin (rarity I know) I can see why people would get disheartened..........on another note if you have the passes you've got at least your in a good position to apply elsewhere

 

[Jones]

I'm in 5.

I think railway recruitment methods suck.

I have worked in safety critical industry, with long training required, and they recruited as needed and a lot quicker. The last role I had attracted 1154 applicants and was done within 6 weeks with a small HR department.

TOC's seem to have a superiority complex.

 

[302PS]

It's soul destroying and should be in the job advert

 

[Andrew32]

HI, Im not a big fan of talent pools and i cant see the point of having them, they either want someone or they dont, it does leave people hanging on for something that might never happen, tocs dont make it clear how long or how many people are in these so called pools and i for one always take it as a no and start looking elsewhere.

if you asked a girl out and she said no im guna put you in a talent pool with other men, would you wait??, no of course not, yes i know its not a similiar comparison, but if youve jumped thro all the hoops for a toc to get where you want to be, only to be told your in a pool then personally i would take that as a no!.

i dont do talent pools and i dont do lists, they either want me or they dont. ive passed stages 1 and 2 driver assesment a couple of months back, dont know what other peoples thoughts are or if anybody has ever been recalled from a pool to be given a interview, would value your comments....

Whilst I agree that it is frustrating being in a talent pool (I've been in one for nearly 11 months now) I don't think they are to be viewed as a 'thanks but no thanks'.

After been in the Skipton pool for 3 months I was told that the position I was on hold for was pulled and when the next course came around in January my interview score had expired and I had to attend another interview in January to stay in the pool.

I could have been told in either June (when I passed my psychometric tests), thanks but we don't have a job for you so bugger off an apply again when jobs are advertised again, the same applies for August and January, however, because of the talent pool I'm still in with a chance of a job at the middle of the year.

They are now in the process of filling the May conductor course in Leeds and June course in Bolton and the people being put on these courses have been in the pool for about four months.

So they do work, it's just the fact that patience is needed, it will all be worth it in the end and I believe that myself aswell as everyone else in a pool atm will get a job eventually.

Until your told they don't want you keep believing they do, they wouldn't have invested all their money in you so far if they didn't want you.

Good luck and be patient.

 

[MrsSundayMorn]

Good point Andrew, well said. As has been said a thousand times on these rail forum..patience is the key. Those that don't want to wait in a talent pool, there are plenty of other people behind you that would gladly take that place.

 

[Louby]

When do you have to re sit the DM interview? 6 months from the day you took it or when you passed stage 2?

 

[Andrew32]

Your score is valid for six months from the date of your interview.

 

[bigbear]

Some good points about being in the talent pool, but personally my thinking is if yr not good enuf to get in when you apply for a b and c vacancies why would there be any change for d e and f vacancies when they come up....

I appreciate toc, s get hundreds of applications for vacancies and its sometimes hard to decide who to take especially if 50 people have all passed the tests and are all suitable and theres only 5 vacancies...I understand that, and It is by no means a quick process, it took me 13 months after failing my stage 1, to eventually pass stage 1 and stage 2 again, but if you saw an advert that said "WANTED TRAINEE TRAIN DRIVER FOR TALENT POOL".....would you be so quick to apply or would you think, bugger that I'll go for one that is actually advertising trainee train driver wanted....but thanks for your comments....

 

[ash39]

I can see it being annoying but be thankful that you are in that position and have passed all the tests, putting yourself in a great position.

It's a simple process. TOC advertises for positions that are upcoming (lets say 6). They put 100 people through the tests (they don't know how many will pass/fail), if there are 10 that pass everything and are suitable for the position, why would you close the door on the other four? If you do that and four existing drivers handed in their notice in the next week, you'd have to start again!

Not to mention it costs TOC's a lot of money to put people through the tests.

 

[W230]

I understand that, and It is by no means a quick process, it took me 13 months after failing my stage 1, to eventually pass stage 1 and stage 2 again, but if you saw an advert that said "WANTED TRAINEE TRAIN DRIVER FOR TALENT POOL".....would you be so quick to apply or would you think, bugger that I'll go for one that is actually advertising trainee train driver wanted....but thanks for your comments....

With all due respect, if you want the job then you jump through the hoops and try and get it. A little research will tell you that the process takes ages, as it will also tell you that there are hundreds of applicants for each position. If you don't like the way these TOC's do business then pull your application and someone will gladly take your place. The basic situation is that the TOC's can afford to be as choosey as they like as they have so many applicants for each job.

I was in a talent pool for a trainee driver job with Northern. Didn't know if/when it would come to anything so took a driving job with another TOC. Northern came back to me 4 weeks later and offered it me but I had already signed a contract elsewhere. However, had I not been in that situation then I would have sat in my talent pool at Northern and hoped something came up. All I could do in the circumstances - they didn't owe me a job and I have to respect that if someone "better" comes along then they are well within their rights to choose them over me.

Is it annoying though? Yes, very!

 

[Andrew32]

I can see it being annoying but be thankful that you are in that position and have passed all the tests, putting yourself in a great position.

It's a simple process. TOC advertises for positions that are upcoming (lets say 6). They put 100 people through the tests (they don't know how many will pass/fail), if there are 10 that pass everything and are suitable for the position, why would you close the door on the other four? If you do that and four existing drivers handed in their notice in the next week, you'd have to start again!

Not to mention it costs TOC's a lot of money to put people through the tests.

In full agreement there mate, spot on!

 

[SLV]

I can see it being annoying but be thankful that you are in that position and have passed all the tests, putting yourself in a great position.

It's a simple process. TOC advertises for positions that are upcoming (lets say 6). They put 100 people through the tests (they don't know how many will pass/fail), if there are 10 that pass everything and are suitable for the position, why would you close the door on the other four? If you do that and four existing drivers handed in their notice in the next week, you'd have to start again!

Not to mention it costs TOC's a lot of money to put people through the tests.

I agree with this tbh. It is very frustrating yes, but at least you know you have passed and met the standard. Better to have you in a talent pool than just say sorry thanks but no thanks. This forum has lots of people that have waited in the pool and got the role eventually.

In the example above if one of the 6 chosen backs out the a week or so before training you have 4 ready in the talent pool to approach straight away, I can see why they do it.

 

[theageofthetra]

I agree re point on candidates pulling out. I was supposed to start training in July but have now been asked to start a month early due to this reason. I suspect that someone else will now get a very pleasant phone call to fill the July space.

 

[302PS]

Who's that with?

 

[SLV]

I agree re point on candidates pulling out. I was supposed to start training in July but have now been asked to start a month early due to this reason. I suspect that someone else will now get a very pleasant phone call to fill the July space.

Congratualtions on passing everything - I hope I'm waiting in a talent pool soon

 

[johnsonr380]

I can understand having a talent pool. If there's a large turnover it's better to have a few people waiting they can pick from. However sitting in one for nearly four weeks it is getting slightly frustrating not knowing. We're all craving a bit of transparency and being able to make plans.

We'll get there and it'll be worth it.

Saying that, ask me again in 3 months if I'm still in it

 

[Flyboy32]

I know a TOC who has put applicants in a talent pool just from their online application, so not even reached the assessment centre yet......seems a bit weird!
So......talent pools for those awaiting positions, talent pools for those who have filled in an online application, talent pools for those who haven't had a DM interview....

 

[bigbear]

Some good comments about the talent pool!, but and its a big but, you have no idea how long you have to wait, you have no idea how many are in the talent pool with you, you get no regular feedback from it, you are jus like a mushroom waiting to be picked along with all the other mushrooms that are kept in the dark.....yes for some the wait is quick but for others not so, if you value your skills and qualities then seriously consider applying for other vacancies until one accepts you for who are you are rather than being second place in a talent pool....

 

[johnsonr380]

This may be a daft question. Ny status with northern is on hold after successful assessment. Is this just the sane as a talent pool or is it likely to change to in talent pool ?

 

[tlionhart]

This may be a daft question. Ny status with northern is on hold after successful assessment. Is this just the sane as a talent pool or is it likely to change to in talent pool ?

It's the same thing. Talent pool is just a fancy word for it

 

[SLV]

Some good comments about the talent pool!, but and its a big but, you have no idea how long you have to wait, you have no idea how many are in the talent pool with you, you get no regular feedback from it, you are jus like a mushroom waiting to be picked along with all the other mushrooms that are kept in the dark.....yes for some the wait is quick but for others not so, if you value your skills and qualities then seriously consider applying for other vacancies until one accepts you for who are you are rather than being second place in a talent pool....

Yeap i agree with you there. How was it communicated to you initially?

Ideally they should check in at least every 12 weeks just to say you are still in the pool, we potentially have X happening whenever.

 

[302PS]

We have had 2 "update" emails since March but both appeared to be knee jerk replies by someone who's fed up answering the same questions

 

[hidden]

I've had a very positive update call from being in the talent pool for trainee conductors. Will stay tight lipped until formalised but looks like it'll be starting soon.

 

[302PS]

Good times, let's hope the rumours of drivers courses running side by side with conductor are true

 

[rebeccahull]

I was placed in Virgin's talent pool in April.. (I also didn't understand why they would advertise all these new positions and I was waiting in the talent pool)

I have had a phone call this week saying that they have a fulltime position for me, brill!

All I did was call every time a new job came up and emailed Crewe to make sure they know that I was still interested!

Good luck!!!!

 

[hughavinalaf]

I was placed in Virgin's talent pool in April.. (I also didn't understand why they would advertise all these new positions and I was waiting in the talent pool)

I have had a phone call this week saying that they have a fulltime position for me, brill!

All I did was call every time a new job came up and emailed Crewe to make sure they know that I was still interested!

Good luck!!!!

Congratulations Rebecca,really great news