I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Amtrak (Phila, PA) in Jan 2016
Interview
You will initially receive a call from a recruiter to setup an interview. They recruiters generally do not hold a phone screen (based upon the 5 times I have been interviewed).
There was confusion on when and where my last interview was to take place. This type of mix-up does not seem to be common or customary based upon my prior interviews. The recruiter had mixed up information resulting in me receiving an unplanned panel interview via phone. Needless to say I did not perform as well as I would have liked since the interview was impromptu.
I have received several interviews (approximately 5) and 3 extremely promising, second round interviews but have never received an offer. Nor does the organization contact you to provide an update or denial. You have to constantly check their career opportunities site for a status update. While the company generally has several openings posted, and HR is quick to respond to your initial inquiry, from my experience I truly don't believe Amtrak has any intention on growing their workforce through outside candidates. It has proven to be a waste of precious time pursing employment. They do not reimburse you for expenses incurred to attend interviews (travel and/or parking). Seems like a bit of smoke and mirrors. My suggestion is to never wait on Amtrak to provide an offer, no matter how encouraged you are by interviewers during the interview process. Move forward with other employers if you receive an offer. Unless you have an offer letter in hand from Amtrak do not pass up other opportunities.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I have had several interviews for varying positions. They all consistently followed a system of the interviewer(s) asking job related questions to access your experience and familiarity. Some of these questions can be detailed, for example, "explain how you would balance budget against the workforce".
First, there is a phone screen conduced by HR and then after that, there’s a video meeting with 3 to 4 people on the panel asking STAR questions. They do provide you with details to give you a heads up on the interview and selection process.
Great interview process. The recruiter was extremely prompt. The panel interviewers showed genuine interest in my skills and background. No bs behavioral questions like "what's your greatest weakness...". They were respectful of my time and availability and made the most of the 90 minutes and left plenty of time for me to ask questions as well. They were also very prompt and responsive during the comp negotiation process.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Technical questions about the role. Some job situation questions.
situational interview was followed so closely by hiring manager, I'm fairly sure nothing was said to me that wasn't in the script. this should have given me indication as to management abilities
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
how do you get people to provide information to you who are difficult to deal with and don't want to
