BNSF Railway Company Mock Interview

Practice 30 BNSF Railway interview questions covering safety protocols, operational scenarios, and rail industry standards.

Question 13 of 30

Tell me about a time when your problem-solving and troubleshooting skills helped you solve a significant issue in the workplace.

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Kevin Downey

Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.

"Just yesterday, I worked with a transport customer who was unhappy with a significant delay in their shipment. They explain they felt misled and taken for granted. Now, normally I would transfer such complaints to the correct customer service line, but rather than passing them off, I decided to listen and bridge the gap between this customer and the correct department. So, by listening and empathizing with them, making them feel heard, and having a conversation, I helped them feel better about their choice to trust us, and we objectified the situation, committing to finding a resolution. Through patient communication, I was able to de-escalate and triage with our other teams. I looked at it as helping out my team in another department, and doing the right thing by our customer, who held on as a returning customer."

Kevin Downey

Rail work is known to present high-pressure, time-sensitive situations, such as technical issues, delays, or unforeseen events. Therefore, your interviewer wants to learn how you approach such situations which require you to think quickly on your feet, or which require a degree of calculated risk. They are also curious about your decision-making and how decisive you are in high-pressure or high-stakes situations. How you answer stands to reveal whether you are resourceful, capable of outside-of-the-box thinking, respectful of the chain of command, and supportive of the objectives of your teams.

Kevin Downey

In a video on BNSF's website, their HR managers express their expectations of their recruits. "What do I look for in a candidate? Passion, curiosity, and authenticity. We love working with people who are passionate about their work and the problems they solve. We look for constant learners who ask a lot of questions and learn beyond what's expected. We hire people who are genuine, and truly themselves in every situation."

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Anonymous Answer

Just recently, I had to solve an issue at work for one of our high-dollar clients. The client wanted to cancel their services due to ongoing issues with the reliability of their internet. I was able to pinpoint the issue thanks to my technical background and upgrade the customer as well.

Marcie's Feedback

Nice! The example you have given shows the interviewer that you are capable of solving problems and troubleshooting. Can you provide more details about how you identified the problem and solved it? The more details you can provide, the more meaningful and memorable your answer will be to the interviewer. Great job!

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30BNSF Railway Company Interview Questions & Answers

Competency

1.How will you contribute to our reputation for excellence in safety?

Compatibility

2.How do you feel about being part of a unionized environment?

Leadership

3.What leadership experience do you have?

Operational

4.Do you have experience collaborating with the teams of other departments?

Teamwork

5.Have you ever had difficulty working in a team environment?

Adaptability

6.What does your availability look like? Are you open to relocating?

Experience

7.Describe your overall experience working around and operating heavy equipment.

Competency

8.Are you able to lift 50-85 pounds, work in confined or enclosed spaces, and spend much of your day bending, kneeling, and climbing?

Direct

9.Are you willing to undergo a pre-employment medical review and a pre-employment background review?

Organizational

10.How would you approach tracking multiple train schedules; including destinations, times of arrivals, and departures?

Experience

11.Do you have experience working with trains containing hazardous materials?

Compatibility

12.Which aspect of working for the railways excites you most?

Problem Solving

13.Tell me about a time when your problem-solving and troubleshooting skills helped you solve a significant issue in the workplace.

Problem Solving

14.How do you anticipate and plan for last minutes changes or disruptions when they occur?

Performance Based

15.Have you ever been terminated from a position?

Communication

16.What is your approach to ensuring strong communication among your teams and between departments?

Compatibility

17.Tell me the skills and characteristics you feel uniquely qualify you for this position.

Stress

18.How do you maintain your focus in the most stressful situations?

Tough

19.How many days were you unexpectedly absent from work last year?

Ask The Interviewer

20.Do you have any questions or concerns about this role, what it entails, or about working for BNSF Railway?

Compatibility

21.What does honesty and integrity mean to you?

Career Goals

22.Why do you want to work for BNSF Railway?

23.Tell me about the strengths and weaknesses outlined in your most recent performance evaluation.

Diligence

24.What does hard work look like to you?

Problem Solving

25.What would you do if you had to adjust your priorities which would cause you to miss the deadline of what you were working on.

Salary

26.Besides pay, what do you value most when considering a job offer?

Teamwork

27.How do you help your peers manage their stress in high-pressured situations?

Competency

28.Are you familiar with BNSF's vision, values, and four stake holder groups?

29.How do you find balance between your work life and your personal life?

Competency

BNSF Railway Company Mock Interview

Tell me about a time when your problem-solving and troubleshooting skills helped you solve a significant issue in the workplace.

30BNSF Railway Company Interview Questions & Answers

1.How will you contribute to our reputation for excellence in safety?

2.How do you feel about being part of a unionized environment?

3.What leadership experience do you have?

4.Do you have experience collaborating with the teams of other departments?

5.Have you ever had difficulty working in a team environment?

6.What does your availability look like? Are you open to relocating?

7.Describe your overall experience working around and operating heavy equipment.

8.Are you able to lift 50-85 pounds, work in confined or enclosed spaces, and spend much of your day bending, kneeling, and climbing?

9.Are you willing to undergo a pre-employment medical review and a pre-employment background review?

10.How would you approach tracking multiple train schedules; including destinations, times of arrivals, and departures?

11.Do you have experience working with trains containing hazardous materials?

12.Which aspect of working for the railways excites you most?

13.Tell me about a time when your problem-solving and troubleshooting skills helped you solve a significant issue in the workplace.

14.How do you anticipate and plan for last minutes changes or disruptions when they occur?

15.Have you ever been terminated from a position?

16.What is your approach to ensuring strong communication among your teams and between departments?

17.Tell me the skills and characteristics you feel uniquely qualify you for this position.

18.How do you maintain your focus in the most stressful situations?

19.How many days were you unexpectedly absent from work last year?

20.Do you have any questions or concerns about this role, what it entails, or about working for BNSF Railway?

21.What does honesty and integrity mean to you?

22.Why do you want to work for BNSF Railway?

23.Tell me about the strengths and weaknesses outlined in your most recent performance evaluation.

24.What does hard work look like to you?

25.What would you do if you had to adjust your priorities which would cause you to miss the deadline of what you were working on.

26.Besides pay, what do you value most when considering a job offer?

27.How do you help your peers manage their stress in high-pressured situations?

28.Are you familiar with BNSF's vision, values, and four stake holder groups?

29.How do you find balance between your work life and your personal life?

30.How up to date do you tend to be with what's going on in the industry?