What does your availability look like? Are you open to relocating?
It's important to go into your interview with a thorough understanding of the expectations of the job. For many of the positions which BNSF offers, the work schedule could involve nights, weekends, and holidays, since many of the work environments at BNSF operate around the clock seven days a week. Although this may not be the case for all the positions at BNSF corporate or logistics, many of the positions in transportation expect crews to be available to work on an on-call basis, within just a couple of hours' notice. So, your interviewer is curious how flexible you are, and how readily you would be willing to meet the needs of BNSF Railway and to do whatever it takes to meet their expectations of a star employee in this role.
"I am no stranger to making myself available to be on-call and ready to arrive at work in under 2 hours. Anytime there's a staff shortage or other pressing need, I do what I can to support our teams. It's not an easy job, for me or my leadership teams, so I do what I can to promote the sensibility of helping each other out. I've also done my fair share of travel for work, but have not yet been asked to relocate for work. But, I am very career-focused, so for the right opportunity, and with assured job security, I would definitely consider relocation as an option."
Here are some excerpts from their careers site which detail the expectations surrounding many of their positions. "BNSF freight trains operate around the clock, as do the people in Transportation. Employees work nights, weekends, holidays and on-call. Employees work both indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions. Many of our jobs require little to no travel, while a number of positions require extensive journeys throughout the BNSF Railway network. Work may require extensive travel and time away from home. Over-the-road crews are based from a "home" location and are on call 24/7. Yard crews are assigned to a specific terminal/yard and work a set schedule. All teams work together to ensure a timely, safe and damage-free freight delivery for our customers. An ideal candidate should be very flexible regarding location. Relocation assistance may be provided to those who are moving more than 50 driving miles from their current residence. This applies to both the training location and placement location, if the placement location differs from the training location."
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Anonymous Answer
In my current position, I work nights and weekends. I am versatile when it comes to scheduling.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! The interviewer will appreciate that you are flexible when it comes to scheduling and that you've done this before. Being on-call is a bit different, though, and it means that you can be called into work at any time, day or night, whether you're expecting it or not. How do you feel about that? Are you confident you can handle this? If so, tell the interviewer this. Remind them that you are adaptable, quick-thinking, and open to switching into work mode whenever necessary. Nice job!
Anonymous Answer
"My work schedule, thus far, has been primarily weekdays working from 7:30 to 3:30. I understand that this role with BNSF Railway Company requires me to be on call quite often. I am willing to be a team player and work whichever hours are required of me."
Marcie's Feedback
Great! The interviewer will appreciate that you are open to being on call. Consider talking about how you're flexible by nature and recognize that being on call will mean that there will be times when you have to report to work that might be inconvenient personally. Reassure the interviewer that you will be able to handle this aspect of the job. Good job!
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