will Amtrak ever employ me i am trying to get into this industry

[user 1215]

hmm start something small, maybe Disney world they have trains that i can work with?

or maybe will a CDL help for the Railroads?

i understand times are really tough and its true but i am not giving up.

If you can afford a part time job at Disney (or, if you're really lucky and can land a full time job), working either in the train operations at the Magic Kingdom or working on the Monorail system will be a tremendous benefit. They will not pay much, but if Disney does anything well, it's training for customer service.

Now, the jobs that I just mentioned are "dream jobs" and they are rare to come up and lots of folks want them. It may be easier getting a full time job with Amtrak than trying to get on part time at Disney!

Again, check with FEC and All Aboard Florida. Might be a great time to get in on the ground floor of something truly revolutionary.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Disney customer service employees are trained through a contract with Ritz Carlton. Ritz Carlton staff are some of the best customer facing service employees I've ever encountered. They're almost universally focused on calm and attentive service with an air of understated sophistication. The Disney version is a lot more casual and upbeat, but it's still based on similar fundamentals of avoiding unnecessary confrontation and allowing the customer to request whatever they want without losing face. Like any other business there are limits to what can be provided, but the focus is on finding a compromise rather than focusing on finding a way to rule out any solution at all as we often see here. It's just about the exact opposite of my experiences with some of Amtrak's Chicago staff that actually seem to actively seek out confrontation with their own customers. I have no idea what the OP truly wants or what he's truly capable of, but I do think Amtrak customer service levels could greatly benefit from taking a page or two out of the Ritz Carlton playbook.

 

[pennyk]

hmm start something small, maybe Disney world they have trains that i can work with?

or maybe will a CDL help for the Railroads?

i understand times are really tough and its true but i am not giving up.

If you can afford a part time job at Disney (or, if you're really lucky and can land a full time job), working either in the train operations at the Magic Kingdom or working on the Monorail system will be a tremendous benefit. They will not pay much, but if Disney does anything well, it's training for customer service.

Now, the jobs that I just mentioned are "dream jobs" and they are rare to come up and lots of folks want them. It may be easier getting a full time job with Amtrak than trying to get on part time at Disney!

Again, check with FEC and All Aboard Florida. Might be a great time to get in on the ground floor of something truly revolutionary.

What about TriRail since he lives in South Florida? All Aboard Florida might not be hiring for a while. SunRail in Central Florida is still under construction.

A caveat about grammar. I am of the age where I studied grammar in junior high school and high school. Although my grammar is far from perfect, it is much better than that of my younger sister, who was only 3 years behind me in school. At least in Florida, I think schools stopped teaching grammar in 1970. I rarely read anything written by people, including attorneys, younger than I, that does not contain grammatical errors.

 

[TimePeace]

Brylove:

In the basic written skills department: I suggest you take course somewhere, very soon. Community college adult education classes, for example. Even in this rural area such classes are offered frequently and are not expensive.

For a start, you must begin the first word of each sentence with a capital letter. This is basic. The lack of capitals stands out like a sore thumb in all your posts. Also, look up how to write in complete sentences. This is important.

Perfect grammar is rare, certainly in my case. But basic good writing skills are very important. No matter what you find for a job to apply for, better writing skills will be a big help.

I wish you well.

 

[NW cannonball]

Brylove:

In the basic written skills department: I suggest you take course somewhere, very soon. Community college adult education classes, for example. Even in this rural area such classes are offered frequently and are not expensive.

For a start, you must begin the first word of each sentence with a capital letter. This is basic. The lack of capitals stands out like a sore thumb in all your posts. Also, look up how to write in complete sentences. This is important.

Perfect grammar is rare, certainly in my case. But basic good writing skills are very important. No matter what you find for a job to apply for, better writing skills will be a big help.

I wish you well.

I also wish you well.

As it happens I am a past master of English (American) spelling and syntax. So many job applicants can't spell or write their own language. I'm working on Japanese now (There are very many railroad jobs in Japan - but I'm not going to apply for any of them.)

If I remember correctly a long time ago Amtrak hired temporary employees sometimes in the summertime. When the people with seniority got time off and the passenger load was at the peak.

Perhaps that doesn't happen now -- but it is a possibility to get a foot in the door so to speak.

The one person I know and remember getting hired on Amtrak as a temp worked the Texas Eagle - it was long while ago.

He decided Med school was more important and has been working that business for a couple of decades. Now he works with people (not passengers as such, but similar "must work with any person who can pay the fare")

IF you have the people skills you need to get hired, that will be totally obvious to the hiring people. IF you don't have those basic skills, you will not likely be an Amtrak worker nor a doctor MD either.

What happens with Amtrak employees and with MD people a decade after the qualify and are hired -- might be a problem for the customer.

But the few _total_ loser job applicants I remember were those who couldn't find their way to the interview and followed up with some sob story e-mail about how they couldn't find the inner city university parking ramp with the map we always sent them. Like "I didn't show up for the interview because I got lost on the freeway and couldn't find the exit" Doohh.

IF you can show your "people skills" and proven ability to learn a lot of technical skills quickly, in this job market, you may have a 1 in 5 chance of an interview -- more or less. That's how it is right now.

 

[crescent2]

As several others have suggested, I'd like to also strongly encourage you to work on improving your language skills. I have seen no improvement here despite many posts about that factor. There seem to be some language as well as grammar difficulties, and I'm wondering if English was your first language. Whether it was or not, if needed, please consider investing in an adult education or community college course. Your inability to express yourself clearly and well will likely be an impediment to getting a good job anywhere. Good communication skills are a must in any job requiring contact with the public. Habits are hard to break, and I would also encourage you to begin to practice your best language skills every time you communicate.

I say this not to discourage you, but to encourage you in your efforts. You obtained one interview, so that is a good sign. Continue to build on the strengths you obviously have as well as working to improve your weak areas.

Best wishes to you for success!

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Seriously, there is something getting annoying. Even though many people have pointed out that you need to improve your writing, you still aren't improving your writing. Start from basics like that. We all make mistakes, but at least pay some attention to the matter.

 

[Trogdor]

Seriously, there is something getting annoying. Even though many people have pointed out that you need to improve your writing, you still aren't imnmproving your writing. Start from basics like that. We all make mistakes, but at least pay some attention to the matter.

I nominate this for post of the year.

 

[crescent2]

The OP has difficulties in communication that go far beyond a simple typo. In all seriousness, his language skills need vast improvement, which is what many posts here are trying to get across to him. There are other helpful suggestions as well from AU friends on how to obtain needed skills and experience.

I wish him success, and I hope he's my TA someday!

 

[roomette]

I'd nominate this entire thread as the "judgmental prigs" topic of the century.

I can not remember the last time an Amtrak employee composed a written message to me.

I think it is more important how an Amtrak employee speaks to me.

Criticism of your written communication skills will likely be more severe than your spoken words.

Brylove, let us HEAR from you! https://soundcloud.com/ Record a message for us.

 

[crescent2]

I for one am not trying to be judgmental, but offering what I believe to be good advice on ways to help him obtain the career of his choice. Maybe it's the teacher in me, but his language (not just simple grammar or writing) skills are lacking and likely to impede his success. It goes beyond capitals and punctuation; he does not express himself clearly or well.

Most of my posts involve asking a zillion and one questions about train travel. I rarely chime in with my opinions on this forum, but after seeing absolutely no improvement, I had to wonder if the capability of better communication was actually there. If not, he needs to work on resolving that problem. I do think it makes obtaining his goals much more difficult, fairly or not. I know other posts had addressed the issue, but honestly, they didn't seem to be "sinking in." My post was done in an effort to help the OP, not to be judgmental.

 

[roomette]

I've understood every one of his posts.

 

[crescent2]

Yes, but they are not expressed as well as any of the others here. Surely you can at least consider the idea that his difficulty in expressing himself might be a hindrance to obtaining his goal of getting a job that involves communicating with the public on a regular basis. That's what matters. He will be largely competing against those with average or better communication skills. I believe improving his language skills will be a great help in obtaining his goals. That's all I'm suggesting.

 

[roomette]

I don't disagree. But, the relentless criticism and unhappiness that there has been no improvement is tedious and unproductive.

 

[jsreeves]

His communications skills (or lack thereof) were pointed out in the first response.

To do so repeatedly is not doing him any good.

 

[crescent2]

Well, I'm hoping it will be productive! That's the point.

I think you and I, and probably all the others, are trying to accomplish the same thing and all wish the OP well. I'm going to leave it at that.

 

[Alexandria Nick]

Is Amtrak hit with the same hiring freeze that the rest of the government is dealing with?

 

[the_traveler]

Not really. Amtrak is a quasi-Government entity, much like the US Post Office. Amtrak is actually a private corporation controlled by Congress for funding.

And to Bryant, I'm sure we all wish you well. The advice that keeps showing up (to improve your writing and communication skills and to get some additional training) is meant to help and encourage you, not to put you down. And written communication is not always the same as verbal communication. I write better online vs when I speak.

I am actually very shy and quiet, and I hardly talk much in any group above 3 people.

 

[pennyk]

I am actually very shy and quiet, and I hardly talk much in any group above 3 people.

....and on-line, no one can shut you up. :giggle:

Whereas, no one can shut me up in person.

 

[Brystar41]

I know the grammer thing is getting annoying, i am sorry i am deeply sorry for this.

I usually type when i speak but this isn't how i type for an Resume or a Cover letter, so i am working to make the revisions you guys told me to do. i have to be professional about this, i have to make it much more presentable.

Is this the better writing that yall wanted? you see i am using periods commas and such. Another thing i want to add is it ok if i post my resume and cover letter to any of you please?

 

[greatcats]

Bryant! This is Greatcats, the #2 responder. Your original post turned into an English debate on a train forum. Quite remarkable! Please see the private message I am going to send you. Eric

 

[crescent2]

Yes, you are making progress! Keep working on practicing those good habits.

I would probably do an acceptable job of catching spelling and grammar errors, but I would not be a good choice to critique your cover letter and resume. I retired last summer and had worked with the same employer for 25 years. I have no idea what constitutes a good resume and cover letter today. You could no doubt give me lessons on that. Someone here can probably help you, though.

Best wishes and hang in there!

 

[roomette]

I have no idea what constitutes a good resume and cover letter today.

It's not uncommon today to include a video presentation, where in you introduce yourself with a smile and your "Elevator Pitch".

Head on over to

!

 

[Alexandria Nick]

Not really. Amtrak is a quasi-Government entity, much like the US Post Office. Amtrak is actually a private corporation controlled by Congress for funding.

I didn't know if that, given its so heavily reliant on government money, if Amtrak had been forced to implement a de facto hiring freeze. Unlike the de jure hiring freeze elsewhere.

I'd advise anyone (ANYONE) looking for a job to read as much as you can about job searching here: askamanager.org The stuff she says is spot on. And, for someone like me, I took her advice to heart because she works in HR in Northern Virginia, which is where I was looking for work. Read everything she has to say about resumes and cover letters. Not that I'm giving 100% credit to her advice, but...I applied for something like 90 jobs over the span of a year and got exactly one interview. After getting dumped and kicked out by the girlfriend, I stepped up my game. In the process, I found that blog and studied it. I implemented changes to the resume and cover letter, based on what I read there. Applications 91 and 92 resulted two interviews. #91 was for the job I have now. I'm pretty convinced at the quality of the advice she gives.

 

[Exiled in Express]

I applied for a non transportation position last year, notification after confirmation of submission seems to only go out if Amtrak show a further interest in you. Not really the most personal but as the application process is entirely online, I can imagine it can't be too hard for an over eager applicant or staffing company to blast hundreds or thousands of barely qualified applications at them.