Working with Amtrak / Customer Service Position

[CHSlowcountry]

Good morning,

I applied to an Amtrak customer service position in my area 4 months ago. Passed the assessment and am just waiting. I've tried searching online for any hiring processes. Is it expected to not hear back for about 6 or 7 months?

I was able to contact HR last month but they were not able to divulge any info pertaining to the position or for when the position is expected to be filled. I didn't know if it would be worth pursuing the local Amtrak station and speaking with a manager there, or if this would just be silly, considering the corporate process.

Has anybody had a similar experience?

 

[NSC1109]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

I’ve also had the...erm...”pleasure” of going through Amtrak’s employment process. It’s far from ideal. The first thing you need to understand is that the railroad does things at their own pace. Be patient.

The second thing is to always be on top of it. Check your application on the “Jobs Management” tab daily. Check your spam box in your email. Ensure that you didn’t miss anything.

I applied for an position within the transportation department on the east coast. Entry level, just an internship. I was told that I would be contacted with information to move forward. I waited a few weeks and tried to reach out again. I heard nothing from my recruiter via phone or email. I reached out to an old recruiter that I was to turn down because the timing wasn’t right and I didn’t get a response from them either. Eventually I just gave up because the position was due to start the next month and I couldn’t set anything up that quickly for housing, etc.

I finally got an email last week saying my application had been turned down. I had all my communications reviewed by career center staff at my university and they were appalled at the treatment I got and said I acted professionally with each action I took. Still no idea why I was suddenly “ghosted”.

It ended up not being a huge deal, because I found a great position with an amazing well-known airline (think Richard Anderson) and I’m learning a lot. Never would’ve gotten that if I had the internship.

Just keep your options open and don’t be surprised if they don’t get back to you.

 

[Skyline]

Just another example of employers and potential employers treating humans as commodities. Frustrating, and sad.

Thankfully not all employers are so heartless. When labor and management work well in unison it can and should be a win-win.