LRV Driver KeolisAmey Metrolink Assessment 2 Question

[haidox]

Hi,
I've recently received an email that I've made it through to the final stage assessment centre for Tram Driver at KeolisAmey Metrolink in Manchester. The email stated that assesments will consist of the following on the day:

• Group Exercises
• One to One Interviews
• Tram Exercises

Just wondering if people have experience with these and can help in telling me what each of these exercises would consist of. What type of questions would be asked in the interview or what type of person they are looking for. What do the group exercises entail or apart from being able to climb 1.5 metres into the tram what else consists of tram exercises? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[AverageJoe]

As you can imagine for a job like this they will want to know your suitability for the role.
So if you have any past experiences where you have worked shifts, with the public, using concentration then that will help.

Group exercise you will be put in to small groups and asked to make a 5-10min presentation together.

Tram exercise you will have a go on the sim for a short trip.

It’s not a difficult day I don’t think, for me this stage was just making sure that a complete numpty hasn’t got past the psychometrics.

When you get there you will probably be asked to introduce yourself to the group, explain a little about yourself and future goals.

When I did it we had about 15 in my group and then all the managers and a few mentor drivers.

On of the candidates stood up explained a little about himself and then said “my goal is to be a train driver in the next 5 years”.

Don’t be that guy!

He was struck off instantly and when I was last at metrolink the managers and mentors would still talk about it and laugh as the shook their heads

 

[haidox]

Thanks for the helpful reply. I am a black cab driver so I would say the roles are very similar

 

[Neatro]

The group exercises are exactly what it looks like. You'll be set into groups and set a task or presentation to complete together. They're trying to gauge how well you work as a team and how much you contribute towards the task.

The one to one interview again is straight forward, they'll ask you questions for your suitability for the job (such as safety critical, working alone for long periods of time etc)

The simulator exercise, you'll be sat onto their tram simulator and you'll start at a certain place and be given instructions on where to go and what to do.

Make sure you pay attention to this bit as it catches a lot of people out. They'll say "before leaving (stop name) sound your whistle before setting off. It's these instructions they're looking at that you stay within their guidelines with speeds and instructions.

So long as you do exactly what they want from you; you'll fly through the process.

 

[haidox]

The group exercises are exactly what it looks like. You'll be set into groups and set a task or presentation to complete together. They're trying to gauge how well you work as a team and how much you contribute towards the task.

The one to one interview again is straight forward, they'll ask you questions for your suitability for the job (such as safety critical, working alone for long periods of time etc)

The simulator exercise, you'll be sat onto their tram simulator and you'll start at a certain place and be given instructions on where to go and what to do.

Make sure you pay attention to this bit as it catches a lot of people out. They'll say "before leaving (stop name) sound your whistle before setting off. It's these instructions they're looking at that you stay within their guidelines with speeds and instructions.

So long as you do exactly what they want from you; you'll fly through the process.

Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

 

[BPX]

Hi @haidox, I hope the assessment went well for you! Just had mine the other day and I believe it went OK. I ain't the best with face-to-face interviews, but being a tram driver before I believe I had things to say that were what they wanted to hear from someone for the role.

 

[haidox]

Hi @haidox, I hope the assessment went well for you! Just had mine the other day and I believe it went OK. I ain't the best with face-to-face interviews, but being a tram driver before I believe I had things to say that were what they wanted to hear from someone for the role.

My assessment 2 is on 13th December so still just under a couple of weeks to go. Being a tram driver before will surely have you as a certainty to be selected I think. Did they happen to tell you how many people they are recruiting?

 

[Bucephalus]

...you'll be sat onto their tram simulator and you'll start at a certain place and be given instructions on where to go and what to do.

Make sure you pay attention to this bit as it catches a lot of people out. They'll say "before leaving (stop name) sound your whistle before setting off. It's these instructions they're looking at that you stay within their guidelines with speeds and instructions....

As someone that has recently started trams in Croydon, I cannot stress the above enough.

 

[haidox]

How much do they expect you to know about the company, will they ask questions like "why do you want to join KeolisAmey"? Also in the email it said "one on one INTERVIEWS", does that mean there will be more than one interview?

 

[Neatro]

How much do they expect you to know about the company, will they ask questions like "why do you want to join KeolisAmey"? Also in the email it said "one on one INTERVIEWS", does that mean there will be more than one interview?

Not too sure.

It might mean the interviews are one on one or it might mean that you do multiple.

When I joined I had one interview after the assessments and that was with the driver manager and subsequent heads of driving in one room.

 

[BPX]

How much do they expect you to know about the company, will they ask questions like "why do you want to join KeolisAmey"? Also in the email it said "one on one INTERVIEWS", does that mean there will be more than one interview?

I doubt I'll get the job due to a recent motoring offence (IN10) earlier this year accidentally. I had an offer as a tram driver in Edinburgh, obviously having only found out my points went live this morning I had to let them know and they've cancelled my employment offer.

The interview is a Driver Manager and member of HR. They'll ask you 5 questions, mixed, but job specific and if I remember, 1 was involving diversity and company values. Basically, answer it but keeping in mind the safety critical, customer service and flexibility part of the job role.

Don't be afraid, they will help and assist you if they think you're sidetracking or going off the subject.

SAFETY, is the biggest thing all Tram Operators stress about. As a tram driver you need to understand legal requirements to carry out checks before service and during. You can correctly follow instructions given to you and who to report to if an incident occurs. Anything could happen during your shift so you need to be highly flexible and with huge initiative, because believe me, you can have all the training in the world to deal with something, but once you're in the heat of the moment it can throw everything out the window and shake it up. Just be aware that rules are there for a reason, to keep people safe. Not just yourself, but PASSENGERS, and protecting the company's brand reputation.

 

[D Rivers]

The interview is standard “tell me a time when you’ve dealt with a pressured situation” type questions.

 

[haidox]

Thanks for all the help guys (and gals?), all the help is very much appreciated. My interview/assessment is now a week away and although I feel confident about the group and tram exercises I am still fairly nervous about the interviews. As I've posted above I've been a black cab driver for the past 20 years and during Covid lockdown I did work at a vaccination clinic for around 10 months making/mixing Pfizer and Oxford vaccines to be administered to the general public in Tameside. When answering questions can I go as far back as my school days (chairman of school council and also Head Prefect) or are they only interested in scenarios during employment? I'm just a bit stuck in what answers I would give/they would expect since I've been a taxi driver for quite a few years. Also again during the interview did they ask questions about the tram operating company, wanting to find out if you did any research about who you would be working for?

 

[BPX]

Thanks for all the help guys (and gals?), all the help is very much appreciated. My interview/assessment is now a week away and although I feel confident about the group and tram exercises I am still fairly nervous about the interviews. As I've posted above I've been a black cab driver for the past 20 years and during Covid lockdown I did work at a vaccination clinic for around 10 months making/mixing Pfizer and Oxford vaccines to be administered to the general public in Tameside. When answering questions can I go as far back as my school days (chairman of school council and also Head Prefect) or are they only interested in scenarios during employment? I'm just a bit stuck in what answers I would give/they would expect since I've been a taxi driver for quite a few years. Also again during the interview did they ask questions about the tram operating company, wanting to find out if you did any research about who you would be working for?

From my interview with them there were no questions about the company, but that doesn't mean avoid researching Keolis and their operations. It's mainly the business' ethos they're interested about. As mentioned before, safety, customer service, diverse and reliable.

It's the classic "give me a scenario and tell me how you dealt with it, or how would you deal with it".

Usually the questions are around, whether you've been in a role where you've had to keep to a strict time and how you'd go about managing it.

To be fair I wouldn't be surprised if Metrolink are viewing these forums and end up altering the questions a bit. There's nothing to be nervous about pal, it's normal to feel that way, but the whole day is incredibly chilled and laxed. It sounds like your experience as a black cab driver is transferrable and they want to hear you talk about your experiences and the questions asked will be about certain events and how you dealt with them within your past experience.

 

[haidox]

From my interview with them there were no questions about the company, but that doesn't mean avoid researching Keolis and their operations. It's mainly the business' ethos they're interested about. As mentioned before, safety, customer service, diverse and reliable.

It's the classic "give me a scenario and tell me how you dealt with it, or how would you deal with it".

Usually the questions are around, whether you've been in a role where you've had to keep to a strict time and how you'd go about managing it.

To be fair I wouldn't be surprised if Metrolink are viewing these forums and end up altering the questions a bit. There's nothing to be nervous about pal, it's normal to feel that way, but the whole day is incredibly chilled and laxed. It sounds like your experience as a black cab driver is transferrable and they want to hear you talk about your experiences and the questions asked will be about certain events and how you dealt with them within your past experience.

Thanks a lot, you've put my mind to ease.

 

[Neatro]

Thanks for all the help guys (and gals?), all the help is very much appreciated. My interview/assessment is now a week away and although I feel confident about the group and tram exercises I am still fairly nervous about the interviews. As I've posted above I've been a black cab driver for the past 20 years and during Covid lockdown I did work at a vaccination clinic for around 10 months making/mixing Pfizer and Oxford vaccines to be administered to the general public in Tameside. When answering questions can I go as far back as my school days (chairman of school council and also Head Prefect) or are they only interested in scenarios during employment? I'm just a bit stuck in what answers I would give/they would expect since I've been a taxi driver for quite a few years. Also again during the interview did they ask questions about the tram operating company, wanting to find out if you did any research about who you would be working for?

The interview will be to see if you fit the role and whether you can handle it.

It sounds easy driving a tram but it's actually a lot harder than people think. Safety is paramount and concentrating for long periods of time, on your own isolated from people.

A lot of people come and go because they think it's easy just sitting there but it's actually harder mentally than it looks.

The questions aren't there to trip you up. They want to find out how well you fit the role "tell me about a time you've worked alone for long periods" "tell me about a time you've worked as a team" "tell me how you deal with emergency situations" etc.

Try to keep it fairly recently in your work experience if you can and follow the STAR method of describing your examples and you'll be fine.

 

[haidox]

@BPX have you heard anything back yet? We we're told that we should find out by the end of this week if we were successful or not.

 

[BPX]

@BPX have you heard anything back yet? We we're told that we should find out by the end of this week if we were successful or not.

Nothing mate. Absolutely nothing.

 

[haidox]

I got a call yesterday around 2.30pm from Metrolink saying that I was successful in my assessment 2 and that I should expect an email by the end of this week with the date for my medical which will be after Christmas. She said that I am looking at a May/June start for my training and am on the waiting list for April if someone drops out.

 

[BPX]

I got a call yesterday around 2.30pm from Metrolink saying that I was successful in my assessment 2 and that I should expect an email by the end of this week with the date for my medical which will be after Christmas. She said that I am looking at a May/June start for my training and am on the waiting list for April if someone drops out.

Bless you pal, well done for getting through it all hope all goes smoothly for you!

 

[haidox]

Thank you for your help

 

[BPX]

I did get the offer to, but had to disclose my points and unfortunately it got withdrawn so unlucky me

 

[haidox]

Damn that's a shame. I have my medical in March and it seems that could be the hardest part in all of this with the stories of others failing on their medical because of things picked up in the ECG.

 

[BPX]

Damn that's a shame. I have my medical in March and it seems that could be the hardest part in all of this with the stories of others failing on their medical because of things picked up in the ECG.

It's nothing to worry about honestly. It's things like eyesight, previous/current heart conditions, and medication you're taking that I believe flag up as a major issue but, having had no issue myself, I do think there's solutions or workarounds.