One of 7 Class 1 railways in the United States, Norfolk Southern Railway operates across 22 states and has rights on the Canadian Pacific tracks to the Albany to Montreal route. Norfolk Southern operates 19, 420 miles of track, most frequently hauling coal. They are a leading transporter of coal in the United States.
Norfolk Southern Railway boasts over 30,000 employees across numerous career fields. There are positions available for traditional hire in fields like IT, engineering, finance, and operations, as well as internship and co-op opportunities.
There are desirable benefits available to union and non-union employees. All employees are offered health care plans and have access to retirement savings plans. Employment with Norfolk Southern Railway also comes with perks like employee purchase programs and discounts.
What Is Norfolk Southern Railway’s Recruitment Process?
To begin your career search, create a profile on the Norfolk Southern website. Be sure to include any relevant information from your resume. Norfolk Southern will only accept applications through their official careers portal. You will be sent an automatic notification after submitting your resume. Human resources will contact you through email if you are selected to continue to the next stage of the hiring process. You can submit applications to multiple jobs at once or save positions to come back to later.
After submitting your application, you may receive a notification to complete an online assessment test. Your scores on this test will determine if you will be asked to participate in an interview.
The interview process at Norfolk Southern varies based on the position being interviewed for. You will be notified by a member of human resources what the process may look like for you. Some positions require an initial pre-recorded video interview, others may be done over the phone, or you may be asked to do a live video interview.
If you are offered the position you will still need to pass a background check. Applicants for physically strenuous jobs will be required to pass a strength test and a medical background check.
Norfolk Southern Railway’s Assessments
The online assessments are used to ensure that new hires can integrate smoothly into the existing team. There are basic competencies that are core parts of successful job performance, as well as specific skills that certain jobs require.
Mathematical Reasoning – The ability to quickly perform basic math functions is vital to roles both in operations and in administrative and clerical work. The mathematical reasoning test will measure the candidate’s ability to use addition and subtraction, multiply and divide, and solve word problems.
Verbal Reasoning – The ability to understand spoken and written instructions is extremely important in a fast-paced environment. This test will show how well the test takes can interpret written information, come to conclusions, and understand written passages.
Situational Judgment Test (SJT) – This will show how well the candidate problem solves, their ability to communicate with others, and if they are able to make logical decisions.
Mechanical Reasoning Test – For those who will be going into operations, showing mechanical ability is important. This test will see how well the job-seeker understands simple mechanical principles, if they are able to work with diagrams to problem solve, and if they have an understanding of basic physics.
How to Prepare for Norfolk Southern Railway’s Tests?
The scores you receive on the assessment tests will determine how far you are able to go in the hiring process. To make it to the interview stage, study before taking the tests so you can put your best foot forward.
Most of the tests are based on basic abilities involving number or word comprehension. Practice math drills with flashcards, or with online apps. The higher the position you are testing for, the more difficult the test so be sure to keep all the functions of your job in mind when studying. If you know you may need more advanced number concepts, practice those as well so you are not surprised by anything on the tests. Reading and crosswords can help with your reading comprehension, Just the act of reading the job description to be sure you understand all the job requirements will help you prepare for the reading comprehension portion of the test.
If you are going into a mechanical field, be sure to go over mechanical concepts, and brush up on your physics knowledge. Use online resources for studying these, use your old textbooks, and be certain you go over concepts like force, momentum, friction, and simple machines like levers and pulleys.
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