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New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
splatterfaces
Posts: 18
Joined: 02 Aug 2011, 16:37
Gender: Male

New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by splatterfaces »

Could any postmen/women that got a job recently with Royal Mail give any tips on the answers you should give at an interview. Im going for my third interview so i must be saying something wrong, so any help would be appreciated. These are some of the questions, in case you don't remember.

1. Have you ever been in a position of trust by someone giving you something to look after?
2. Give an example of when you worked as part of a team.
3. Give an example of when you had to work on your own initiative.
4. How would you deal with an customer who is not happy with the service they have received?
5. How do you keep yourself fit?
6. Give an example of when you worked to a deadline.
7. Have you ever done a repetitive job before and what did you do to make it easier?
fishtank
Posts: 19732
Joined: 28 Sep 2007, 17:22
Gender: Male

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by fishtank »

My interviewer was female.
I tried to chat her up.
I think she felt sorry for me.
I got the job but not her number.
Not very helpful i know...but your post did bring back some memories..it was a long time ago. :sad: :chuckle
good times, bad times you know I've had my share
DGP1
Posts: 15551
Joined: 07 Jun 2007, 20:39
Gender: Male
Location: Terminus

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by DGP1 »

I went for my interview in uniform :nervous tbh I think mine was just a formality to say that I actually did one.
I'm preparing myself for the zombie invasion, rule number 1 - Cardio
robg
Posts: 81
Joined: 21 Jan 2011, 22:41
Gender: Male

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by robg »

splatterfaces wrote:Could any postmen/women that got a job recently with Royal Mail give any tips on the answers you should give at an interview. Im going for my third interview so i must be saying something wrong, so any help would be appreciated. These are some of the questions, in case you don't remember.

1. Have you ever been in a position of trust by someone giving you something to look after?
2. Give an example of when you worked as part of a team.
3. Give an example of when you had to work on your own initiative.
4. How would you deal with an customer who is not happy with the service they have received?
5. How do you keep yourself fit?
6. Give an example of when you worked to a deadline.
7. Have you ever done a repetitive job before and what did you do to make it easier?
I'm not sure even royal mail would be that blatant in the questions, I got asked about who I worked for and are you able to work soon etc but not

"Have you ever done a repetitive job before and what did you do to make it easier?"

Wouldn't they make a conversation first and write down the points without telling you the questions?
General Mannerheim
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 2299
Joined: 14 Dec 2007, 13:10
Gender: Male
Location: Stalag 17

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by General Mannerheim »

If the interviewer drops his pen on the floor do not ever bend over and pick it up.....you will be shafted enough if you get the job.
Royal Mail managers.....about as popular as a t.urd in a swimming pool!
The DDA/Equality Act demands action,NOT words......adjustments NOT Occupational Health referrals.Case No:2505901/09
Royal Mail is an Equal Opportunities Employer..It discriminates against everybody.
dvbuk55
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 16650
Joined: 02 Jun 2007, 19:17
Gender: Male

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by dvbuk55 »

fishtank wrote:My interviewer was female.
I tried to chat her up.
I think she felt sorry for me.
I got the job but not her number.
Not very helpful i know...but your post did bring back some memories..it was a long time ago. :sad: :chuckle
She was probably impressed with your bell ringing technique at a well known famous landmark in gay Paree and your obvious infatuation with her - was her name Esmeralda by any chance :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle
dvbuk55
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 16650
Joined: 02 Jun 2007, 19:17
Gender: Male

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by dvbuk55 »

DGP1 wrote:I went for my interview in uniform :nervous tbh I think mine was just a formality to say that I actually did one.
This uniform - was it one of those from the Ann Summers range?
DGP1
Posts: 15551
Joined: 07 Jun 2007, 20:39
Gender: Male
Location: Terminus

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by DGP1 »

dvbuk55 wrote:
DGP1 wrote:I went for my interview in uniform :nervous tbh I think mine was just a formality to say that I actually did one.
This uniform - was it one of those from the Ann Summers range?
:Very Happy
I'm preparing myself for the zombie invasion, rule number 1 - Cardio
crazyshrew
Posts: 584
Joined: 19 Jun 2011, 16:58
Gender: Female
Location: Coastal, South West

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by crazyshrew »

these are pretty much standard interview questions these days

i interviewed with RM in march and these are pretty much the answers i gave. (just so you know and my answers make sense, my last job was as an outdoor activity instructor and in my spare time i'm a cadet forces instructor)

1. Have you ever been in a position of trust by someone giving you something to look after? well as a cadet forces instructor i do have the responsibility of looking after peoples children sometimes during quite dangerous activities that's a pretty strong show of trust. on a smaller scale during courses and the like i would often have the responsibility of looking after the cadets pocket money / mobile phones or other valuable items

2. Give an example of when you worked as part of a team. refer to questions 6 +7 and adapt!

3. Give an example of when you had to work on your own initiative. in my previous job i spent alot of time working in the equipment stores on my own. this meant i would have to organise my own time and workload. someone would bring me a problem / fault and i would have to find away of fixing it and due to a budget of nothing i pride myself on the inventive solutions i was able to come up with

4. How would you deal with an customer who is not happy with the service they have received? initially i would apologise and if possible i would try to rectify the situation especially. i i can't or am not in a position to do do anything i would fetch, or point the customer in the direction of someone who can help. probably apologise again and see if there is anything else i can do for them

5. How do you keep yourself fit? as a non driver i go everywhere by foot or push bike so i stay reasonably fit without having to make too much of an effort

6. Give an example of when you worked to a deadline. in my previous job we would have approx 2 hours to complete a change over, this involved around 25 staff cleaning the entire site -bedrooms, bathrooms, communal areas and exterior litter picks etc this was after we had about 300 filthy muddy children in. after especially busy + wet +muddy weeks this would put put a huge amount of pressure on us but at the end of the day we we had a job to get done so we just pulled together, worked our backsides off and got it done!

7. Have you ever done a repetitive job before and what did you do to make it easier? again in my old job during changeovers we would be given specific tasks i.e. bathrooms, hoovering, dusting. this did get dull quite quickly so all we would do is have mp3 players or a very loud radio on and we'd all sing along. it's only a simple thing but it kept our speed up working to the music and moral high as we'd all sing along (albeit badly!) simple things but it kept us going happy!

hope this is of some help
clashcityrocker
Posts: 16689
Joined: 22 Sep 2009, 13:50
Gender: Male
Location: strummerville

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by clashcityrocker »

1. Have you ever been in a position of trust by someone giving you something to look after?
Last time I was in Shepton Mallet I hid the booze in my cell.
2. Give an example of when you worked as part of a team.
I was on the escape committee in Shepton Mallet.
3. Give an example of when you had to work on your own initiative.
Having absconded from Shepton Mallet I had to evade being recaptured with no resources.
4. How would you deal with an customer who is not happy with the service they have received?
Tell them to do one.
5. How do you keep yourself fit?
Running away from the police.
6. Give an example of when you worked to a deadline.
After you have ram raided a jewellers there is a very small window where you can load as much bling as possible before the Old Bill arrives.
7. Have you ever done a repetitive job before and what did you do to make it easier?
Got stoned.
The societies of consumption and squandering of material resources are incompatible with the idea of economic growth and a clean planet.
taurus88
Posts: 1259
Joined: 14 Aug 2010, 17:53
Gender: Male

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by taurus88 »

I remember being asked most of those questions - I just made up answers on the spot. That's the kind of spontaneous "genius" you're capable of when you possess my imagination.
hampshireman
Posts: 792
Joined: 18 Dec 2009, 15:17
Gender: Male

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by hampshireman »

robg wrote:
splatterfaces wrote:Could any postmen/women that got a job recently with Royal Mail give any tips on the answers you should give at an interview. Im going for my third interview so i must be saying something wrong, so any help would be appreciated. These are some of the questions, in case you don't remember.

1. Have you ever been in a position of trust by someone giving you something to look after?
2. Give an example of when you worked as part of a team.
3. Give an example of when you had to work on your own initiative.
4. How would you deal with an customer who is not happy with the service they have received?
5. How do you keep yourself fit?
6. Give an example of when you worked to a deadline.
7. Have you ever done a repetitive job before and what did you do to make it easier?
I'm not sure even royal mail would be that blatant in the questions, I got asked about who I worked for and are you able to work soon etc but not

"Have you ever done a repetitive job before and what did you do to make it easier?"

Wouldn't they make a conversation first and write down the points without telling you the questions?
What they are doing is targetted selection. Each question has a score/rating. How you answer dictates the outcome.

If the poster PM's me I will give feed back
splatterfaces
Posts: 18
Joined: 02 Aug 2011, 16:37
Gender: Male

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by splatterfaces »

Cheers, to the people who werent joking.
G Bolster
Posts: 26
Joined: 13 Jan 2011, 19:45
Gender: Male

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by G Bolster »

I was asked similar questions +

1. State the advantages / disadvantages of working alone / as part of a team.

I just stated that I enjoyed the teamwork aspect and the comraderie, disadvantage being if there was one bad member of the team - weakest link etc...
Said I also liked working alone, found it hard to think of disadvantages but came up with the lack of someone to learn off.
I think they are basically looking for you to say you are able to work individually and as part of a team.

Good luck with the interview.
Lounge Lizard
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 9458
Joined: 06 Aug 2007, 21:54

Re: New Postmen/women Interview Techniques

Post by Lounge Lizard »

splatterfaces wrote:Could any postmen/women that got a job recently with Royal Mail give any tips on the answers you should give at an interview. Im going for my third interview so i must be saying something wrong, so any help would be appreciated. These are some of the questions, in case you don't remember.

1. Have you ever been in a position of trust by someone giving you something to look after?
2. Give an example of when you worked as part of a team.
3. Give an example of when you had to work on your own initiative.
4. How would you deal with an customer who is not happy with the service they have received?
5. How do you keep yourself fit?
6. Give an example of when you worked to a deadline.
7. Have you ever done a repetitive job before and what did you do to make it easier?
The first two interviews that you failed, were they some distance from your home ?
That's what happened to me, answered the questions all correctly but they obviously thought someone living in the town might be more reliable in terms of attendance than someone travelling a distance. Then after six months I had an interview for the Delivery Office a mile away and got the job. :Very Happy
Good luck.