Union Pacific Operations Manager Interview Questions
& Process

The interview was held online. It wasn't too hard, with more behavioral questions than technical ones. Usually, two to three people are in the interview. Make sure to tell them you're okay with relocating or traveling since the job needs it.

You'll need to prepare for something unique: they actively try to make you leave the interview process. This has been their thing for over 150 years. It's unlike any other hiring process I've seen, and I've been on both the labor and management sides. They still use scare tactics, even at recruiting events when they should be attracting people. They'll tell you you'll be overworked, stressed, and exposed to the elements, even for office or leadership roles. Hiring managers talk about all the time away from home for everyone. I've heard them say, 'If your marriage isn't strong, don't join.' It's wild that senior management hasn't addressed this; it's just accepted. After the scare tactics, there's a quick overview of what the railroad does. Then, it usually goes back to how much this company demands from all employees, labor and management. Multiple times, they'll have you consider all the job's perils during a break. They might even ask you to call your significant other, tell them what you've been told about the tough conditions, long/odd hours, and time away, and then ask if they're okay with it.

We met in a room provided by the Baton Rouge Career services center. The HR Rep started with an introduction to the company and what to expect, emphasizing safety and the demanding nature of the railroad career, where long hours and little free time are common. He shared some of his background, suggesting internal promotion opportunities within the company. He noted that the average UP worker is 56 and about a third are expected to retire in the next 5 years. Following this, we began a series of tests. The first was a 5-minute verbal reasoning test, which involved reading short statements and determining if conclusions drawn were True, False, or Not enough information, under time pressure. Next, there was an hour-long test with simple business management questions, mostly involving graph analysis, and some basic analogy questions. The last two tests were personality-based. One focused on work/school experience. The most time-consuming test had 248 questions requiring answers on a scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree, designed to assess character and answer consistency through rephrased questions. During these final two tests, we were pulled out individually every half hour for one-on-one interviews. The interviews were straightforward, asking why UP should hire us, about overcoming challenges, and how we handle disruptive coworkers.