any openreach engineers in the house?
any openreach engineers in the house?
Author
Discussion

k15tox

Original Poster:

1,680 posts

210 months

Saturday 5th November 2011
quotequote all
i have got an interview for openreach next wednesday in leeds.

any pointers for the interview? ie questions asked etc?

its part of the recruitment drive to take on ex forces as i left 2 months ago.

anybody in the same boat?

i have completed the c+g 3667 but havent had any on the job experiance, although i believe they provide training.

cheers

TwistingMyMelon

6,507 posts

234 months

Sunday 6th November 2011
quotequote all
Hi

I'm an ex OR engineer, had an interview 6 years or so ago, left the company 2 years later

In my interview, had to wire a plug, it was more than a technical challenge, you had to break down how you would go about it H&S concerns, etc....

Lots of ex forces in OR, they took to it well, as it is quite "regimented" company.

Had excellent training, they teach you everything, or did when I was there, got sent away for 3 x weeks in Croydon and then 2 x weeks in Staffs.

Just read up on company, website and wikis tell you everything, esp stuff like LLU and future directions for the telecomms industry.

Any specific questions chap?

SlimRick

2,277 posts

194 months

Sunday 6th November 2011
quotequote all
Similar story here - interviewed 5 years ago, left after 2 years. You're no longer allowed to wire a plug at the interview as you haven't been trained to use a screwdriver and there are H&S implications.
The job itself can be great fun but is overshadowed by management, audits, customer charges even if you don't think they're appropriate etc. Again, any specific questions just ask.
Had 3 weeks residential training in Harrogate for overhead work, and 3 weeks in Croydon for underground work.
The vans now have trackers, and you need to be where you are supposed to be or big brother will be on the phone to you. No more slow starts to the day or extra brew breaks when you feel like one smile
Sign up here:
www.openreachengineer.net
You'll get some very honest opinions!


Edited by SlimRick on Sunday 6th November 15:59

k15tox

Original Poster:

1,680 posts

210 months

Sunday 6th November 2011
quotequote all
Thanks for the input guys, really appreciated.

Quite nervous about it tbh, prob due to the fact that I've been unemployed for a month since leaving. Really need it!

As stated I've done the fibre and copper course but have forgot quite a few things, but my head is firmly in the books!

I've been told allot of questions go like.....'Give me an example of when you have worked in a team' etc etc

Anyways ill let you know how I get on,

Cheers,

Kyle

TwistingMyMelon

6,507 posts

234 months

Sunday 6th November 2011
quotequote all
k15tox said:
Thanks for the input guys, really appreciated.

Quite nervous about it tbh, prob due to the fact that I've been unemployed for a month since leaving. Really need it!

As stated I've done the fibre and copper course but have forgot quite a few things, but my head is firmly in the books!

I've been told allot of questions go like.....'Give me an example of when you have worked in a team' etc etc

Anyways ill let you know how I get on,

Cheers,

Kyle
Good luck, just do your research and have answers for typical questions, you will be fine smilesmile

Otispunkmeyer

13,761 posts

184 months

Monday 7th November 2011
quotequote all
SlimRick said:
Similar story here - interviewed 5 years ago, left after 2 years. You're no longer allowed to wire a plug at the interview as you haven't been trained to use a screwdriver and there are H&S implications.
The job itself can be great fun but is overshadowed by management, audits, customer charges even if you don't think they're appropriate etc. Again, any specific questions just ask.
Had 3 weeks residential training in Harrogate for overhead work, and 3 weeks in Croydon for underground work.
The vans now have trackers, and you need to be where you are supposed to be or big brother will be on the phone to you. No more slow starts to the day or extra brew breaks when you feel like one smile
Sign up here:
www.openreachengineer.net
You'll get some very honest opinions!


Edited by SlimRick on Sunday 6th November 15:59
Not allowed to wire a plug! What could possibly go wrong?!

SlimRick

2,277 posts

194 months

Monday 7th November 2011
quotequote all
Otispunkmeyer said:
Not allowed to wire a plug! What could possibly go wrong?!
I think my round of interviews was the first time we weren't allowed to handle any tools due to a previous incident with a screwdriver. I had to explain which wire went where by pointing to a plug screwed to a piece of plywood, and also describe the colour of several wires to make sure I wasn't colour blind.

The job is ruled by H&S, and if you do injure yourself, because you have been trained properly you will end up on a disciplinary for doing it wrong. Suicide rates are also surprisingly high, there were 2 in the area I worked in the brief time I was there.eek


flashsnapsuk

1 posts

177 months

Wednesday 28th December 2011
quotequote all
Sorry, just saw this thread.

How did you get an interview with Openreach? What was the path you took?

SlimRick

2,277 posts

194 months

Thursday 29th December 2011
quotequote all
flashsnapsuk said:
Sorry, just saw this thread.

How did you get an interview with Openreach? What was the path you took?
With any luck the OP will be sat in a 4* hotel in Harrogate, negotiating whether he can use his £25 per night "food only" allowance for beer and a basket of chips whilst doing his training smile

Brigand

2,547 posts

198 months

Sunday 1st January 2012
quotequote all
How did the OP do?

I wanted to work for OR or Global when I left the RAF late 2010, but they had not long been laying off a lot of engineers, and restructuring the workforce, so I dipped out then, but hope to get involved in the near future.
Typically, not long after starting my current job, one of the engineers got hold of me and said OR was recruiting again, it was too late by then!

I know how annoying the trackers are, I worked closely with the OR and Global engineers in my RAF job, and there was uproar when the trackers were fitted, they hated being called up after 10 mins of being stationary with Big Brother checking up on them!
We tried to help them out by putting obstacles in their managements way, suggesting the engineers couldn't go to certain areas of the base due to a potential RF hazard from the tracker, but after a while of wrangling, BT turned round and (quite rightly) said the vans could go anywhere a mobile phone could go.

It just meant now the engineers had to walk to the explosives storage area to fix a phone!

Hobes 147

264 posts

247 months

Friday 6th June 2014
quotequote all
Anyone had an interview recently as I've got one next week and I am wondering what to expect? Thanks.

50volt

61 posts

203 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
quotequote all
k15tox said:
i have got an interview for openreach next wednesday in leeds.

any pointers for the interview? ie questions asked etc?

its part of the recruitment drive to take on ex forces as i left 2 months ago.

anybody in the same boat?

i have completed the c+g 3667 but havent had any on the job experiance, although i believe they provide training.

cheers
My advice is there's no need at all to worry about the interview. Just about your mental health when you've been working there a while.