it was safety focused and most of the questions were based if you could fit into the lifestyle . it was very formal and took part in 2 pieces. there are 2 ways you can get to the interview.

I applied online, and was invited to participate in a Zoom information session/interview roughly a month after I submitted my application. CN is a large company, and I was impressed by the professionalism and efficiency of their hiring process, as the number of people they process would be voluminous to meet their operational demands. The information session was comprehensive, leaving little doubt about the nature of the work, and the degree of commitment demanded of you. I appreciated their frankness, and the information session was extremely beneficial. Afterwards, there was an opportunity to ask questions of the recruiting team. Following the information session came the individual interviews, conducted by an HR representative, and the manager of the yard to which you would be assigned after completing your training at the CN campus. My advice would be to know about the history of the company, the specific duties/job description of a conductor, and the basics of railroad marshalling if you want to guarantee getting a job offer. Understandably, CN places a great deal of emphasis on workplace safety, as it’s a safety critical environment, so prepare yourself accordingly. Most of the questions are behavioural, and if you’ve sat through more than one interview in the past, there’s no surprise/gotcha questions to confound you. The yard manager did ask a railroad-related skills question, so as I mentioned, be prepared. I was offered the position, but declined, but this isn’t a negative reflection on CN. I was offered a job closer to where I preferred to reside, whereas CN was going to post me to northern BC. If I didn’t receive the other offer, I would have happily worked for CN.