NATS application process - not impressed so far

[wnd]

Submitted an application about 6 weeks ago, heard nothing until last Wed when I received an email asking me to book a first stage test through the 'candidate booker' - link given to the standard application site (the gtios one). When I log in, there is no candidate booker to be found. Replied to email advising of this and have received no response over a week later.

Tech incompetence followed up by lack of service is something I'd expect from BT, not NATS...

[phil-99]

Don't know what can be said... I've been through those bits and never had an issue. I must agree that they are rather poor at dealing with emails.

[+'ve ROC]

AND they take ages to process one's expenses claim!

They are pretty professional on the test day though.

[phil-99]

My expenses were done within a month! I was astonished, given what I've read and heard.

Anyone know what they pay per mile, by the way?

[Slippers]

When I left Uni and did a large number of interviews with various different companies, all of these bar NATS were done at my own expense. So you should be grateful that you get any money back at all especially if you consider the fact that given the large number of applicants, NATS ends up paying money to a lot of people who never end up working for them at all.

And as for slagging off the company before you've even started working for them. Not the greatest attitude in the world. At least have the decency to leave the whinging and moaning to those of us on the inside!!

I wish you good luck in your (probably long) search for future employment.

[phil-99]

And as for slagging off the company before you've even started working for them. Not the greatest attitude in the world
I'm not entirely sure who that comment's aimed at... so it shall remain ignored for now.

I'm fairly sure that just about every interview I've attended has had expenses paid. Why would a company deny themselves the chance to take on the perfect applicant because they can't afford to travel to an interview?

[wnd]

Update - I resent the message through the 'message centre' and the next day received a template reply about logging into the candidate booker, which, miraculously, had now appeared. No apology for it never having been their in the first place.

Then this morning I receive an email from someone at NATS HR telling me that I should use the message centre (although they do not say this on their own email correspondence- appending the standard 'do not reply to this email - use the messasge centre' would be useful :rolleyes: ) and that they note I was concerned about the reponse time (so clearly they had read the second message) and that if I use the message centre my queries would be dealt with promptly... all well and good, but advise/remind me of that in your emails and at least hint at an apology when a mistake has been made. It would look a lot more professional.

Still not impressed.

...and re: expenses, any reasonable company that expects you to *go out of your way* for an interview/assessment will reimburse expenses.

[flower]

It is a very different process now than when i applied.

However I would have jumped through hoops to make sure i got to the assessment regardless of whether or not i got expenses.
If you really want the career to worry about expenses is a bit ridiculous. I had to travel to London twice as so many of us did and the thought of someone else paying never crossed my mind.
( no i wasn't earning loads of money at the time I applied i had just got made redundant and was working as a checkout girl)

[atcomarkingtime]

Wow!! Don't know how you do it!! ur not even an ATCO yet and you can winge for NATS!! Call it an initiative test!! They aint gonna pay lots of money for nothing you know!! Take it from an atco that knows!

[fernytickles]

S'funny init? If the poster was a potential customer, they'd have every right to complain, and no doubt lots of support from other posters on here.

Yet when the NATS system shows some incompetence, and the poster complains, just because they are a job applicant, some shoot them down in flames.

If something is incompetent or incorrect, why shouldn't a comment be made that will aid with correcting the problem, and why shouldn't the poster be frustrated with the seeming incompetence, job applicant or not?

Perhaps the poster is showing attention to detail, and a keenness for things to operate correctly? Or some such other positive attribute..

[side-saddled]

Got news for you guys, it doesn't get any better.
It's a pain but the job is worth it.

As for those of you complaining about them moaning, I'd say that makes them perfect ATCO material, advance to validation and winging about pay and working conditions.

Lets face it, those of you on the inside know full well how helpful and errrr............ what the HR department is like.

[VRB03KT CAVOK]

What constitutes as reasonable travel expenses?

While people are whinging about a couple hours of travel I'm coming over from Australia for the assesment day and not expecting a refund of the 800 quid flight.

I'm effectively taking a month off for this and I probably won't have a job to come back to at the end end of it (but that's just the industry I work in).

If I get through to an interview and there is any question of how much I want to do the job or how comitted I am I think I have all the evidence I need...

[runtobarlu]

What are these guys on ???.

You want the job - great, but don't knock it til you've tried it. You'll have put up with a lot more sxxt before you wear a headset in anger. When I signed up ( probably before you were even born ) it didn't even cross my mind about expenses or time taken to get to the interview - and I waited four years and a dozen applications before I even came close to sitting across the table from anyone vaguely connected to ATC.

Keep your complaints until you're sat on a sector one day with your hair on fire. Got a feeling that the last thing on your mind will be your train fare to Crewe...or maybe not !!!!!

[Jerricho]

VRB03KT CAVOK - Trust me mate. They won't reimburse you for it.

[horseylady]

I know what NATS is like, recruitment wise only, they take forever to do anything! I had booked my interview date and all the travel arrangements to get there etc (from the Isles of Scilly so it involved helicopter trip, train and hotel) 1 week before the date they sent me a very impersonal e-mail (not a phone call!) to say the interviews were cancelled. I managed to book another date and this time they sent an e-mail saying the system had overbooked the interview and that there were to be no more interviews for 5 months, that meant I was going to loose out on the helicopter ticket and some money, again, on the train fare. I sent them an e-mail asking them to perhaps reconsider as I had everything booked but I never heard back from them! The Interview I booked next took place thankfully but I was unsuccessful. Unfortunately they have stopped giving feedback which was a great help the first time I took the interview.

Thats how it will always be no doubt but it really doesn't help to keep people motivated or to give the company a good image.

I imagine that some people would find it too much and try elsewhere which is a shame for NATS who probably miss out on some talented people.

[wnd]

Interesting comments from both sides :)

some final thoughts...

An application/interview process is as much about the applicant finding out about the employer as it is the employer finding out about the applicant.

There are many (mainly kiddies from reading this board) who's ambition for a particular role blinds them to the the reality of what is essentialy accepting a job offered by an employer and if NATS is only interested in attracting these applicants- then good luck to them.

If however they are truly interested in attracting the much wider range of talent available, then they should make every effort to ensure professionalism and communication at every step of the process.

[Evil J]

Care to comment halo??