The role:
Join a small team of BC Rapid Transit Company (BCRTC) writers responsible for modernizing SkyTrain repair and maintenance documentation.
Union wage: $37.47/hour (CUPE 7000)
The application:
I applied in August 2017 to a job ad, with a referral from someone on their technical writing team.
They said they wanted to schedule an interview when the manager came back from vacation. I never heard from them.
In July 2018, a year later, they emailed me to schedule an interview.
The interview:
I had an on-site interview at the train facility on 14th Ave in Burnaby.
I was interviewed by a panel of three people: a young HR person, the Documentation manager, and her boss, the Assurance manager.
All three were polite and friendly. They each took a turn asking about 3-4 questions.
The interview process was formal and formulaic. Not relaxed, but also not intimidating.
I asked questions about the office culture, examples of employee feedback being implemented, flex-hours, and telecommuting.
They said the Assurance (and therefore documentation) team had the best culture in the company, and that a program was in the works to reward employees for suggestions that would save the company money.
They also said that telecommuting and flexible working hours are not possible.
They mentioned that one of their challenges is tenured employees who are entrenched and resistant to change.
I opted to pass on this opportunity because I'm interested in working at a company that puts a higher priority on work-life balance and company culture.