Flying Out for a Job Interview

Honey, the fact that they are flying you out is a perk nowadays. Chill out and enjoy the California sun--as you are in CO...

You seem to be griping a lot for someone who is looking for a job. I'm sure you told them "whatever day you need me there is fine, I can work it out.."
Enjoy the trip and accommodate their schedules... YOU are the one looking for a job, they already have one. Oh, and good luck.

As an employer, it sounds like you don't want to go. Yes, it is a very long day and many of us put in very long days which including flying.

It is nothing for my hubby to be on the road by 4:30am to catch a 6am flight and then work all day and not get to a hotel or home until after 11pm. It is what it is.... we have a company to run and we do what works.

As for what you will do all day in the office.... you will probably be meeting the people you would be working with in all aspects of the business. They are all interviewing you just as you should be interviewing them to see if you feel like it is a good fit for you both. So what, if you are virtual...don't you want to put a face to a name, etc.

I understand it is "your" time but they are paying your way out there. Wouldn't you rather waste a day of "your time" in order to find out if something is right for you or not.

Try to look at it as an learning adventure and take it in stride. I would bet it is not all business the entire time you are there.. maybe you'll get a great lunch as well!

Good luck

To me you contradicted yourself. You indicated that you want to be "sensitive to their time" but how is wanting someone to take you to the airport during the middle of the day "'sensitive to their time' since everyone is very busy."?

If I were going to be a "virtual" employee, I would want to spend an entire day there so I can see how everything works together. It would give me a better foundation.

By sending the e-mail, it really sounds like you don't want to go. If I were the employer, I would already be a bit jaded by that.

If you want the job do it. If not then don't. There's nothing wrong with asking them to have your flight leave the next morning so you can stay the night in a hotel and rest but you can probably sleep as well on a flight anyway. So just decide how interested you are in working there and then act with a corresponding amount of gratitude and deference.

I think everything you wrote sounds good - you are positioning yourself as someone who cares about spending their resources (money and time) and you're being proactive about what's going to happen during the day so you can prepare.

But I wouldn't do any more asking. If all they want you to do for the entire day is wander around and look pretty... well, then so be it. Just be friendly and try to appear flexible! And if they're totally disorganized, then you'll know it's not a company that you want to work with. Remember that you're interviewing them too.

The only thing that I think that will worry them about your telling them that you'd be happy to take a non-direct flight is that they may think that you really didn't want to come in the first place, because you don't want to spend time in the office. That's, quite frankly, a red flag.

As far as this company is concerned, they aren't being very sensitive to you, making you have a 4:30am-10:00pm day (not counting driving back to your house from the airport). It actually is a very GOOD thing, having you in the office all day - it is not very kind to you to make you have to fly back the same day and have such a long day with this trip. I'm very sorry you don't get to go to a hotel room at the end of the day and fly out the next morning. Your flight schedule would be the unbearable thing to me! And telling them that you are willing to have a non-direct flight either tells them that you don't want to spend much time in the office (so why are they bringing you anyway?) OR that you don't mind getting home at 2:00 am in the morning.

Regarding being in the office, even if you work away from all those people, it is wonderful to go there, meet folks, see the "culture" of the office, listen to what people talk about and "shadow", if you get to do that. You can learn a great amount about how these people work and think and it should be valuable to you in deciding if this company and you are a fit.

It is fine that you asked for a schedule, but please don't think that it's unbearable to have shadow time in the office. You are there to figure out if you want to work for these people. Avail yourself of it!

Also, remember that you are being "interviewed" by every person there. Even the secretaries. You have no idea who all they talk to in that office after you have left. "Water cooler talk" carries weight. They are looking to see if you are professional, knowledgable, if you get along with others, if you sound intelligent, on a level different from just looking at your resume or spending 15 minutes with you.

So the door swings both ways - are you a fit for them, and are they a fit for you. I hope you will find that the trip is beneficial even if you are shadowing people in the office.

Good luck!!
Dawn

I think it's fine that you asked for a schedule for the day. They should be willing to give you that. But, I agree with others that if you want this job, you'll give them this day. The change I would check on is if you could fly in the evening before. Then you would be starting your day several hours later and be more rested to handle the day in the office.

As for the "exhausting" part, yes sometimes we put in long days for work. I've traveled to teach workshops and have had the misfortune to have flight delays so that I only got 3 or 4 hours of sleep then needed to be in front of a room for an entire day, then drive back to the airport and fly home. Yes, it's exhausting, but I didn't have to do it every day.

If I were the boss, I'd count your email as strike one.

I have been flown to interviews, which is expensive for the company to arrange flights, and expensive to the company b/c THEY are also "losing" a day of work.

If I were in your shoes - I would take Jim's advice. Keep your head down from here on out and hope the email about flights doesn't make too many waves.

PS - I know you meant well, but you do realize that you said in your last line of the SWH, "Not to gripe, but here's my gripe". If I picked up on it (the attitude), I would guess that not only will the boss/interviewer pick up on it - but they'll be LOOKING for it.

Good luck. :)

Even though they are paying for the trip they should be more sensitive to your time and have checked with you before finalizing any arrangements.

I'm a corporate recruiter and I would never assume that someone is just giving up their time for me to coordinate carte blanche. Also-the fact that they aren't giving you an itinerary for the day is concerning.

It's entirely possible that it's the HR department, (person), who is unorganized, (but it still reflects badly on the company as a whole). I would reach out to the person you interviewed with if possible-and discuss with them.

If you are stuck going through HR-then no, it was not the wrong thing to do. In this tight market companies should be trying harder to attract good talent so it may be a sign of things overall as a company.