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Traveling 3000 Miles for a 30 Minute Interview?

post #1 of 33
4/6/10 at 10:30pm
Thread Starter 
Yesterday morning I--rather unexpectedly--received an invitation for an interview this coming Monday (5 days from now) in Manhattan. Travel and lodging costs are covered by the organization (which will remain nameless for obvious reasons). I have two questions,
  1. Is this normal for a B.A. graduate scheme program? +800 dollars seems to be a large investment to interview a single candidate for just 30 minutes.
  2. What's the etiquette on rescheduling? Given the short notice and travel distance, I have a few irreconcilable prior commitments.
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post #2 of 33
4/6/10 at 10:50pm
a) it's within the bounds of normal. (they like you)

b) how 'irreconcilable' are your prior commitments? If you want the job and you can't move things around, call them IN A VERY HUMBLE, NON-ENTITLED, NON GEN Y way and see if there is a way to make the trip later in the week. Have a day in mind, and be ready for their counter-offer. This is likely a flexible situation, as they're interviewing a bunch of other candidates in this first round.
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post #3 of 33
4/6/10 at 10:56pm
1) Keep the date if possible. Change only if you have to. They might talk to a local candidate on, say Tuesday - and decide they like him instead. If you already agreed to the date. If you haven't, then asking for a few days later is no problem. But if you agreed, re-canting is bad. 2) You are obviously on their "good potential" list. Bringing you in for $800 is nothing compared to the costs of hiring somebody un-seen and finding out they suck. If I fly in 5 people that costs me $4,000. By comparison, using a head hunter to feed me candidates can cost $30,000 easily. And I still have to pay travel costs (if any).
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post #4 of 33
4/7/10 at 7:01am
Thread Starter 
No commitments were made on my part. But, earlier this evening I sent an email requesting a postponement and apparently they cannot accommodate it. A shame, really. I've never seen Manhattan in the spring.
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post #5 of 33
4/7/10 at 10:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ektaylor View Post
No commitments were made on my part. But, earlier this evening I sent an email requesting a postponement and apparently they cannot accommodate it. A shame, really. I've never seen Manhattan in the spring.

If your only regret is missing NYC in the Spring it sounds like everyone made the right decision.
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post #6 of 33
4/7/10 at 12:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pundit View Post
If your only regret is missing NYC in the Spring it sounds like everyone made the right decision.
I have to agree with this.

Also, 3000 miles for a brief interview or meeting is not unusual, especially if it's likely to result in huge dividends later.
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post #7 of 33
4/7/10 at 2:35pm
Heartbreaking threak.

As they say on Mad Men - "This is what opportunity looks like".
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post #8 of 33
4/7/10 at 3:24pm
Unless you are getting married or your child is being born, I can't think of many other good reasons not to make yourself available. It's Manhattan in the spring for God's sake.
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post #9 of 33
4/7/10 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by unjung View Post
Unless you are getting married or your child is being born, I can't think of many other good reasons not to make yourself available. It's Manhattan in the spring for God's sake.

I was going to say something similar. Going to a Suck Monkey concert, date, dinner, frat party or pretty much anything is not a prior commitment. On the other hand, I do like it when people elimiate themselves early on by showing poor judgement.
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post #10 of 33
4/7/10 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agnacious View Post
I was going to say something similar. Going to a Suck Monkey concert, date, dinner, frat party or pretty much anything is not a prior commitment. On the other hand, I do like it when people elimiate themselves early on by showing poor judgement.

Eliminating yourself early on might not be poor judgment... We all have priorities and its nice that someone would sat "nah I'm watching a movie that day" if he likes.
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post #11 of 33
4/7/10 at 5:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ektaylor View Post
Yesterday morning I--rather unexpectedly--received an invitation for an interview this coming Monday (5 days from now) in Manhattan. Travel and lodging costs are covered by the organization (which will remain nameless for obvious reasons). I have two questions,

  1. Is this normal for a B.A. graduate scheme program? +800 dollars seems to be a large investment to interview a single candidate for just 30 minutes.
  2. What's the etiquette on rescheduling? Given the short notice and travel distance, I have a few irreconcilable prior commitments.

Ask if you can reschedule as you have prior commitments. But indicate you can break them to make the interview. A reasonable firm with reasonable recruiting deadlines would be happy or simply willing to accomodate reasonable date/time changes (no more than two weeks). If they cannot accomodate you, if the job sounds worth it, certainly break your plans to attend. Any reasonable person would understand your breaking plans to get a job.
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post #12 of 33
4/7/10 at 5:34pm
Hey OP.. I think I got an invite for Tuesday morning. Mind if I take your Monday slot?


All kidding aside... suck it up, reschedule your manicure, pedicure.. colonic..whatever and confirm the appointment. You'll regret it if you don't.
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post #13 of 33
4/7/10 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 
Unfortunately, the main prior obligation is a midterm composing 40% of a course grade. As an undergraduate at a competitive university, the midterm cannot and/or will not be rescheduled. Furthermore, the organization said they cannot accommodate interview rescheduling since the venue was the only place or time available. Consequent to their application process, knowledge of the interview date was impossible to know before the arrival of the invitation email (which was also unknown). That said, I was given 7 days notice of the interview. Now, I have two options:
  1. Attend the interview for a chance to receive the position and forgo 40% of a course grade--in the process causing my overall GPA to take a hit of ~0.16 grade-points.
  2. Withdraw from consideration in order to take the midterm and ensure my GPA is not dealt serious damage.
Cons of option one: I would go from graduating magna cum laude to graduating with minimal or no honors. Additionally, receiving <60% in the course--a major requirement--would stop my graduation. And in the case I didn't receive the position, my competitiveness for Law School, other employment, et cetera would take a nosedive. Cons of option two: Probability I receive the position = 0. I have until tomorrow to decide...
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post #14 of 33
4/7/10 at 7:51pm
^^^Tough spot. Too bad the university is not accommodating given the current employment market, and too bad the employer is not more understanding and willing to provide an alternative. I'd take the exam.
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post #15 of 33
4/7/10 at 8:56pm
Okay, exam. No chance of a red eye or something eh? Fly out first flight from LA or SF, arrive for the interview early afternoon, get back on the plane, back on the west coast late evening?
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