Landed an Interview but have vacation planned coming up.

[UltimaWeapon]

Hello Loveshack

 

I am stuck in a weird situation where I have been aimlessly applying to places after finishing my University Degree in Business in hopes of landing a job in this rough economy.

 

I have been applying since September 2013 and in January 2014 I bought tickets with my family to go back to Europe for vacation to see my cousins for a month at the end of June.

 

The trip has been paid for and everything has been set many months in advance; I haven't been back since 2010 so this trip means a lot to me.

 

During this time and (knowing I have a vacation coming up) I still decided to apply to jobs because you never know what can happen. I wasn't able to get anything from January til now. until today I was contacted for an interview. at a private marketing firm for a really nice job that is in line with my degree. It is a contract position from June-September and has the option of becoming LONG TERM after.

 

I knew this would somehow happen ...now the question is what do I do? The interview is scheduled for next week and I have no clue on what to do. I really want the job because this would be a terrific opportunity. I am leaving June 28th for a month so I was hoping IF I get the job to work up till when I leave and then in August when I come back and they could extend me through September.

 

Should I even bother going to the interview and see what they can offer and if they can accommodate me?

 

AND

 

If I do go on the interview should I even mention the vacation coming up?

 

Considering this is a 4 month position- it's a big thing to leave out..I don't want to come across as unreliable also and not mention anything until I am offered the position..

 

Thanks.

Edited May 14, 2014 by UltimaWeapon

[pie2]

Should I even bother going to the interview and see what they can offer and if they can accommodate me?

 

AND

 

If I do go on the interview should I even mention the vacation coming up?

 

Considering this is a 4 month position- it's a big thing to leave out..I don't want to come across as unreliable also and not mention anything until I am offered the position..

 

Thanks.

 

 

If it were me, I would definitely go on the interview. It's a big deal that you got called, and interview experience is always great. Until you talk with them, you don't really know if getting the job is likely or not.

 

 

Because you're talking about being gone for such a long time in a position that is so short, I would mention the trip at the interview. If the circumstances were different, I would maybe bring it up if I were offered the position. But in this case, I think you should be up front.

 

 

If you don't get it, please don't worry. There will be more opportunities. And how could you say no to a month in Europe??!

 

 

Best of luck, and congratulations on getting called for an interview .

[UltimaWeapon]

If it were me, I would definitely go on the interview. It's a big deal that you got called, and interview experience is always great. Until you talk with them, you don't really know if getting the job is likely or not.

 

 

Because you're talking about being gone for such a long time in a position that is so short, I would mention the trip at the interview. If the circumstances were different, I would maybe bring it up if I were offered the position. But in this case, I think you should be up front.

 

 

If you don't get it, please don't worry. There will be more opportunities. And how could you say no to a month in Europe??!

 

 

Best of luck, and congratulations on getting called for an interview .

 

 

Thank you for the advice I appreciate it! I will definitely go to the interview and will be up front about the situation!

[pie2]

Thank you for the advice I appreciate it! I will definitely go to the interview and will be up front about the situation!

 

 

 

That's awesome UW! I hope other members chime in, too. Sometimes there are posters who actually do interviews and hiring, so they always have great insight.

[pyramid]

As an interviewer/hiring manager, I'd be really annoyed if you did this. If I'm looking to fill a 4-month contract, it's either for a specific project or to backfill a maternity/medical leave. Having someone gone for a month in the middle would be a total deal-breaker.

 

I would suggest calling and explaining the situation; they will know right off the bat whether it's workable - and if not, it leaves the door open for future opportunities there.

[CarrieT]

I'm with Pyramid. If I was the hiring manager, I would be really pissed if someone wasted my valuable time knowing they weren't available for the allotted contract - I not only wouldn't hire them, I would network with other managers to avoid this person.

 

Sorry - call and be upfront about it, but don't waste peoples' times by interviewing for a job you can't work, especially a short-term, contract job.

[pink_sugar]

I'm with Pyramid. If I was the hiring manager, I would be really pissed if someone wasted my valuable time knowing they weren't available for the allotted contract - I not only wouldn't hire them, I would network with other managers to avoid this person.

 

Sorry - call and be upfront about it, but don't waste peoples' times by interviewing for a job you can't work, especially a short-term, contract job.

 

Ordinarily for a long term job, you'd mention these things once you have accepted an offer, but since this is contract, they most likely need someone for the entire duration. Discuss it in the interview in this case.

[CarrieT]

Ordinarily for a long term job, you'd mention these things once you have accepted an offer, but since this is contract, they most likely need someone for the entire duration. Discuss it in the interview in this case.

 

My point is, if I were the interviewER and the interviewEE came in for an interview (i.e., taking *my* time), knowing they were not 100% available for the known contract perimeters, I would blackball them.

 

I would appreciate knowing *before* there was even an interview scheduled and then let me - as the manager - make the decision as to whether I still wanted to see this person or not. A simple phone call would get everyone on the same page without jumping through rings of scheduling face-to-face meetings with someone who is not able to take the job as offered.

[Emilia]

I would go to the interview, not say anything about the vacation, get the experience and if the job was offered I'd likely turn it down (unless I considered cancelling the vacation).

 

It's worth going along for the practice. Don't worry about not being honest, most employers rarely are. They might even have someone internally lined up and just going through the motions of looking at external candidates, happens all the time. They certainly aren't concerned about wasting your time. Most companies aren't that honest so I wouldn't be concerned myself.

 

Interview experience is invaluable and you should do what works for you.

[pink_sugar]

I would go to the interview, not say anything about the vacation, get the experience and if the job was offered I'd likely turn it down (unless I considered cancelling the vacation).

 

It's worth going along for the practice. Don't worry about not being honest, most employers rarely are. They might even have someone internally lined up and just going through the motions of looking at external candidates, happens all the time. They certainly aren't concerned about wasting your time. Most companies aren't that honest so I wouldn't be concerned myself.

 

Interview experience is invaluable and you should do what works for you.

 

This. A friend of mine was just declined for a job, because they hired within. I have also had instances where employers could give a crap less about my time. One such instance was that they thought I was such a good fit that they bypassed the phone interview and had me drive 30 minutes away just for them to outright decline me in the interview because they didn't think my career goals aligned with theirs...even though I assured them the experience would be very valuable for my career.

[Brenda G. Hansen]

I would always go to the interview. Even if it meant that I would have to tell them that I have a vacation coming up soon, I would still take the interview. Especially if this is something that you is interesting. You can always try to reschedule if needed.