Interview Woes

[brightbluegirl]

Him:
Hi Lisa,

Many thanks for your answers. I would like to meet with you in person to
conduct an interview. How does Monday 11am or Tuesday 11am next week
sound?

Thanks

Me:
Hi Alexey,

Unfortunately, I can't afford a flight up to Toronto right now. Would a phone interview do? 11am your time on Tuesday would be 9am my time on Tuesday, I would be glad to do that.

Regards,
Lisa

Him:
Hi Lisa,

Unfortunately phone interview is not an option - we'd like to actually
see the person we are about to hire. If you are unable to attend the
interview, we will have to remove you from consideration. Please advise.

Thanks.

Me:
Hi Alexey,

I'm definitely interested in the company, and I'm certain we can come up with some alternatives. Would xxxx be able to pay for my flight up? I have some vacation time I can use, and friends and family to stay with in town.

Otherwise, perhaps we can engineer a video conference using webcams, or I can email you a picture while we talk on the phone.

Regards,
Lisa

Him:
> I'm definitely interested in the company, and I'm certain we
> can come up
> with some alternatives. Would xxxx be able to pay
> for my flight up?

Unfortunately, not.

> I have some vacation time I can use, and friends and family
> to stay with
> in town.
>
> Otherwise, perhaps we can engineer a video conference using
> webcams, or I
> can email you a picture while we talk on the phone.

I don't think this would work, sorry.

---

What a consummate JERK. Yeah, like I want to work for an inflexible company that needs to "actually see the person" and can't afford to pay $700 to fly me up, and can't see their way to finding another solution, even when I give several solutions to their crazy (and I think, unreasonable) need anyway.

Fuckers.

Now I'm depressed.

Comments

[bethie8888.livejournal.com]

Yep! Exactly.

I had a job interview in Seattle once and it was the same deal except that I borrowed money to fly there. I had a half hour interview and they never called back, even though I had tons of experience.

I'll never do THAT again.

[freakykitten.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I didn't do it.

I really felt like I was being pressured, and I don't react well to that sort of pressure without explanation. If a flight had been $150, sure, but flights are too expensive right now. Not to mention the fact that getting back into the states after being in SARS-town is difficult (even though it's not rampant, just in the hospitals).

I'm angry. Here I have to deal with the anguish of not getting yet ANOTHER job, and fearing that it's my fault, all because he was an inflexible prig. Bleh.

Re:

[bethie8888.livejournal.com]

Well I don't see it as your fault at all. If you have to pay a large sum of money, out of pocket, for expenses to interview for the privilege of the chance of working for someone -- then forget it. It's not a good way to start off an employee/employer relationship.

ESPECIALLY in this day and age when technology is such that you don't have to be there in person. I mean you could send a file attachment to your resume introducing yourself, etc if they wanted to get a sense of who you were.

Nuts, I say.

[pfloide.livejournal.com]

I agree with this. If the company expects you to pay, out of pocket, several hundred dollars just to attend the interview - without even an existing strong chance of getting the job - they're clearly not reasonably managed. If they're not reasonably managed, there's no good reason to think the job would be bearable.

Companies sometimes forget that an interview is a way for YOU to get to know about THEM also.

[freakykitten.livejournal.com]

And I'm really sorry you had to go through that! That sucks monkey butt.

[malaka.livejournal.com]

No reason to be depressed! You don't want to work with those cheap superficial assholes anyway!

Re:

[freakykitten.livejournal.com]

thanks. :)

I think I'm mostly depressed because that feels like another opportunity down the drain, and I'm so worried that things won't work out, and this reinforced that worry.

[hukuma.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he sounds totally unreasonable. I can see wanting to meet someone face to face, but what's the problem with doing a phone interview first to make sure that flying out is worth the cost/trouble? Ugh, sorry you have to deal with people like that. I hope that at least some of the companies you're considering are more enlightened...

[trueseven.livejournal.com]

Hey, it probably means there's something better for you anyway...and coming from an eternal pessimist, that really means something.

Best wishes...

His opinion

[(Anonymous)]

That's really irritating. I wonder if his point of view (about flying people up) matches his company's. I think it's customary for the company to fly people up for interviews. Perhaps he's the only jerk in the company, or perhaps the company has jerky policies. Either way, they're jerky.

You rock. They're jerks.

Cam >B) (Jerks.)

Re: His opinion

[(Anonymous)]

"I said, 'Consummate jerk. CONSUMMATE! The guy wouldn't know majesty if it bit him in the ass.'"

(chuckle)

Cam >B)