Would you pay to fly yourself to a job interview?

[imageWIS]

This I am in a similar job + financial situation, I would personally try to have a virtual (i.e. vid chat) interview if at all possible. It shows that:

1) You are serious about the job
2) Understand modern-day technological business applications and how to utilize them

 

[nuriouseToinc]

I would have to say Jimi Hendrix and Freddie Mercury are my favorites. I couldnt bring myself to bring back Kurt Cobain on the grounds that he committed suicide, it kind of defeats the purpose.

 

[dcg]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

This I am in a similar job + financial situation, I would personally try to have a virtual (i.e. vid chat) interview if at all possible. It shows that:

1) You are serious about the job
2) Understand modern-day technological business applications and how to utilize them

That's what it's come down to. I was told this morning that they looked into it and couldn't cover travel. I made the offer that if I accepted the position, I would be happy to have the cost of the flight come out of my first paycheck. They again replied that they were unable to cover travel under any circumstances.

If they're asking me to pay, it's only right that they should have a fairly high level of confidence that they'd like to hire me. If they have that confidence, then my offer is a very low risk proposition for them. There's no reason that I should be taking all the risk; my proposed compromise is more than reasonable.

If they agree to the video conference I'll proceed; at worst it's good practice. Otherwise I'll pass.

 

[Mr T]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

Did you get the job?

They made a tentative offer but I received a better offer elsewhere and did not end up working for them.

 

[Crane's]

I would never consider working for anyone who did not cover the travel/lodging expense. That tells me they are fishing and aren't really serious not to mention it is very poor business form.

I just returned from the third trip to a university that wants me to do IT work for them. On all the trips they covered all my expenses and wined and dined me profusely. I did not contact them for work. I was referred by another IT guy. This time they basically asked me what it would take and I told them my terms. They didn't balk so I guess I'll wait for the counter offer or acceptance phone call.

Anyway how a company treats you during the interview process can tell you a lot about how it will go when you work for them.

 

[gdl203]

You should cut yourself your first pay check too!

If OBama lets me, I know I'm paying myself a nice bonus this year!

 

[HRoi]

Originally Posted by Crane's

I would never consider working for anyone who did not cover the travel/lodging expense. That tells me they are fishing and aren't really serious not to mention it is very poor business form.
agreed with this 100%. full disclosure - i handled all b-school recruiting for my division up till recently, and it's not even a question. first off, it's bush league. second, it sends a terrible message to prospective employees that even if they don't get the job, will still talk to other people about your company. third, how are you supposed to compete for good talent when you give them that kind of first impression?

 

[uhurit]

In my area of work it is absolutely understood that the employer must pay for all travel expenses/accomodations+car rental +mileage while traveling at the location. That applies to 2-3 final candidates, sometimes more. Some employers would try to save money and insist on you paying the expenses. Those who do are not serious about hiring you, period. If you agree to pay your way, that's a sure sign of desperation...from my experience, of course

 

[jgold47]

Originally Posted by dcg

That's what it's come down to. I was told this morning that they looked into it and couldn't cover travel. I made the offer that if I accepted the position, I would be happy to have the cost of the flight come out of my first paycheck. They again replied that they were unable to cover travel under any circumstances.

If they're asking me to pay, it's only right that they should have a fairly high level of confidence that they'd like to hire me. If they have that confidence, then my offer is a very low risk proposition for them. There's no reason that I should be taking all the risk; my proposed compromise is more than reasonable.

If they agree to the video conference I'll proceed; at worst it's good practice. Otherwise I'll pass.

see, now you just sound pathetic and more interested in a few hundred dollars than a chance to get a life changing job. I wouldnt hire you at this point even if you were the most qualified, you sound like a malcontent who is going to complain about everything, and are an ingrate who is carping about a plane ticket instead of being grateful to have an interview in this business climate.

^^^^Just playing devils advocate

At the end of the day, if you get the job, and its a job you need/want, 10 years later, are you really going to care that they made a decision not to pay for the ticket? If they are saying we dont want to spend the money to find someone out of area, I personally dont think it means they are bush league, or cheap or disinterested, I think they are saying, "we didnt get a big budget, we should be able to find someone local" if they are aware of your location, and still want to interview you, thats a pretty good sign, so buy the ticket, get the job, and then get over it. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Even in a big corporation stuff like this happens.

 

[dcg]

Originally Posted by jgold47

see, now you just sound pathetic and more interested in a few hundred dollars than a chance to get a life changing job.
One way to look at it. Of course, I could say the same about them. The difference is that they're the ones deviating from standard practice, and I've demonstrated the ability to come up with alternative solutions, while they've shown a total lack of flexibility.

Originally Posted by jgold47

I wouldnt hire you at this point even if you were the most qualified, you sound like a malcontent who is going to complain about everything, and are an ingrate who is carping about a plane ticket instead of being grateful to have an interview in this business climate. ^^^^Just playing devils advocate
Don't have much of a desire to work for any company who thinks I should genuflect because they were so kind as to grant me an interview.

Originally Posted by jgold47

At the end of the day, if you get the job, and its a job you need/want, 10 years later, are you really going to care that they made a decision not to pay for the ticket?
If I get a job, I couldn't care less about paying for the flight (even if it's outside the norm), hence my offer.

Originally Posted by jgold47

If they are saying we dont want to spend the money to find someone out of area, I personally dont think it means they are bush league, or cheap or disinterested, I think they are saying, "we didnt get a big budget, we should be able to find someone local" if they are aware of your location, and still want to interview you, thats a pretty good sign, so buy the ticket, get the job, and then get over it. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Even in a big corporation stuff like this happens.
Made them aware of my location on first contact. If it was an issue, they could have brought it up then. The fact that they basically tried to sneak it in, in my mind, is another strike against them. I'm sounding awfully defensive in this post, and I realize you're partially playing devil's advocate, I just happen to strongly disagree with you

. May be that what I've heard of this company's reputation in the past is clouding my judgment. I view these events more as a confirmation of the rumors. The hiring manager seems like a good guy and the work seems interesting, but at the end of the day if it doesn't work out I won't be losing any sleep over it.

 

[jgold47]

Sounds fair. I am just pushing you a littlle. Might I say that it sounds like your not that into the job and are just looking for excuses to pass on it? Nothing wrong with that.

 

[dcg]

Originally Posted by jgold47

Sounds fair. I am just pushing you a littlle. Might I say that it sounds like your not that into the job and are just looking for excuses to pass on it? Nothing wrong with that.
No worries, that's why I made the post. Helpful to get the viewpoint of folks outside the situation. Were I offered the position, depending upon where the offer fell within my salary range, there is a good to very good chance I'd take it. As I said, I enjoyed my conversation with the manager. The work is interesting; I believe it to be a good match for my experience and expect that it would enable me to learn about some areas that are of interest. The location, while not ideal, would work very well for me. My concern would be with the company itself, though a temp to hire arrangement allows the employee to determine whether it's a good fit as well as the employer.

 

[MiloX]

Originally Posted by dcg

That's what it's come down to. I was told this morning that they looked into it and couldn't cover travel. I made the offer that if I accepted the position, I would be happy to have the cost of the flight come out of my first paycheck. They again replied that they were unable to cover travel under any circumstances.

If they're asking me to pay, it's only right that they should have a fairly high level of confidence that they'd like to hire me. If they have that confidence, then my offer is a very low risk proposition for them. There's no reason that I should be taking all the risk; my proposed compromise is more than reasonable.

If they agree to the video conference I'll proceed; at worst it's good practice. Otherwise I'll pass.


I agree with the others that your insentience on making them pay puts you in a weak position, but the strategy I would be pursuing has nothing do with being hired by the new firm, and everything to to with strengthening my negotiating hand with the current firm. All of this is predicated on the fact that you can, and have delivered results for your current firm. If you haven't... forget it.

You should use this opportunity as a way to parlay your current temp position into a definitive full-time gig. Since you are currently a contractor, this puts you in a very strong position. You have zero loyalty to the current company, and the current company has zero loyalty to you.

Here's a couple of scenarios. In both scenarios, we assume you have let your current employer know you are taking the day off to interview for a new position.

1. You spend the $350 and get an offer that would amount to a substantial increase in pay at the new firm. You now can either a) accept the offer and move to the new location, or b) use the offer as leverage with your current employer for a full-time gig plus a pay increase.

2. You spend the $350 and don't get the offer. You have effectively put your current employer on notice that you are actively looking, and being strongly considered by other firms. You are under no obligation to let them know the outcome of the interview. Assuming you have the skills to back up your game, you again have substantial leverage with your current firm.

Potential Upside: Competing offers.
Downside: You're out $350 and you get to see your family and friends back-home for a day.

Seems like an easy ROI to me.

 

[dcg]

^ Worthy of consideration. I'm reluctant to try this in my current situation for a two reasons:

1. Based upon previous conversations with my current firm regarding the potential full time salary range, I don't believe they'd be in a position to offer much of an increase. Certainly possible that I'm wrong, but it would be a surprise.

2. I've been here about 2 months. I've done some good things, but we're just starting to get to the point where I'm making contributions recognizable to a wider audience than my immediate manager. Also, a project that was one of the main reasons I was hired has been delayed and potentially canceled. In the event that the other position doesn't come through, I don't want them to have any motivation to say "well, he's good, but we don't have as much work as we thought, and he's already looking at other opportunities."

While I assume they realize I'll be looking since I don't have a full time commitment, I've never told a current employer flat out that I was going to an interview. I'd be interested to hear from folks who have done so, and what their experiences have been.

 

[Crane's]

Originally Posted by dcg

^ Worthy of consideration. I'm reluctant to try this in my current situation for a two reasons:

1. Based upon previous conversations with my current firm regarding the potential full time salary range, I don't believe they'd be in a position to offer much of an increase. Certainly possible that I'm wrong, but it would be a surprise.

2. I've been here about 2 months. I've done some good things, but we're just starting to get to the point where I'm making contributions recognizable to a wider audience than my immediate manager. Also, a project that was one of the main reasons I was hired has been delayed and potentially canceled. In the event that the other position doesn't come through, I don't want them to have any motivation to say "well, he's good, but we don't have as much work as we thought, and he's already looking at other opportunities."

While I assume they realize I'll be looking since I don't have a full time commitment, I've never told a current employer flat out that I was going to an interview. I'd be interested to hear from folks who have done so, and what their experiences have been.

It's a gamble. Sometimes it works other times it can cost you big time. I've played this game before. I never told who I was working for what I was doing up front. I would wait until I received the offer for employment. Then I would let them know and start the counter offer game.

Don't show your cards early. Play your hand well and you win.