Going for a new job - will my chances be affected if I ask for flexibility??

[Firefox]

I have been quite lucky as I have a few interviews in the pipeline. However, I would prefer if I was honest and upfront and ask if my potential employers would consider the working hours of 8am - 4pm in order for me to do nursery pickups. But I am very worried this will go against me. The Employment agencies that I have spoken to have certainly alluded to this. Plus, I have had to turn down a lucrative offer as the company would not budge from a 5pm finish. So should I ask?? Will this affect my chances?? What does everyone think??

[Iloveautumn]

If you can only work 8-4 then you have no choice but to ask for it at interview.

If it is just a preference then the harsh reality is that it will probably in most cases go against you . You could always do a test and mention it in half and not the other and see how you get on?!

You could not say anything at interview but get the job and then apply for flexible working - which you have a legal right to do after 6 mths if you have a child under 5.

[flowerybeanbag]

I certainly wouldn't mention it at first interview.

Maybe second interview, when you've already 'wowed' them, and they are already keen and interested you, you could mention it.

Is it really a deal-breaker if they can't accommodate an early finish? It's fairly likely that might be a problem, and would be easier to negotiate later once you are in the job and performing well. Is there no compromise you could make for a few months while you establish yourself?

[katiechops]

I think that mentioning flexible hours at second interview would be appropriate, especially if you would not be able to work standard office hours.

[Firefox]

Well - for job No 1 I asked for flexibility only once I had the offer. For Job No 2 I have also asked now that I am through to second stage. However, in both cases this has not gone down well at all and I have got hassled by the Agency.

I am flexible around the 4pm finish from my end but would prefer - for the sake of work/life balance to have this in place from the word go, rather than try and change things later. BUT - I don't want it to be a deal breaker from their side. Sadly I am getting the impression that if I ask for a slight adjustment in hrs (8-4 rather than 9-5), that it will affect my chances

[Firefox]

I am also wondering if the company refuse my request for a degree of flexibility that this would maybe be an indication that they are not so family friendly too .......

[HappyMummyOfOne]

"I am also wondering if the company refuse my request for a degree of flexibility that this would maybe be an indication that they are not so family friendly too ......."

Doesnt mean that, some companies simply need staff there for the full opening hours etc - they can still be family friendly even if needing staff to do set hours.

[squiffy]

I have just undertaken some research into family friendly policies. The message that came back very clearly from managers was that for the right person, who is valuable to the company, flexible working is not a problem, BUT that they recoil from people who expect it as an 'entitlement'. I think by asking for it straight-up you are unintentionally putting yourself in the second category. One manager I spoke to had flexi policies in place for ALL his staff (male and female, parents and non-parents) and was quite clearly the most family friendly person I had ever encountered. Even he said he would not offer flexible working to someone joining the team - he would need to know he could trust them first. It might not be fair, but that is the way that many people see it - a benefit that needs to be earned by showing your own willingness/flexibility/hard work etc etc.

I would definately go for standard hours first and then request later (maybe 6 months later, perhaps even a year in - some organisations I think only consider policy requests when you have done 12 months service)

[mummypoppins]

I would second that squiffy. I have recently asked head hunters to find me a superstar who is hungry for success and would ultimately be wanting to proceed to equity partnership.

I had an interview lined up and this morning had an email from the headhunter to say that the candidate had emailed him even before the first interview to say that should he be successful he would be looking to work 4 days a week !

This is a male candidate. Needless to say I have cancelled the interview. He knew it was a full time position when he applied for it.

You have to earn the right to work flexibly and part time and I think most employers would have the same view as me. The more candidates expect it from the off the more militant us employers will become.

Now clearly the position I have is very well remunerated and so all sorts of hours would be expected but the point is the same. Remember you are their to make the employers life easier not vice versa.

Good luck and I hope you find what you need........Im sure you will but be careful in todays job market not to give the impression that you are fitting work in around your family. You have to prove your worth with the company first.

[spicemonster]

I was headhunted for a full-time role when I was working a four day week in my last job. I told them I didn't want to work full-time and they agreedt that I could drop down to 4 days after 3 months so that's what's happening.

I think it's a real dilemma - on the one hand it might put some companies off, but on the other if you don't mention it at the outset then I think it looks a bit underhand. I'd certainly be pissed off if I offered someone a job and they accepted it only to put in a flexi working application the minure they started

[lowrib]

Personally I wouldn't mention at first interview, but if you need to work these hours then what can you do? I guess it's better to tell them before you start, so you all know where you stand from the beginning. It would be worse to get the job, hope for the best and them be turned down for flexible working.

Can you find out what the policy is in the organisations you've applied to? Some organisations have flexible working as standard - for example I used to work for a government department. We had a set amount of weekly hours, core hours (10 - 3) and a swipe card. Outside of the core hours it was up to you to manage your own time. This was standard, you didn't have to 'earn it' (a very common, but IMO very old fashioned attitude!). I felt like I was being treated like an adult!

You would hope that the agencies could advise you on this and find suitable employers for you but perhaps they're more interested in getting you into any job asap and getting their commission. I'd be inclined to put the ball in their court anyway - if this round of interview doesn't work out, and you feel this has been an issue, then how about specifically asking the agencies to find you roles which you can work these hours at?

Good luck with the interviews let us know how you get on.

[RuthT]

I so know what you mean. The purist in me would like to be up front about these things so that you are not feeling like you are misselling, but the reality is that I just don't think you will get a foot in the door of many roles if you are.

I can't think of many roles that go to agencies or headhunters as part time or flexible up front and this means line managers have in thier mind that they want someone who is full time doing certain hours.

Having said that you are not asking for a huge amount! Just to shift your working hours to do a pick up. If you were the candidate I wanted then I would be fine with this at second interview, or to be honest first interview.

I agree that if a company has said no to this then they are not very creative, forward thinking or flexible unless the role absolutely requires someone to be at thier desk until 5pm.

I wonder if it is how you approach it. If you provide the impression that you are fixed on 8-4 with no flex then I would be worried. I'd expect someone to manage their own work and deliver it whatever hours they were in the office.

If the individual wanted to do this and pick up kids, then no issue.

I also have a bit of a fate approach to this. If you stay true to yourself and do what feels right you will find a role you want and an employer that suits you. It just may take a bit longer than someone who just does the bog standard.

What type of role are we talking?

[RibenaBerry]

Firefox - do you mind saying what type of area you work in. Do people generally do 'their hours' and not more?

I find that this type of request tends to be particularly resisted for a new employee where overtime is pretty much standard (law being a prime example). If everyone else, in reality, goes home at 6:30, then what you are asking for is not just a shift, but effectively a reduction in hours. You have to earn that type of arrangement by some time in the job and showing that you'll get things done in other ways (coming in early, logging on once at home, etc).

If the job is one where people do 'their hours', this is less of an issue. However, I would still recommend that you think about living with it for a while and then putting in a flexible working request after six months to a year. As others have said, an employer will bend over backwards for someone in the job who is proving to be a star. They are less inclined for a candidate and TBH, yes, it could count against you.

One thing you could do to get a sense of the organisation is, once you have a job offer, say you want to get a better sense of the place and ask if you can see the handbook, etc. Make it clear that you're in it for the long term and you see this as somewhere you will be for years, so you want to know as much about them as possible. You could even ask to meet some team members (depends on the industry. This is certainly common in law firms). From their working arrangments, you can subtly get a sense of the attitude in the department to flexibility.

[tonton]

Good points ribenaberry.
I work in an industry where overtime is the norm.
I managed to work 4 days a week a long time ago. But I have learned that it doesn't go down well at the interview stage. And part-time seems to be very oput of favour in my industry now. Staffing is so much leaner.