Interview on my day off? WWYD

[AuntieMillicent]

I have applied for a promotion, I currently work 4 days a week and work have scheduled my interview on my day off.

I am afraid that if I point this out to them it will look as if I am inflexible or difficult...but I do have plans that day. I can potentially reschedule them. Or should I go to the interview without fuss to show willing?

Alternatively it may look as if I am too soft if I don't say 'Nope, not coming in on my day off!'

Not trying to make excuses but I am a bit addled today anyway (painkillers and tiredness) hence asking for advice!

Yup and then I snided back. Happy to admit that.

My opinion is that rather than being delighted at having an interview for promotion, you seemed to be aggrieved it was on an inconvenient day.

Many people would have just sucked that up, delighted to even have the chance of promotion and regard the clash of dates as a minor issue, not worth asking a bunch of strangers over if it was reasonable to try to change it.

And all I'm saying is that if I as a total stranger pick that up from your posts, the panel might too had you gone ahead and asked to rearrange.

Trying to 'rationalise it' was based on your numerous posts where you thought they'd overlooked/ were unaware of your day off. Maybe they know and dont care?

I did, as I've said in the post just above yours, before 10:00 I said I'd not challenge it and that I'd attend the interview.

I was responding to that one part, as people had questioned it that is, that I am almost certain that they haven't realised it is my day off. I'm not saying I won't attend, I've said I will from before 10:00 today and in several posts afterwards. I asked on here, I got my answer and I acted accordingly.

I wasn't trying to rationalise not attending having already decided and confirmed that I would, I was responding to others who thought they perhaps did know it was my day off.
When interviewing for my current role, they fully expect us to have private practices. They ask how many hours we do and if we feel we can mentally take the load, for example. When we have meetings and a newcomer is present, we introduce and a common theme is 'I do this x days a week and the other 2 days I do private clients'. It's expected fully that our non working days are for our personal clients. It seems they've forgotten, to me, but I wasn't trying to say that I'd changed my mind and wouldn't attend having already said I would.

In true style of the company I work for, manager has told me this morning that all interviews are now postponed until the new year... 😂so I needn't have caused my clients any inconvenience.

Very typical.

She could have been. But she wasn't 🤷‍♀️

Yes I guessed that may happen -which is why you only wanted to re-arrange clients if it's 100% certain.

Frustrating for you!

It is frustrating! I haven't spoken to clients yet but hopefully it won't be too much of a problem. Both of them are longer-term, good working relationship. It does make me look somewhat unprofessional however.

This is typical of my workplace, they're great people in a lot of ways and It's a very pleasant environment to work in, very easygoing and kind to 'their people', very supportive. But organisation is NOT their strong point! My recent 121 was rearranged about 5 times and didn't end up happening, for just one example, and I think I didn't have my last scheduled one either. Doesn't matter, I don't particularly feel as if I need one. But that's the culture.

When I'm arranging interviews I wouldn't be considering whether it's on candidate's working day. If you can't make the interview then by all means contact them and see if they can rearrange. If a candidate asked me to rearrange an interview just because it was on their non working day I would say no. And I would not be very impressed

Well, I don't have to now! But I didn't challenge them on it anyway.

Probably have to bite the bullet. But I think they are being unfair, or thoughtless.

I would assume you didn’t really want the job.

Or it’s a test of your commitment to the team and company and an indicator of how interested you actually are in the role?

If you were offered an interview for a better role at an external company, would you reschedule the (acc to you) commitment you’ve already said you can reschedule?

If your company reads MN and knew who you were, I’d hazard a guess that you’d have already missed out on this promotion. Your post suggests you are focused on the perceived slight to yourself and not on the opportunity this will offer.

There's no rule to say interviews have to take place during paid hours. It's unlikely they will have deliberately scheduled it for your day off, it will just be coincidence.

I'd suggest not saying anything as it will look really entitled. If it was an external job you wouldn't give it a second thought.

Definitely.

There is a rule, in some jobs actually.

Yes, I would have in a different company as they'd likely have no knowledge of my working hours or if I had external clients, at that point.

Also a lot of jobs ask for interview availability upon application, so there'd likely not be a clash anyway.

I doubt any one of the interviewers is trawling through mumsnet to see if anyone has posted about this, nor could they ascertain it was me out of however many interviewees they have. I could be anyone from any of the 100s of companies offering the service that is identifiable from a few posts.

Please share where this happens

When is this interview supposed to be?

Obviously I didn’t mean they were likely to actually be trawling MN - I meant it figuratively - ie if they became aware of your attitude/reluctance they’d be taking it into account as it reflects poorly on your commitment to the company/role, so I’d be wary (I assume you are) of sharing your qualms with any work colleagues.

I wasn't quite that daft!

My job, for one. Plenty of others I know as well. It's an internal interview, it's done in work hours.

It's amazing how MNers can't fathom things they have no direct experience of. The very notion that things may work differently in different places appears to baffle many.

I too have seen that on this site a lot.

If something hasn't ever happened to them, they refuse to believe it has ever happened in the history of mankind. I've been accused of making things up and seen other posters told the same. 'Oh that's never happened to me therefore it cannot have possibly occured in anyone else's life either'.

Two internal candidates had to pull out of an interview as they couldn't make the date and asked for a reschedule. It was declined. This is a County Council job. Three other internals were interviewed.

Your job interview has nothing to do with your regular working hours. An interview is not part of your job role.

so if you want the interview, you go. Go in just for the interview, then go and do whatever it is you have planned.