Do you always go to the interview?

[Orrery]

I've just been offered an interview for a new research post. It's a little out of my field, so not sure how it would fit with my previous and future career plans. I happen to know from inside info that there is a really highly suitable candidate also being interviewed, and that they far more likely to get the job than I am.

In the past I've always said 'go to the interview, it's good experience, you never know what may come out of it'. But I've been here before and had more than one painful experience of going to interviews for jobs where I blatantly wasn't suitable and was just making up the numbers.

I can't decide whether to decline the interview or not - not had many other options lately, research is a hard job to stay employed in and I have a young family to support. But it's a two hour journey each way, and a whole day out of my rapidly expiring current research time - should I go?

can you offer to do the interview on skype? I do many academic interviews on skype.

Skype interview as compromise would be okay, but better if you could go. Can you work on the train going there & back?.

just making up the numbers.

Do people really interview only for that reason? It wouldn't happen where we are. We have a scoring system & there's a certain threshold to even get on the shortlist. We definitely don't have quotas of how many to interview. We have recruitment problems, btw, often no applicants at all :(.

Even if you don't get this job, If you make a good impression they may ask you to apply again in future (I have done this before when I was on a panel).

Definitely go.

A colleague of mine got offered a postdoc job after having been rejected at interview. Their first choice had dropped out just before starting and they needed to fill the position in a hurry or lose the funding.

Yes I do, despite having distinct feeling that I was making up the numbers on more than one occasion recently. However, I only bother applying to places I'd like to work, so I think it's worth attending to showcase my skills IYSWIM

I agree you should go as you never know, but only if you can afford the travel. Enquire if they pay your travel costs. We certainly do. A Skype interview would also be acceptable, but do make sure you have a rock-solid connection and that if you're presenting, they have a copy of your powerpoint (without the notes ) ahead of time.

I also agree that you won't be just making up the numbers, unless they're totally out of order. We always interview with an open mind.

Go. We actually just lost someone from a post only 2 weeks in and I understand they are hoping that one of the remaining people they interviewed will still be available, but otherwise they have to advertise all over again.

I also say you should probably go if you can afford the travel/be reimbursed.

I got a job out of attending an interview for a job that I was not offered - called for feedback and they said they had another opportunity I might be interested in.

However, I do understand your frustration - OH was called for an interview when our DS was a couple of weeks old. They called him the day before the interview, couldn't reimburse travel (which was a lot as it was a Belfast-London flight bought a day in advance) and it seemed to him, after the interview, that he was never a real candidate, must have been brought in to fulfil a quota or whatever. It was horrible as we were fairly desperate at that point and he didn't feel he could decline any interview.