To think this is too early for an interview?!

[tomhazard]

I got to the second round of a job in Hong Kong which I would really like. I was supposed to have the 2nd interview today at 6.40am our time - I was ready to go and then at 7.05am they emailed and said the manager was delayed so could they rearrange. I said yes even though I was a bit annoyed at sitting there for 25mins waiting.
Anyway I've just had an email saying could they interview me tomorrow at 5.30am...I know there's a time difference but would I be unreasonable to say that i can't really be interview-ready so early in the morning. Not sure I can even get my brain in gear- it was a struggle this morning!

I do want this job but I feel like it's a bit of a mess around this.

Would this job entail relocating to Hong Kong?
If so you are willing to upend your life to the other side of the planet but not get up early for the interview...

Also on the plus side, you will be done and dusted with the whole thing before most people are even awake.

And these summer mornings are just beautiful - you can see sunrise!

I think it would be totally reasonable to send a polite email to say "if there is any possibility of the interview being a little later that would be preferable, as the current scheduled time is 05.30 in the UK. If it's not possible to rearrange however, then I'm very happy to stick to the time currently scheduled."

I suppose they could be interviewing folks all over the world and simply have not done the maths. I don't think it's necessarily the case that you won't get the job if you just enquire whether a change is possible, while making it very clear that you'll do 05.30 no probs if it can't be changed.

Good luck!

I think if you go for a high enough role, and I am assuming that is one, people expect their candidates to communicate reasonable requests reasonably and don't expect complete push-overs. You don't lose a job because an interview is not convenient. Let's face it, if you are senior enough, you do have things to do at work, and your first commitment is your current work place, so that never goes against you.

But, if you really want the job, you should make the effort on this occasion. For most people it is much easier to interview at 5:30 than in the middle of your work day. Unless you have a valid medical reason, I can't see why an adult would have trouble getting up early once in awhile.

It is annoying when you feel you are being messed around, but it's very frustrating for the manager who has to do it. They need to recruit someone for a reason, there are some emergencies or some clients issue that have to take precedence, I really wouldn't hold it against the company.

So you were there & had already waited 25mins?

Now they want to interview you at an inconvient time?

Is this a test to see what you will put up with??

Is this a test to see what you will put up with??

Or it might be, you know, something far more nefarious - something totally egregious like sometimes when things don't go according to plan in the business world. Totally bizarre, I know, and the OP must be feeling very aggrieved by this massive piss-take.

I agree with goshitswarm (whose username I initially read as much ruder than it is!) - I can't see any harm in asking for another time but making it clear you'll do 5.30 if necessary, especially as it's their fault not yours that they're rescheduling at all.

OP I've worked in HK and would suggest you do your best to fit in with them, the work ethic as one poster pointed out is very strong, and in education tutors are usually expected to be flexible and fit in with management. You will make a much better impression if you do and if you don't comment on it. People work long hours early to late and often think UK work hours are a bit slack in comparison. Second other posters it's a wonderful city and I loved being there.

You don't lose a job because an interview is not convenient

I did. Company were very keen but I couldn't interview on the day they wanted to see me. I was working in a shop at the time and I was the only one there that day and no one was free to cover and I duly explained this to them and requested another date. Their reply was that I clearly wasn't keen enough for the role. I fired back that I wouldn't want to work for a company who would expect me to leave my current company in the lurch. Amazingly I never heard back from them

I'd grumble and groan and moan about it on my end but I'd get up at 5, have a shower and a coffee and be ready to go by 5:30am. I work across timezones and have occasionally had to fit in client meetings in the middle of the night or early mornings. Asia Pac clients often have much longer work days than us and a general view that their requests are perfectly reasonable. I think if you ask for a later time you risk being dismissed as not really interested in them or the job.

a job in Hong Kong which I would really like

Ummm, if it was a job I really wanted, I'd do the interview in the middle of the night if that's how it worked out! As a PP pointed out, maybe all the afternoon slots have gone.

Unless you have undisclosed health issues, I am baffled that you can't set an alarm and get up and "in gear" by 5.30am

As others have said, if I wanted the job I'd do it.

Ifancyagreencard no need to be baffled. I can and will get up and be ready but yes I find it hard to be at my very best before 6am, which is what I would like to be for an interview. I can't imagine I'm the only person who might not be at their best for an interview at 5.30am.

5.30am is 12.30pm (lunch time) for them so it's not like an impossible time difference to work around (usually those only happen when you have Asia, Europe and the America on the same call!).

However, if you want the job you need to jump through the hoops. There aren't many circumstances which trump a job interview.

I work for a HK company. Mostly I work from home during UK business hours, but do try and prioritise the early hours of my day so it overlaps with my HK colleagues. I've had crazy early and late conference calls but that's really the only downside.

Good luck up, if you want the job, get up for the interview!

Let us know how you get on! I've done a 5am interview before when I was in the US and was moving back to the UK, quite odd doing an interview in your pyjamas but I got it and ended up working there for 11 years!

You want to get a job in Hong Kong, so why would you be surprised when the interview might be in HK business hours?

FFS, set an alarm an hour before the interview, drag arse out of bed, have shower, drink coffee, be perky in time for interview.

Honestly, if you can't manage to get out of bed by 5:30am for a life changing interview, I would question how you would manage in a high pressure work environment.

I agree with Dottierichardson about their work ethic. I think it would create a bad impression to ask for a later time, so, unfortunately you will have to make the best of it. Good luck.

*I would question how you would manage in a high pressure environment.
*
Look, it's a international school offering the British Curriculum. I've taught in several of them over the last 10 years (incidentally, never been asked to interview at that sort of time) and I am well used to the environment.

I am actually quite good at my job and do a lot of extra hours, although I'm sure you would all like to infer that I am very lazy based on this thread.

So there's no need to question my ability in the workplace based on not jumping for joy at interviewing at 5.30am.

Let’s be honest say no and the job won’t be yours, so if your not fussed about the job say no.

If you would like the job however then get an early night and make up have a coffee, look over some notes etc and do the interview. Getting up early for one day isn’t going to hurt

I'd do it. I'd get up at 4.45, shower, have coffee and make sure I felt wide awake by 5.15 if I wanted the job. Loads of interesting jobs come with the occasional drawback.

Christ, if I was offered an interview for a job I really wanted I wouldn’t give a damn whether it was at 5.30am, midnight or 2am, I’d be up and ready with my game face on.

I wonder how much you actually want this job if your response is less ‘yay, I got an interview, time to prepare’ and more ‘it’s not at a time convenient to me, grumble grumble’.

I don’t see why you can’t be at your best, if it was sprung on you in the middle of the night you need to be up and ready interviewing at that time then maybe you wouldn’t have had chance to prepare. But assuming you have a few days I’m sure you can make the effort to go to bed a bit earlier, get up early on the day, have some coffee, psyche yourself up and give it your best shot.

I wouldn’t ask them to reschedule unless you’re very senior and in demand and can call the shots (and can estimate that accurately), it’s not a good look for an interviewee to make demands re an interview just because it’s too early for them.

Shock horror, for one voluntary job I got up at 4am one day per week to travel 200 miles each way for training, for eight weeks. Because I wanted it, and when you want something and are given the opportunity you go for it.

YABU.

A biscuit - wow is it that offensive?
Should have put this in chat I forgot how angry people get on here

fwiw I tihnk some posters are being a bit hard on OP. She is not saying she can't get up in time, just that after they left her hanging round at an antisocial hour once, is she BU to be p*ssed off that they aren't trying to be a little more considerate. She's not, but obviously they don't view her time as important so it's a case of put up with it or walk. I had this at one firm - they cancelled an interview while I was on the train going there, having left me waiting for an hour previously as the interviewer was off having lunch. I declined a further interview offer - best thing I did. Apparently it was a terrible place to work - no respect for employees private lives, bullying hierarchical atmosphere. I reckon both sides can learn a lot by the way they behave in an interview.