Would you go to this interview?

[HopeAndDriftWood]

I'm supposed to attend an interview on Wednesday and I can't decide whether to go.

Pros:
It's in my industry; and it would be a step up career-wise
The salary is good, and again, a step up
I'm currently unemployed after winning a constructive dismissal case against my old employer late last year

Cons:
It's quite far away from my house - I couldn't drive there at present due to a health problem, so it'd be a 2+ hour commute (and quite an expensive one)
They aren't keen on remote working; by the sounds of things
My department is in disarray because it's been neglected for 12 months since the old person who did it left

But the biggest red flag is that they've asked me to present a project back to them, providing a lot of the company information to do so, which would take me hours. It's an annual plan. I've offered an outline of a plan or a plan for the quarter, but both have been rejected. It seems very unusual to be asked for such a big project, and there would be nothing really to stop them from taking it and using it themselves without hiring me.

I feel that if I'm going to drop out, I should do it today to not mess anyone around - but I'm not sure whether to. I'm not actively job hunting at the moment, I've got a few clients paying enough to get by with my award, but I do either need to be properly self-employed and find more work or start looking for another job...

Would you go?

I would pull out and tell them why. I would let them know I was uncomfortable providing a piece of work so large for an interview which they could then use. It is not necessary to do that amount of work for them to be able to see whether you are capable of the role.

Nope. I wouldn't commute that distance even without the rest of it.

I wouldn’t purely because of the commute.

No. It's a waste of your time and energy.

2 hour commute if each way is more than I would ever consider, I wouldn't go and explain why. They might come back to you and mention remote working if it is an option.

there would be nothing really to stop them from taking it and using it themselves without hiring me

I think this happens all the time. It's quite insulting.

Its not unusual to have to jump through a few hoops in terms of presentation/SWOT analysis type prep. Only you can decide if it's worth the effort for a chance of winning the job.

However in your shoes I would not even have applied in the first place as a 2 hour commute sounds horrendous.

*Its not unusual to have to jump through a few hoops in terms of presentation/SWOT analysis type prep. Only you can decide if it's worth the effort for a chance of winning the job.

However in your shoes I would not even have applied in the first place as a 2 hour commute sounds horrendous.*

Oh agreed, I've done quarterly plans, project critiques, SWOTs etc before, but this is a different league. It's everything.

The job wasn't advertised as being two hours away, but it was dropped into conversation during the telephone interview that the new HQ is in use from January 1st and is much further away from where I live.

Thanks all; I think most of you feel the same. Project request is strange and commute is too long.

I appreciate the advice!