To ask to reschedule my interview?

[troobleflooble]

I have an interview tomorrow afternoon for a job that I'm really happy and excited about. It's for a professional position and is a virtual interview, to be done over Microsoft teams.

Only problem is I have come down with a terrible cold. I was hoping yesterday would be the worst of it and I'd be starting to feel better by now but I'm actually worse and feel like hammered shit. I look terrible, have a red raw nose and watery eyes from the constant blowing, and when I woke up this morning I had practically lost my voice.

I really don't want to call off the interview but I have absolutely no faith in my ability to perform well at this point. I'm coughing and sneezing every 5 minutes and can barely think I'm so sore and uncomfortable. I don't want to fuck it up and waste a good opportunity!

Wibu to email/call them to reschedule? Or should I just suck it up and do it anyway given that it's virtual and I won't run the risk of infecting anyone?

I interviewed an Indian guy few months ago that had came with a cold not long after arriving which prevented him from attending the interview , he told me the weather change affected him.
He was upfront. I liked him when I interviewed him. My colleagues did as well when they interview him. He’s now working for my company.

If the company is good they’ll understand it , think covid good companies have understood one day you can be ok next day you could be Ill.

I would ask the question but say if a reschedule isn’t feasible you’d crack on. I did an interview once at short notice (about 36 hours) and was really pissed off to discover they did actually put on a later panel a week later and I wish I’d asked/said it was unreasonable like some of the others had as the ones that went later had a massive advantage.

As it was, My toddler had been vomiting the night before and I had no sleep and as short notice no time to prepare and I know I didn’t do myself justice (didn’t get the job). It was a learning point for me though and I’d always st least ask the question about a reschedule rather than assume it’s not possible.

Am mildly surprised by these responses. If you are unwell such that you can't reasonably do the interview - send an explanatory note and ask if there is an option to reschedule. We are living in the middle of a pandemic and any recruitment or hr person will be extremely well versed in people being ill.

Obviously mention your keenness for the role remains, and apologies for the inconvenience and last minute nature, but to ensure you have the opportunity to best present your application are they able to offer another slot in the next week or two?

Any employer who doesn't offer this is could be viewed as a bit of a red flag in terms of culture. But you are the only one who will know the liklihood of them continuing to run a fair process so will ultimately need to make the judgement call.

IF you try rob reschedule I’d def call them nor email so they can hear the sickness jn your voice.

Email is very easy to brush off and not appropriate now at this point

Try to attend OP
Happened to me once and has to reschedule, was told I wasn’t motivated enough and didn’t get the job

@TinySaltLick

Am mildly surprised by these responses. If you are unwell such that you can't reasonably do the interview - send an explanatory note and ask if there is an option to reschedule. We are living in the middle of a pandemic and any recruitment or hr person will be extremely well versed in people being ill.

Exactly this! For anyone this has 'once happened to' (which I fully appreciate it has) ... We are not operating in normal times. I work in recruitment and interviewers fully appreciate that people are getting Ill at the moment like never before. It doesn't matter whether it's covid or not! You would never have considered walking into a face to face office coughing and spluttering would you - and not just so you didn't spread it around!

Postpone. I have had 3 people cancel interviews this week and didn't bat a eyelid. Tbh many interviewers are slightly relieved this close to Christmas anyway and v unlikely you would hear now before Christmas anyway.

Get the date in and set for jan now and put your mind at rest.

I work in HR and regularly chair interview panels. We would have no problem rescheduling. Let's be honest, you won't be able to do yourself justice. Perhaps try and call them to discuss rather than email?

Thank you all for the advice! I've woken up feeling marginally better, spent the night sweating buckets so hopefully I've purged myself of some of the lurgy 😂

I'm definitely still not well and I am worried about how I'll perform but when I was invited for interview I had to pick my slot and today was the only date available, which makes me think that it could be the last day of interviews and I really don't want to miss this opportunity. I was honestly shocked to even get a response as I didn't think they would look twice at my application, so the fact that they did must mean I have something they like. Hopefully that will come across despite the illness 😁

Good luck and hope it goes well!! Xx

Oh good luck! Hope it goes better than you expected

Best of luck!!

Best of luck! Nail it !!

Watch Amy Cuddy Fake it Til you make it (short video on youtube)

Good luck!

Don't reschedule, fgs. If you can't interview with a cold, they'll be wondering how well you might be able to work with one . . .

I schedule all our interviews as part of my job and if you called me I would absolutely arrange another date with you. We are not all ruthless or cut throat and we are more interested in getting the right candidate even if it means a delay of 2 weeks in the process.

@LetHimHaveIt

Don't reschedule, fgs. If you can't interview with a cold, they'll be wondering how well you might be able to work with one . . .

Or she turns up to the interview clearly looking unwell, raising questions of judgement of why anyone would attempt something so important whilst ill?

Is battling through and risking a mediocre performance instead of resting a positive character trait? In a modern working environment I would expect my employer to want me to look after myself.

I do pity those who still experience and harbour such dated perspectives

Best of luck!

Good luck!

Good luck OP and I hope you feel better soon

Best of luck OP!

As a recent graduate, I interviewed for a job I desperately wanted. Job was with the director of the company so I wanted to make a good impression.

Came down with a cold and hideous ear infection so I was practically deaf. I looked horrendous and couldn't hear what I was saying as I babbled away.

The director really liked the fact that I seemed very focussed (I wasn't. Just couldn't hear properly and had to practically lipread )

Anyway, got the job and spent many happy years there.

Push through!!! Fingers crossed for you

'Or she turns up to the interview clearly looking unwell, raising questions of judgement of why anyone would attempt something so important whilst ill?'

It's a virtual interview, and it's a cold. I've never looked 'clearly unwell' - especially on Zoom - with a cold.

I love the way people are still pretending there's parity in an employer/employee relationship, and that a prospective employer will be so concerned about the OP's, er, head cold, that they'll be falling over themselves to reschedule. And it's not an error of judgement to interview for a much-wanted job, with something I wouldn't keep my kid off school for.

They might well reschedule, OP. They might not. You must decide for yourself. I personally wouldn't risk it.

Go ahead, have a glass of water handy in case of coughing fits, cough syrup to ease your throat and dose up with lem sip. Have a crib sheet with some good answers nearby in case you go blank. Explain about your cold and they should make allowances. Awful I know but better than cancelling

I would turn things on its head and say I have a terrible cold and worried I will infect people before christmas would you prefer I reschedule
You also have the symptoms of the new variant so maybe do a test

@theluckiest

Best of luck OP!

As a recent graduate, I interviewed for a job I desperately wanted. Job was with the director of the company so I wanted to make a good impression.

Came down with a cold and hideous ear infection so I was practically deaf. I looked horrendous and couldn't hear what I was saying as I babbled away.

The director really liked the fact that I seemed very focussed (I wasn't. Just couldn't hear properly and had to practically lipread )

Anyway, got the job and spent many happy years there.

Push through!!! Fingers crossed for you

I love this story!

Good luck, @troobleflooble! 🍀
Let us know how it goes!