Work dilemma - please help

[Sliiiiiiya]

I have a final interview / assessment this week for job A is likely to take a few hours. They have kindly accommodated me with the most convenient slot they can manage which would mean I only had to give work an excuse for about 1.5 hours of my time. I loved the boss when I met them in the first round and the role itself sounds very interesting.

However I have also recently started a contract in a similar field (job B) for a similar company which pays very well and is closer to home. They have asked me to commit for at least 6 months and there is potential for the role to become permanent.

i actually started both interview processes at the same time and both came into fruition quite quickly.

while i have committed to attending the interview for job A, i am getting cold feet. Mainly because the location is currently inconvenient, the money is less than my contractor role (although if my current role became permanent, no idea what that would look like pay wise), I don’t want to ask for time off so early on in my new role and also I want to see job B through. Best case scenario, if I get offered job A, I would likely have to start within 6 months maximum. Finally I also really love the team and role at job B and don’t want to jeopardise it.

I am considering dropping job A an email thanking them for their time and explaining how excited I am by the time but saying that unfortunately the timing doesn’t work for now (explaining why). I will be very diplomatic and ask if they recruit at a later date, when my circumstances have changed, I would be very grateful to be considered.

Please can anyone advise as to the best scenario here - very grateful as I can see pros and cons to both and quite stressed.

If A is a permanent contract and B isn't, I wouldn't write it off.

Go for the interview. You might not get the job and even if you do, you don't have to take it. If company B is where you want to stay and they've mentioned permanent, you can use job A as a bargaining chip for the permanent role. Personally I'm a coward with this though, i could make more money self employed/ contracting but the security of a permanent job is a comfort blanket to me.

Turning down a permanent job for a contract is a bold move but it's your choice. You say they have asked you for a 6 month commitment - does that mean you have a contract guaranteeing you six months' pay?

I'm inclined to think asking for one day off is fine and would not put job B at risk. People have hospital appts, dentists etc, it's only half an afternoon. Turning down the interview seems OTT to me unless you have fairly definitely decided to pick the contract job over the permanent one.

Contracting roles always look more lucrative but don't forget to factor in the way you're missing holiday pay, pension etc.

Don't count your chickens, wait til you have a firm job offer to decide

Very bold indeed to walk away from a permanent job for a temporary one.

Go to both interviews. Let B know you are also interested in A and the only thing swaying you is that the idea of permanent roll isn't promised. If they want you, they might make the permanent roll a promise and factor into your contract.

I'd still go to the interview for job A then decide.

I wouldn't put much weight on job B becoming permanent. I'd compare job A (if you get an offer ) against job B as it stands now .

Does the 6 month commitment come in writing and commit them or is it a non binding request?

Go interview see if you get a good vibe and see if you get it ! If you get then do all this thinking no point now

Interviews are two-way things - they're also about you seeing if they would be the right employer for you. That's why you get asked if you have any questions for them at the end. So think about what might put you off one over the other.

You've already thought about the contracting role might not pay so well if you became permie. Contracting also usually means no pension, no holiday pay, no sick pay or no other benefits- it's partly why it otherwise pays well.

Also, job A is currently an less convenient location - what do you mean by currently? You would move nearer? Is that a plan anyway, or dependent on you getting job A? I am a month into a new job. The commute is an hour each way in good traffic - which is fine once or twice a week as I'm currently expected to do. Doing it daily in winter would make it rather less fine in time, stress and petrol money, but that isn't expected. If you can WFH some days, it's a different decision from having to be onsite every day.

In any case, you have no dilemma until you have two firm job offers. However well an interview goes, there's no promise of that until it happens, and I've come "a close second" in enough interviews lately that I am sure of that!

Have you already started job B ?

So you've started at job B and committed for 6 months; the interview processes for both jobs started at the same time. What took job A so long to still be at interview stage?

In your shoes I went for job A because job B wasn't permanent, despite them telling me that it could be. I turned down job B because of that and it didn't go permanent.