I really want this job but is this a red flag?

[sundayclean]

I'm looking for a new job and have been invited to attend an interview this Thursday at 2:30. Unfortunately I have a dentist appointment on Thursday at 2pm which has been booked for well over a month. I have an NHS dentist and they are very very strict with cancelling and rescheduling appointments. I cancelled once last year (first time in 7 yrs) due to an emergency and they said if it happened again then I would be taken off the register. It's not great but I only stay with them as I can't afford to go private.

Anyway, I spoke with the hiring manager at the beginning of last week and she contacted yesterday to arrange the interview. In all fairness I never mentioned my appointment when I initially spoke to her as it just slipped my mind but she also didn't mention what day the interviews would be on if I was successful getting to the next stage.

I've asked if she can accommodate another day/time to which she's said no. I really want this job, but she does seem a bit inflexible/awkward. Or am I the one being awkward? I don't really want to risk losing my dentist for a job that I might not even get and I think expecting someone to cancel a prior appointment with 3 days notice is a bit unreasonable. Would this put you off?

Maybe your message was rude
Maybe if you had explained the context in the way you did here, they'd have understood
Maybe they need to fill the spot ASAP and the next interview date available is too late
Maybe they already have ten fantastic candidates for one spot and you helped them narrow it down
Maybe the hiring manager is going on holiday and back to back and when they're back the other person goes off for two weeks and they cannot wait a month

Many maybes

The thing is, it makes you look inflexible or awkward to them too... even though they and you are not being unreasonable. My work wouldn't change the interview date for a candidate who couldn't make it.

I do a lot of interviews and we just can't change slots. It is difficult to book the rooms and time in several senior people's calendars in the first place without flexing it for candidates.

I do realise we lose good candidates doing this but there are usually plenty and I don't have all day to spend on trying to rebook.

I would expect them to be interviewing multiple candidates that day, and it should be possible for OP to be moved to a later slot.

That they aren't willing to do this does indicate they either have a preferred candidate and they would just be going through the motions with you, or that they are not the best company to work for.

It's a pity, but I would not potentially lose my NHS dentist for a job I may not get.

No, slipping your mind isn't a good enough excuse. As a prospective employer, that being one of my first interactions with a candidate would be a massive red flag.

I'd have expected a candidate to notify the company on a screening call of any potential upcoming appointments/unavailable days.

That said, it is super inflexible on their end, which might be a red flag for you. But if the company has booked in a day for doing interviews, it may not work for them to have the interviewers available on a different date.

Interviews aren't just about them seeing if you're suitable for the job, they're also an opportunity to see if they fit you and your needs - the fact they won't budge seems like a red flag to me.....something else will definitely come along

If I really wanted the job I would probably try calling the dentist asap and explaining the whole situation, they might be able to be human about it.

What an awful situation to be in. Firstly, I'd contact the dentist, explain the situation and see if they will reschedule. If they won't then you are going to have decide just how important the possible job is to you, is it worth risking being taken off the dentist's books? Only you know the answer to that. It wouldn't necessarily bother me that they weren't flexible with the interviews, it may be that it's the only day the interview panel or whoever are available and they probably prioritise that over the candidates availability. I would be a bit put out that they weren't flexible but it wouldn't put me off going for the job if it was exactly what I wanted.

I've interviewed a lotttt of people and I would be very flexible for the right candidate, less so only for one I had lower expectations of. This situation makes me think of when they've been forced to advertise externally but have a great internal candidate who they know is going to get the job.
Having ignored red flags from hiring managers in the past and living to sorely regret it, I would pass. Politely tell them it's a medical appointment you can't cancel, so there's no bad blood, and they might well come back to you with another date.

@ChangingHistory out of curiosity, do you offer candidates a choice of dates/times or just 1 slot?

I had an interview with the council a few months ago and was sent a link to their website with a list of dates/times to choose from. That was a lot better. It's much harder when it's just the 1 slot as you might already have a prior commitment.

It definitely feels like a hirer’s market atm. One inflexible slot with three days notice is crap!

@Velmy really? Even though they hadn't invited me to an interview or confirmed if I was moving to the next stage at that point?

To be honest, both are being unreasonable. My dentist lets me reschedule dentist appointments if I have a clash. I usually do it with about a weeks notice. But they've also cancelled on me the day before because my dentist was ill.

If it was me, I'd put the job before the dentist, but I can see why you are annoyed and see it as a red flag. Personally, I think BOTH should be more accommodating.

Also - might not be your actual potential manager being a pain, maybe just a jobsworth in HR doing 'computer says no'. I love my job and my boss, but we are always frustrated with HR processes. Doesn't mean the job itself is a 'red flag'.

If you weren’t asked your availability then I don’t think you have done anything wrong by not mentioning your dentist appt.

I think it’s more a reflection of the current job market and how many applications are received for job adverts atm. Usually I would have expected some chat around availability and dates etc, but if an employer can weed out candidates by only having one day of interviews then they will.

They are being inflexible if they can't change the time at all. I can understand them not wanting to change the day because they will have convened an interview panel for that particular day and booked a room and they'll have all the paperwork out etc. But I think they could have tried to move you to the end of the day or perhaps swap with another candidate.
Have you rung the dentist though to ask if there's another appointment time available?
However, I would take the dentist over the job interview, especially now they've shown that there's no flexibility there. Every time you had a dentist appointment or other medical appointment you'd have the same issue. Everyone knows how hard it is to get an NHS appointment and I certainly would not risk being booted of the dentist's list for a job you might not even get. Who knows in which century you'd get back on an NHS list and private dentistry is extremely expensive.

I think it might be this. Most organisations would be flexible if they are not being flexible it sounds as though they might already have a preferred candidate

I used to work in recruitment and sometimes it is the interviewers availability that dictate when interviews can happen. Saying that I would try and be flexible but sometimes it isn't possible.

Is the dental appointment treatment or a check up? If the former, I'd ring the dentist and say you've come out with a massive cold sore that is weeping and you understand dental treatment should be avoided, what do they suggest? Risky but my (private) hygienist turned me away when I attended with a healed but scabby cold sore as they said the dangers of getting the herpes virus in an eye wasn't worth the risk.

The job market is so vile at the mo that some industries are getting 500+ applicants per role. There’s no incentive for them to reschedule and potentially have to move the hiring team’s calendars around when, as harsh as it sounds, there are 20 others just as good as you who can make the interview. They also won’t want to keep good candidates waiting for a definite yes to accommodate another interview. It’s not necessarily a reflection of the company, but just a reflection of the current job market.

@TimeForATerf it's a treatment. I have a terrible infection in my back tooth (luckily not experienced any pain which is why I've not been seen quicker) and I need to have root canal.

Tell the dentist you have covid... might still work!

Yeah - "Quick question, do you have any idea when the interviews might be if I get through to the next stage? Just asking I have a medical procedure on X date that I unfortunately can't move, and I really don't want to miss this opportunity"

To give you an example of our hiring process - My company has an office in a shared building, so when interviewing we have to book and pay for a meeting room for the day/days, and usually at least one member of staff not based in the office will need to travel in for the interview day/days.

Because of that, we have a set day/days for interviewing. It just wouldn't be practical to have one or two people asking to have their's on a different day. That's not us being inflexible, it's us being practical.

If it's a group interview or the interviewer is a director then they often schedule them all in for one day. I used to recruit graduates for my employer, (not select them, just HR admin) and when I booked them in they all needed to be there on the same day or two days. The recruitment window was a certain timeframe and if someone asked to be seen after that it would be considered unfair/too costly for the firm as decision making needed to start taking place on a certain day.

I remember one I had to refuse to reschedule the second round interview. I felt really bad, but they framed it as everyone has the exact same time frame. I think the directors probably think they've better things to do than interview grads.

So basically it sucks, but I think they have 'business reasons'.

@Velmy I do understand where you're coming from, but I would also have to request time off work (so even if I'd not had the dentist appt, I'd still need to book time off which might have been declined due to the short notice and obviously I wasn't going to request the day off until I had been officially invited to the interview). I don't think giving 3 days notice helps tbh