To think it’s excessive to be juggling 4+ interviews in one week?

[SnugShaker]

I’ve found myself in a situation where I’ve got multiple interviews scheduled in the same week - some first rounds, some second stage, and it’s feeling like a full-time job on top of my actual job. It made me wonder what’s the most interviews people have ever had in a single week? And does it ever reach a point where it’s just counterproductive or overwhelming rather than empowering? AIBU to think the modern job search process is bordering on ridiculous sometimes?

In what way is the search process ridiculous? Assuming you applied for all those jobs around the same time, it was pretty inevitable you'd end up interviewing around the same time if you were successful - I'm not sure that's any reflection on the process as a whole. And you can't blame the people scheduling the interviews - they aren't to know you're also attending other interviews, and are working to their own recruiting schedule.
I'd say if you think its unmanageable, back out of the first interviews and just focus on the second interviews.

I'm not sure how the "modern job search process" is to blame for your scheduling issues?

Is this for four different jobs? Just ask to hold them another time.

Doing anything intensive on top of your job is hard work - looking for a new job, doing a course, having a small child, looking for a new house… the list goes on!

I agree with PP, it’s not really the fault of any kind of wider system.

I had three in a day once (thankfully on teams, I wasn’t dashing about between multiple offices) - was offered two.

It’s hard work and intense, but good to have got so many interviews and well worth doing (with lots of irons in the fire) if you want a new job!

Can you move some first interviews citing an urgent work commitment and you can’t them down ( model employee). You have to be in a job that has sudden expectations though and you need to be prepared to talk about it without giving confidential details away at interview - good luck

I think job searching has always felt like another full-time job alongside the day job because you're mentally checking out of job 1 in the hopes of getting another job. It's tough but unless you can take a week off to do these interviews it was probably always going to happen that if you apply for multiple jobs at the same time they're likely to have all the assessments or interviews around the same time.

I do know what you mean about modern employment practices as I think it's got worse in terms of job applications and expectations - as taking on a new employee has got more onerous and costly, employers seem to be making hiring processes longer and more multi-stage in order to try and get the right person. I'm not convinced that 5+ rounds of interviews, assessments, etc give any better results once the person's actually started work - training them properly is far more impactful IMO but it's not so easy to hire and onboard people and then let them go quickly in their probation period if it's not working out.

I get what you’re saying and yes, it makes sense that timelines collide if you apply around the same time. I’m not blaming recruiters or expecting them to coordinate with each other.

It’s more that the process as a whole, from endless applications to multiple interviews scheduled stages per role, can start to feel excessive and almost dehumanising when you’re juggling several at once. Especially when it’s all unpaid labour on top of your actual job. I’m managing it for now but I do think the way job searching has evolved (especially for mid-senior roles) can tip into burnout territory pretty quickly.

Totally agree - anything on top of a full-time job is going to be exhausting. I think what’s throwing me is that interviews take a very specific type of energy - prepping, performing, back to back panels etc, and when it’s for multiple roles at different stages, it starts to feel like mental gymnastics. I have asked to move a couple where possible but it just made me realise how intense the process can be when you’re actually in the thick of it.

As others have said, if you apply for 10 jobs at the same time then you were always potentially going to have 10 interviews in the same couple of weeks.

I do think more goes into interviews/prep etc now though. My manager is in his 60’s and always says when he got the job 35 years ago he filled in a form with his name, address and recent grades and his interview took 10 minutes and was essentially “when can you start”. Now for that same job it’s a competency based application which takes hours & thousands of words, then a second round which is 3 tests- literacy, numeracy and critical thinking, then your interview which is a panel interview plus you have to give a 20 min presentation.

If I was you I would scale back on your job as much as you can and take leave if you can to focus on the interviews. I think you are likely to build momentum and gain confidence at answering questions. Just one tip, you will be asked some similar questions but really listen hard to make sure you tailor your answers. It’s obviously fine to use broadly the same answers as you have given in previous interviews but make sure you tweak them to what was specifically asked. Good luck.

I’ve done 11, including 2 final interviews on the same day. It’s a lot!

I’ve had 3 in person interviews in one day, it was the only day I could get off work

I think the purpose of an interview is generally to get a new job, the purpose is not to empower you??

Most jobs I’ve had only required one or at most two interviews, but that was decades ago. I once had an awful four hour one with several different people one after the other all choosing from ten questions on a list. So some picked the same question and I kept thinking am I repeating myself and why the heck couldn’t they interview me all at once? Never asked if I wanted a glass of water and I had to ask to use the toilets after three hours! By then I knew I didn’t want the job and wish I had the gumption to say so and leave.
My DH was put through the ringer fir quite a high up job requiring multiple interviews. Was told by the last panel the job was his just needed final board approval and then he didn’t get it - awful awful I actually burst into tears when he told me.
My biggest issue is they rarely seem transparent on remuneration until quite far down the process.

Of course the goal is to get a job. I used empowering more in the emotional sense, as in sometimes having multiple interviews can feel motivating and hopeful… but at a certain point it can also start to feel overwhelming or draining instead. The post was more about that tipping point when the sheer volume starts to feel like a second job in itself rather than a motivating process.

I had 3 in one day.

Recruitment is broken, I’ve been job hunting for 6 months and I’m completely exhausted by it.

Multiple rounds, tasks requiring hours of ‘free’ work, the ghosting.

Do you need time off from the job you currently have, or are you juggling interviews with work?

I’ve been juggling them around my current job - mostly before work, lunch breaks, or after hours where possible. But with a mix of first and second-stage interviews, it’s starting to feel like a second full-time role on top of my actual one. I haven’t taken time off yet but I’m starting to wonder if it might be worth doing for my own sanity if this pace keeps up.

3 in one day - cannot recommend that approach but it was at least an efficient use of annual leave. One was awful, one awesome and the third fine.