Have an interview and need encouragement/hand holding please!

[HwNwBrwnCw]

I applied for a job internally and have an interview next week.

It was advertised as full time, but there’s no way I’ll be able to do a full time job. I’m thinking of being straight forward with them and tell them I need hours to fit around the school run and I can do 1 full day a week. This will equate to 25hours a week.

Am I stupid to think I can even propose this at the interview? Shall I just withdraw the application?

A friend who works in that department told me to apply and there’s no harm in asking for part time hours. I’m just scared they’ll think I’m a time waster now.

I’m scared and nervous. I keep practising how I’ll ask them. Help!

I would suggest asking if they would consider a job share rather than demanding part time straight off.
It demonstrates you're keen to find solutions to an issue rather than just presenting an issue with no solution if that makes sense

Good luck also.

That makes sense, I was wondering whether I could suggest a job share. I’ll definitely suggest that at interview.

If I was the recruiting manager I wouldn’t be too happy with an applicant doing this in an interview, especially from an internal applicant.

What you should have done is contact the recruiting manager either directly or via HR and ask the question before you applied. This shows transparency and respect. Turning up for an interview for a job you’ve applied for but are unable to do doesnt paint you in a good light.

I could understand it more from external applicants who might not be able to ask in advance.

Bringing this out in an interview runs the very real risk of getting yourself labelled as a time waster.

Interviewing takes up a lot of time for managers and is a necessary evil that’s worth it to find the right person but remember that the hour they spend with you is an hour they’re not spendIng on their own job and they have to make up later.

Try to contact them before the interview. If they can accommodate this you’ve lost nothing and they will appreciate the heads up, it’ll also allow the interview to not get sidetracked by talking about working patterns.

If they can’t do part time then you’ve saved everyone from a wasted interview.

Thanks. Now I feel nervous and shit again. Everyone I speak to tells me that mentioning it in interview will be fine. I just needed some motivation.
Now I’m a time waster. Thanks for that. No wonder women find it hard to get back into work when we’re labelled as time wasters for asking for part time hours.-

@HwNwBrwnCw

I don't agree that It makes you a time waster at all and think it is mean for the above poster to say that

I have been a manager responsible for the hiring of staff, i would see you as someone with aspirations to further their own personal development

If you came to interview and asked for part time i would be a bit miffed but if you suggested a job share I would be impressed that you're able to offer solutions.
if you interviewed well and i thought you were a good fit I would definitely see what I would be able to make work

Go for the interview, be honest with them.

OP, don’t play the victim and say it makes it hard for women to get back into work, that’s got nothing to do with it.

Nowhere did I say you shouldn’t ask for a part time job, but doing it in an interview for a full time job you’ve applied for but don’t want and they’ve taken time out of their day to talk to you about is the wrong time and is a very high risk strategy.

What stopped you contacting the manager before you applied to see if PT was on the cards?

I would bring it up as soon as possible now, but as you’re an internal candidate I am surprised you haven’t raised it earlier either with the recruiting manager or with your recruitment team.

They may be totally open to it, they may not. But the faster you have the conversation the better now. Make suggestions for how you can make it work - can you work at home at all? work longer hours in school holidays or in term time?

Good luck with the interview. Research how a jobshare would work in this particular role and suggest how it could be implemented, during the interview.

Don't sulk OP. That kind of attitude won't help you - HipHop made a valid point.

Since this is an internal role you should already be aware of the company's policy on flexi hours / shared roles? Is there anyone sharing already that you can have a chat with? You won't find anyone to jobshare around your school hours (they've probably got to work around school hours too) but maybe a 2 / 3 day a week split?

Is there any way you could work full-time for a few months and see how it goes, and then maybe pursue flexi hours?

Definitely present as a "Is this role suitable for a job share..." rather than "I can only do 25 hours and work around school." And good luck! If you don't ask you don't get.

I’m just frustrated for various reasons so sorry for being short.

I’ve emailed HR and let them know. Full time is 37.5, and I can do 30. I’ve offered to withdraw my application if not ok. I still have my job so I haven’t lost anything apart from my self confidence and aspirations.

You don't say how big your company is - maybe someone else in another department has also registered an interest in a job share. It never hurts to be clear about your aspirations so I wouldn't take a potential rejection personally. You never know, it might you put you 1st in line for something else!

It’s at the NHS, in the labs. Where I’m working is 24/7 so they could happily fit me in with part time hours. The section I’ve applied to is around the corner but there’s no out of hours work. They’re normally quite good with fitting in part time work, but I agree I should’ve let them know beforehand. I’ve emailed HR now so let’s see what happens on Monday.

I’d rather have a decent part-timer than a poor full-timer and that is often the choice I end up with. It is bizarre to think that the amount of work available is always a multiple of 37.5 hours. The key thing for me is not to lose departmental budget by not using the funds freed up from recruiting part time staff.

I think it’s worth having conversations about an internal role before applying, if possible.