Interview taking place in a hotel - not where the actual role will be located!

[Winky2024]

I’m currently in the recruitment process for a PA role. Fourth interview the week after next in this seemingly never-ending saga.

Scheduled to meet the MD in a hotel lobby which I am fine with.

It isn’t unreasonable to ask to see the actual office before I commit if offered the role is it?

Whilst he has picked a very upmarket hotel, I’m a bit grrrrrrr about not seeing the office! This will then necessitate yet another “meeting” before I can potentially accept which will be the fifth one.

Gone are the days of a 15 minute chat in a boardroom!!

Any thoughts please? Thank you all.

Yes, I totally get it. I don't know why some posters are saying it's for confidentially reasons. I mean, unless they're making nuclear warheads or they're recruiting for MI6 then what have they got to hide! They aren't are they?

@ginasevern No! But it gave me a real giggle, thank you!

I think I’m just getting weary with the process too. It’s felt like a bit of a marathon 😅

Maybe there is an internal applicant and they don't want to rub their face in it? Although normally companies don't care, you say it's a small organisation. It's a huge number of interviews for a PA role though!

I once turned down a job offer because there was no natural light in the office. It wasn't the only reason, but it was a major factor. I would definitely want to see where I'd be working.

Apart from anything else, 4 interviews for a PA job sounds excessive unless it's for royalty or for the CEO of a global organisation. That sounds weird on it's own.

The strange thing about this is not the fact that you haven’t seen the office, the oddity is why they are having 4 interviews for a PA role! At most you’d expect 2 rounds; one with HR and one with the principal person you would be working with.

I agree about 4 interviews being excessive.

We've done a lot of recruitment into a relatively high paying graduate trainee scheme in the civil service recently and the interview process is a single online interview and a short written test just to make sure people didn't have too much 'help' when completing the application.

Surely even director level recruitment doesn't need to go beyond 2-3 rounds?

Have you checked out the company on the government website to see what their finances are like? Have you looked on LinkedIn at the key staff? Remember they can see you are looking so you might want to go in on a friend's account. What's been happening at these interviews? I would expect this for interviews for a royal position but not otherwise!

Thanks everyone.

More thoughts required please!

The four interviews were: one with recruitment admin, second with owner of recruitment agency, third with MD on Teams as he is on a six week holiday. The hotel interview is the fourth.

I have twice asked the agency for the terms of the “package“. Salary is good for a NW city. £21k for three days. No reply to date on pension, sick pay etc.

It now transpires that he doesn’t want a start date until 21st July despite me and him being available the week before. Two days handover with current PA but he only wants to pay for two hours in the morning each day.

I’m getting vibes that there is no package, that he doesn’t want to pay anything more than necessary e.g. a private meeting room somewhere etc etc.

He also expects travel to his home office an hours drive each way a few times a month. This is to tidy it up and walk the dog (no I am not joking). No mention of mileage being paid.

Opinions please and be honest!

Thank you all 😊

Are you a maid/dog walker? No, so I would decline that bit immediately. Sounds like a piss-take. You can find something better, I am sure.

So when does he want your contract to start after the handover? If it's while the handover is taking place he pays the normal wage.

I would assume your mileage should be an expense and paid back. However the extra time may not be paid extra.

Depends if you want to be his housekeeper, maid and dogwalker as well as PA, I guess.

OP, I was an exec PA for years. Worked for private individuals as well as companies. And this has got red flags all over it.

He will expect you to drive to his house at least once a week.

The lack of formal package is just screaming amateurism, and that you would have to argue over every sick day you took.

It's a big no from me. The lines of duty are too blurred.

Firstly no one interviews at a hotel when they have an office around the corner. Second expecting you to tidy up and dog walk doesn’t sound like a PA job. You don’t need thoughts just apply your own common sense. It reminds me of a PA job I once got as a young female. The MD was middle age the business was pretending to be much larger than it was fake office in London but in reality ran from a home office in a garage. I was at times asked to watch various tradespeople in his house, pick up his kids. Get shopping take all the post, drop keys off outside working hours. I didn’t know much better as I was young 1st real job etc.

£21k for only three days seems very well paid - sounds like there’s a reason for that. He sounds like a CF only wanting to pay two hours and if they can’t respond re the package, that'd be a no from me.

I agree with this comment.

it sounds like this person is looking for a Personal Dogsbody, not a PA.

You’d be fighting for every expense reimbursement, mileage claim, sick day, annual leave etc.

The FTE salary is £35,000, it’s not an especially generous amount, given all you would be expected to do.

I’d walk away from this process.

We often do interviews in hotels (or football stadium entertainment suites if we have many interviews to in one day. If candidates are then offered a job, they are invited for an office visit

You are right to be wary. Three days a week in an office you haven't seen, and would the trip a few days a month (aka once a week) to their home office, to walk the dog no less, with no guarantee of mileage being paid be included in that three days a week, or extra?

£21k isn't all that fantastic anyway - it would be £35k for full-time, which is somewhat moderate for a really good PA.

What with the dog-walking and all, seems like this person wants a general factotum.

It could be that there is confidential information in the office? Perhaps on boards / displayed around? I did my first set of interviews in a hotel conference room (groups) for that reason. Once you get the job and sign NDAs / contracts you can then enter official spaces.

@Winky2024

When you look at the registered address on the Companies House website, is it somewhere you know?

I wonder whether this is a company which may be precarious financially.

@TheSquareMile and others asking about the company finances etc.

Yes, it all checks out. Very viable and it’s essentially a private wealth company for a family. We are talking eye watering sums which I think is why I am irked by the lack of package, dog walking, home office tidying etc!!!

Registered office is around the corner from the hotel but I know it’s not always where companies work out of. It’s a prestigious building, well known in the NW city. I was given a different address by the recruitment agency though so I need to investigate this further.

Sounds like something from a Jilly Cooper novel. Sounds bonkers and an only if you’re desperate situation.

I’ve not seen the office first for my last two jobs, it seems to becoming normal to just interview online.

From your last post I'd assume the registered office address is of some kind of professional advisor and the address from the recruiter is where you'd be working

What does a private wealth comonayvforba family mean? Do you mean one company that looks after many families or something specific to just one family?

Aha! I asked if it was a family office.

Working for a family office is fine. But this MD seems to be confusing their wealth with his?! Expecting you to clean tidy his house and walk his dog? He's not the one with the money!

Not on. And I bet he wouldn't count your time driving to his house in your working hours, even though you're supposedly working out of an office.

What was the interview like with the MD on teams did you get a reaction to how he was, what the work is etc. To expect a 2 day handover by the existing PA but only pay you two hours is not setting this up as a great job is it? Without this stupid 4th interview at the hotel.

@jay55 This is why the laughing emoji is needed!

You did make me smile because I am thinking it’s all a bit mad. I was starting to doubt myself hence the post in the first place.

I am so pleased to have found my people. You are all making perfect sense!