HN Explorer

Ask HN: Balancing interviewing and day job?

23 points by busydev ↗ HN
I'm currently working as a software engineer, and I'm looking for a new role at a new company. I've reached the later stages of interviewing with multiple companies, and every single company wants an on-site interview for 4-5 hours.

How are you supposed to manage that with a full time job? Vacation days? Sick days? Flexing your hours?

I'm sure there are multiple ways to do so, but I'd love to hear some advice from those of you who have been through the process.

22 comments

[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 56.6 ms ] thread
icedchai
Sick days, doctor's appointments, car repairs, waiting for the cable guy. Virtually any excuse will work.
itronitron
in regards to sick time keep in mind that you do not have to tell your employer any health related information
Multicomp
What really gets me is the time it takes to do the interview.

I get needing 2-3 to confirm prowess and answer all of the logistics of the working relationship, but it seems like there is waste somewhere.

I'm probably just impatient, but I'd welcome feedback on if that's just a Me thing or if most people find nearly half a day spent interviewing to get old pretty fast.

dabockster
No, it's not just you. Spending half a day to interview because some higher up wanted "top tech talent" is beyond ridiculous. (Not average people that can still do the job, oh no, it HAS to be "TOP tech talent".) There is no reason why the interview should take more than 2-3 hours (and that's on the extreme side) where everyone involved just sits in the same room and takes notes.
shortoncash
The bigger issue is what happens when someone commits terrible code and makes bad architectural decisions. Firing someone is hard, but firing code that is in active use is even harder and in some cases not possible.
dabockster
True. I have had cases where prior poor judgement has placed whoever I was working for in a hard spot.
itronitron
Where I worked for over a decade, full day interviews were the norm as multiple PMs had to approve of the candidate and be willing to fund the person on their projects.
FruityFarm
Ask if you can break the onsite into 2 days. Then just make some excuse to leave early for the day.
AnimalMuppet
Well, if you've got multiple companies, explain the problem to each of them. The one with the best answer for how they will work with you is the one who gets first crack at interviewing you. The rest get in line.
quickthrower2
This may be good advice. But what if one of them is "big advertising tech company" and you have meta-reasons for wanting to work for them (future signalling for example) but they ain't too accommodating on the interview side of thigns.
kunley
Your reasoning about this company may be a wishful thinking.
quickthrower2
This is not about the company so much as the street cred of having worked for them
scaryspooky
There are plenty of jobs that don't require Google on the resume.
JSeymourATL
> I've reached the later stages of interviewing with multiple companies...

Force rank the opportunities. ONLY invest your time in the top 2-3 that you're serious about.

chatmasta
I would argue you’d be better off interviewing first with the companies you want to work for the least. This way you can use them as “warm ups.” You’re more likely to mess up your first interview than the later ones.

That said, if they’re all final rounds this advice might not apply.

dabockster
Take a day off. Fake car trouble, coughing, something.

If you have multiple interviews, try to schedule them consecutively (one per day) so your current boss will think that you just have a cold that you don't want to spread around the office.

chatmasta
They’re going to call your employer for a reference anyway. Why bother hiding it if you’re already at final round? Just take the days off as vacation days and if anyone asks where you are, tell them you’re interviewing for other companies. Your boss will find out very soon anyway. It might even lead to an offer for a raise.

You’re not a slave. You have every right to interview wherever you want and whenever you want.

newadventures
While absolutely true, I think (from experience) that people underestimate both, how often you end up not being hired (even if you make it to the final round), and how being stuck back with the old company with this out in the open, is not a pleasant thing.

Not every company will blatantly call your former/current employer for a reference, there's procedures for that, and you can certainly control this a bit, as an applicant.

My suggestion would be to openly make this a topic of discussion with your potential new employer. Tell them that you'll have to manage the time as you're still employed and can't just run off during the day easily. They'll understand, even the big ones. I've been able to arrange all interviews at a time I found convenient, and that includes the big US tech giants.

Gustomaximus
> Why bother hiding it if you’re already at final round?

You may not get the job.

A good manager, absolutely have the chat. There are also managers that would take something like this personally and make it into an issue. e.g what if you are simultaneously looking for internal promotion and some manager decides this makes you look like a flight risk for the new role or any other number of scenarios.

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imauld
I "worked from home" a lot while interviewing.

Additional reasons I did't go in included having errands to run and not feeling well. Depends on your current job though, my employer at the time had, and probably still does, a very lax time off policy. It was enough to drop a message in a public channel saying you wouldn't be in that day due to an appointment.