Bad interview timeslot? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Is there such a thing? Of about 7 slots spreadout over 2 weeks I got the very last one. My research tells me going first and last are the worst and goinng somewhere middle is better. Any truth to this?

[rpupkin]

Is there such a thing? Of about 7 slots spreadout over 2 weeks I got the very last one. My research tells me going first and last are the worst and goinng somewhere middle is better. Any truth to this?

Please share this "research." It's basically the inverse of conventional wisdom.

[iliketurtles123]

Based on personal experiences and observations, I'm guessing it goes something like:

Start of day: good

Right before lunch: bad

Right after lunch: good

End of day: horrible

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2011/ap ... ient-break

edit: oh I thought you meant slots during the day

I'll leave this up anyway

[mjb447]

Anecdotally, I've heard that first is the worst, second is the best, and third is the one with the hairy chest.

I've also heard the opposite of what you've heard, OP (primacy and recency, maybe).

[smokeylarue]

Last is for sure the worst. Common sense will tell you that firms do not wait until all callbacks are over to start handing out offers. The earlier you get in the better I think.

[A. Nony Mouse]

(primacy and recency, maybe).

scooped, dammit

[Anonymous User]

Do I risk getting interview canceled for asking to change the date? I feel like being #4 or #5 would be better as if im last, then theyre just going through the motion to get it over with.

[Anonymous User]

Is there such a thing? Of about 7 slots spreadout over 2 weeks I got the very last one. My research tells me going first and last are the worst and goinng somewhere middle is better. Any truth to this?

Please share this "research." It's basically the inverse of conventional wisdom.

Can you elaborate? Are you saying first and last are better?

[rpupkin]

Do I risk getting interview canceled for asking to change the date? I feel like being #4 or #5 would be better as if im last, then theyre just going through the motion to get it over with.

If the concern here is that the firm is just going to extend an offer to the first candidate it likes, why wouldn't you try to go first? Given that interviews are happening over a two-week period, I understand the concern about going at the very end. But I don't get the logic of the "late middle is better than early" theory that you seem to believe in.

[rpupkin]

Is there such a thing? Of about 7 slots spreadout over 2 weeks I got the very last one. My research tells me going first and last are the worst and goinng somewhere middle is better. Any truth to this?

Please share this "research." It's basically the inverse of conventional wisdom.

Can you elaborate? Are you saying first and last are better?

The conventional wisdom is that being in the middle is worst. The idea is that first and last impressions are most memorable; people in the middle tend to get forgotten about. My own thoughts are that this kind of thing isn't worth worrying about; I don't think it matters all that much.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Do I risk getting interview canceled for asking to change the date? I feel like being #4 or #5 would be better as if im last, then theyre just going through the motion to get it over with.

This is weird and not right (assuming they don't just cancel the interview, as rpupkin suggested. But judges are the only employers I've heard of actually doing that). If they've decided to interview you, they've decided to interview you. They're not going to say "well, we've done 6 interviews, let's just tank #7."

I also agree that order doesn't matter very much.

[Anonymous User]

Do I risk getting interview canceled for asking to change the date? I feel like being #4 or #5 would be better as if im last, then theyre just going through the motion to get it over with.

This is weird and not right (assuming they don't just cancel the interview, as rpupkin suggested. But judges are the only employers I've heard of actually doing that). If they've decided to interview you, they've decided to interview you. They're not going to say "well, we've done 6 interviews, let's just tank #7."

I also agree that order doesn't matter very much.

Judges are the only employers who cancel interviews for requesting a date change or did you mean something else? (they just go through the motion with the last interviewer?)

[A. Nony Mouse]

I have not heard of any employer canceling an interview because someone asked to change the date, in the sense of saying "we don't want to interview you because you've asked to change the date" (though I can't say it's never happened). I have heard of judges lining up a number of interviews for a clerkship, but then deciding they like candidate #2 enough to hire, hiring candidate #2, and canceling the later interviews (but I haven't heard of other legal employers doing this, though again, I can't say it's never happened).

WRT "asking to change the date" - you run the risk that there actually aren't any other slots available. If you call up and say "I have arranged to interview with you on date X but I have had an absolutely irreconcilable conflict come up and is it possible to arrange another time," the employer may say, "Sure, what other times are you available/we have a slot on date Y." But they may say, "I'm so sorry, we have no other times available and we are committed to hiring by date Z, so we can't offer a different time." This isn't so much them canceling the interview, though, as it is you having taken yourself out of it (unless you back down and say "never mind, I can make the original time after all," which looks kind of bad).

If you actually have a serious conflict, you just have to hope they do have other times/are flexible (I think most will employers will be). If you're freaking out about going last, that is not a good reason to try to change the interview time. Employers don't just "go through the motions" with the last interviewee - they choose 7 candidates (or however many) because they want to talk to those people. They don't just get bored halfway through and decide to stop paying attention/go do something else.

[Anonymous User]

Thank you sincerely. That makes a lot of sense.

[enibs]

If a firm is interviewing seven people for one spot over two weeks and they meet someone in the first week they really like, there is certainly a risk they'll make an offer to that person if they're concerned about losing him/her. They'll still see the rest of the candidates, but if the offeree accepts, they'll just tell you after you interview that, unfortunately, they won't be giving you an offer (they won't give you a reason).

It's fine to call and ask if they have an earlier interview slot. If they do, you can reschedule (assuming it works for you) and if they don't, you just keep the slot you have and hope for the best.

[ticklemesilly]

Find out when the hiring committee meets and try to meet a day before. Hopefully they'll have you fresh on their mind that day so you'll be more memorable.

[Anonymous User]

If a firm is interviewing seven people for one spot over two weeks and they meet someone in the first week they really like, there is certainly a risk they'll make an offer to that person if they're concerned about losing him/her. They'll still see the rest of the candidates, but if the offeree accepts, they'll just tell you after you interview that, unfortunately, they won't be giving you an offer (they won't give you a reason).

It's fine to call and ask if they have an earlier interview slot. If they do, you can reschedule (assuming it works for you) and if they don't, you just keep the slot you have and hope for the best.

Wow what a giant waste of time.

[enibs]

If a firm is interviewing seven people for one spot over two weeks and they meet someone in the first week they really like, there is certainly a risk they'll make an offer to that person if they're concerned about losing him/her. They'll still see the rest of the candidates, but if the offeree accepts, they'll just tell you after you interview that, unfortunately, they won't be giving you an offer (they won't give you a reason).

It's fine to call and ask if they have an earlier interview slot. If they do, you can reschedule (assuming it works for you) and if they don't, you just keep the slot you have and hope for the best.

Wow what a giant waste of time.

Firm is hedging in case first offeree turns them down. Or maybe they have flexibility to make a second offer if they're really blown away by another candidate. If first offeree has accepted and firm has no flexibility to make a second offer, then they might cancel the interview. But might go through the motions anyway to avoid bad rep (like getting outed on this board). Only a giant waste of time in this last scenario. But no more of a waste of time than the student who goes through with an interview after getting an offer he/she is certain to take because he/she doesn't want to cancel at the last minute (and/or OCS tells him/her not to cancel because they don't want bad rep for school).