Fitting in out-of-town interviews

[Anonymous User]

How have people managed to fit in out-of-town interviews at potential new positions while working at their current firms? Do you just take a long weekend and "work remotely" and hope nothing comes in while you're in your interviews? Seems difficult to take actual time off, and schedule all of your interviews at the same time, especially for in-house jobs where opportunities tend to trickle in.

[nealric]

There's honestly no easy answer. You take a long weekend and hope for the best. I once crammed 3 interviews into a single day AND a cross country flight when I was interviewing (6AM morning flight traveling East to West) in order to make it work.

[Anonymous User]

There's honestly no easy answer. You take a long weekend and hope for the best. I once crammed 3 interviews into a single day AND a cross country flight when I was interviewing (6AM morning flight traveling East to West) in order to make it work.

OP here - Looks like I might be in the same boat then, also doing the NY to CA job hunt. Can't imagine I'm going to make the partners/senior associates overly happy at my current firm though.

[beeoBoop]

Work remotely/"from home", make up an excuse about a doctor appointment, etc. Just answer emails and no one will question it

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I don’t know how you would be able to answer emails. When I interviewed it was a pretty extensive process with few breaks, if any, and that is even more true for in-house positions. I was basically dark for the entire day.

[SFSpartan]

You either have to take vacation time or find some plausible excuse that renders you unavailable for a day.

To the extent your current firm expects you to remain fairly responsive while OOO, and to the extent you use the vacation excuse, just tell people you're at whatever semi-remote resort/retreat destination is closest to your actual interview. That way, people won't expect a ton in terms of availability/responsiveness. I have no idea how you would answer emails during a late round interview anyway - when I did mine, they were generally half-day affairs without breaks in between interviews.

[Anonymous User]

OP here - This is my concern. My understanding is that these on-site interviews are generally half or 3/4 day things, including lunch with people from the Company. If I had vacation days, I wouldn't have any trouble going radio silent, but (1) I'm out of vacation days because of some already planned trips that can't be changed, and (2) my firm doesn't allow single days off (one week blocks at least).

[SFSpartan]

OP here - This is my concern. My understanding is that these on-site interviews are generally half or 3/4 day things, including lunch with people from the Company. If I had vacation days, I wouldn't have any trouble going radio silent, but (1) I'm out of vacation days because of some already planned trips that can't be changed, and (2) my firm doesn't allow single days off (one week blocks at least).

The second part of this is extremely unfortunate, as it really limits your ability to use the vacation excuse. If your firm breaks time off into "sick" days and vacation days (instead of a generic bucket of PTO), the easiest play here is to schedule the interview for a Friday or Monday and then "get sick" on that day. Barring that, there's really no easy answer here.

[Anonymous User]

I know this is terrible and I’m probably going to hell for it, but I had a callback scheduled for 3 days after my screener and I told my firm someone in my family was in a major accident. It was the only way to get to the interview.

Obviously you can’t use it multiple times, but if it’s the only way to get to the interview...

Anyway, out of town interviews suck. Good luck!

[Anonymous User]

I know this is terrible and I’m probably going to hell for it, but I had a callback scheduled for 3 days after my screener and I told my firm someone in my family was in a major accident. It was the only way to get to the interview.

Obviously you can’t use it multiple times, but if it’s the only way to get to the interview...

Anyway, out of town interviews suck. Good luck!

By the end of the lateral interview process, the partners begin to notice all of your family has died in short order. It's like the red wedding.

[Anonymous User]

Who cares about your old firm. You're gone. Do whatever is necessary for the interviews. Better to apologize than ask permission, in this instance.

Send an email, "I will be out on XX to attend to a personal matter. I will be reachable by email, although my response may be delayed during the day."

[JohnnieSockran]

Who cares about your old firm. You're gone. Do whatever is necessary for the interviews. Better to apologize than ask permission, in this instance.

Send an email, "I will be out on XX to attend to a personal matter. I will be reachable by email, although my response may be delayed during the day."

Ok, but the issue with this approach is that you may not land the job, and may be stuck at your current firm for months or even longer while you look for the right opportunity.

So, you're really not "gone" just yet.

[Anonymous User]

I am in the process of lateraling cross-country (NYC > LA) and I flew out in the evening one night, did call back in the morning, and immediately flew back. Didn’t say anything to anyone.