Submitted an application for an internship through university job board. Got an email back the same day saying basically “We’d like to have a Skype interview this week, send us your availability.” (Note: it is the week before finals.) I sent availability for today, tomorrow, and Friday. No response for a day and a half. Today they emailed again, completely ignoring the availability I sent them, saying they want an interview on Friday at 11 am, or, failing that, Monday.
Friday at 11 am is when one of my classes ends. IF I leave that class early AND I skip lunch, I could MAYBE make it back to my room in time for that. Monday I have two finals. That’s just not happening.
I’m put off by this lack of advance notice and the fact that they’re doing this right before (and now DURING) finals week. They did not adhere to the availability I sent them, or I wouldn’t have to make the decision between one of my two meals a day and a job interview.
What do I do? I’m tempted to say I can’t do either of those times, and if waiting for me to be done with finals is too long for them, sorry, good luck with the other applicants.
They are specifically recruiting through the university's job board, so they should know when finals are.
The class I'd be cutting short is English, in which we would be peer-reviewing, so I would not be able to finish helping my partner (or if I finish it won't be done well). I risk participation points if I don't finish.
I have class again at 12:20 pm, and we're still learning material for the final, so I can't push the 11 am start time back. This is why I told them I was available from 2 to 5 pm Friday, not in the morning.
Yup. If they jerk you around now, they will jerk you around later. You are not wrong. Respond explaining that it is finals week, and ask if it would be possible to arrange an interview on Tuesday or Wed next week, and give them your available times.
I screen intern applicants every semester, and I have a couple of questions. Which semester are you applying for? And how recently did you apply? If you applied late in the semester this may have been the earliest they could review your application, check your references, and decide to proceed with an interview. If the internship is for spring semester, time is of the essence for both of you in getting through the process, making and accepting an offer, and completing paperwork for the internship.
Otherwise, you have a viable quibble. Regardless, no reasonable recruiter will be offended with a polite explanation that you have conflicts, especially if you make alternate suggestions as to potential interview times. Yes, I know you already did that but frequently several staff have to line up their schedules to make an interview work, so options may be very limited on their end. A mature candidate will put themselves in the employer’s shoes, just as a good recruiter will understand things from a student’s perspective.
If you really are concerned that you won’t be able to make it to the interview on time, you could simply request a different time, stating that you are unavailable at that time. They may have a legitimate reason for their own inflexibility, but they may have just misread your stated availability. Their response will either completely put you off or be reasonable.
A couple of thoughts…
Do you need to be in your room for this? Could you take it from a campus location nearby? I did a handful of phone/Skype interviews in public places… as long as it isn’t too noisy, nobody is upset by that.
Could you delay lunch? My sophomore spring, I had two days a week where my class schedule was 9-10:30, 10-30-12:00, 12:00-3:00, and then 3:30-5:00… it typically meant a) making my own lunch and b) eating lunch in between or during my noon class. Nobody there was all that upset.
I typically side with applicants on these types of issues, but here it sounds like you may be able to be more flexible with your time. Even Monday … sure, you may have two finals, but does that really mean that you won’t take any time away from preparing throughout the day? Typically I needed an hour here and there to keep from getting bogged down by excessive details when I was cramming for finals!
I know students are already like zombies, and considering the size of your campus I understand you can’t make it to class and to the job interview.
Missing class before a final is a big no-no anyway.
They may not be aware of finals though.
Simply state it’s finals time, so you won’t be available at those times, however you will be available Friday 2-5pm, as well as… And…
You can’t assume they know that. Politely let them know that you have finals but that you still very much want to talk with them. Tell them when you will be available. Be generous with yourself…don’t give them times or dates that are technically open but which would leave you stressed to accommodate. If they come back and try to get you to accept a date that would interfere with your exams then you know you are not giving up an opportunity but avoiding a nightmare.
“Friday at 11 am is when one of my classes ends. IF I leave that class early AND I skip lunch, I could MAYBE make it back to my room in time for that. Monday I have two finals. That’s just not happening.”
Of course you skip lunch. You don’t pass up an opportunity for one lunch. Eat a big breakfast, grab a piece of fruit or a granola bar to tide you over. Maybe you can grab an empty classroom or a meeting room at the library if that is closer than your dorm room. Leave your class a little early. Talk to your prof ahead of time. I doubt it will be an issue with him/her given the circumstances. Welcome to the working world where everything isn’t about your own schedule but often your boss(es) and client/customer deadlines and market conditions. Be flexible if this is something you want.
Based on the edits to your original post, I’m still unclear. Are you in class at 11AM or does it end at 11AM? If you’re in class, then you aren’t free and shouldn’t miss time to “make yourself” free. If you’re not, then you could be more flexible in how you handle scheduling.
It seems like the simplest solution for you is to suggest a time between 2-5PM on Friday and not to read into it any more than necessary
I scheduled the interview for 4:30 today, which is right after my second final (not very smart of me to leave only 10 minutes between the final’s official end time and the interview, but it’s only a 5 minute walk and I might even finish early, so hopefully that’ll be all right). First final went well. If I don’t screw up this next one and the one on Wednesday, I could potentially get all A’s this semester. Getting an internship on top of that would be perfect. Wish me luck. X_X
Survived the first interview and a subsequent one on Friday morning. I am waiting on the official offer email, but they have verbally offered me the job! I think I am going to take it – the only downside so far is that it’s 10+ hours from home, which is much farther than I was hoping to go this summer.
Still waiting on grades but I have three A’s on the books as of this morning.
Glad you got this experience under your belt. It’s always easier to navigate hiring processes after you’ve successfully done so in the past. You’re well-positioned for next year’s recruitment process! Congratulations
