Dilemma: Pre-booked holiday trip home conflicting with upcoming interviews.. (work, money, state)
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I have not had a chance go home with my family for almost a year and have been working extremely hard at getting interviews since graduating half a year ago. I did not wish to go home and take a break from my job search for the holidays but eventually changed my mind and booked tickets last month.
As my flight approaches in a few days (Dec 12), I've been hit with a dilemma as a couple of companies I'm quite interested in wants to schedule an interview next week. These companies are located in California and my family is in Michigan.
Option 1: Cancel the trip, chalk up losses from booking the nonrefundable plane tickets, and go to the interviews. Keep in mind that I'm still up against tens maybe hundreds of applicants even at the interview stage, so I'm throwing away plane ticket worth hundreds of dollars for a 5-10% chance of securing a job.
Option 2: Reschedule the interviews to January. It may show less interest on my part to cancel a holiday trip to visit family in favor of going to an interview (which is basically a lottery for a job at this stage.)
As a very desperate jobseeker, I'm very tempted to pick Option 1 but I don't see why most reasonable companies will allow me to reschedule. Yes, I understand it's an employers' market and there's a risk in coming off as less interested.
And I've also considered moving back home permanently until I find a job. But unfortunately, as bad as the job market is in California, it's nowhere as bleak as back home (in Detroit.) Not to mention that there's virtually no positions in my field of study (Finance) in that metro area and I cannot access my university's Career Center services remotely from there. Despite the lower costs of living at home over there, I've found that the drawback easily outweigh those perks.
In my opinion, tell them you have non-refundable plane tickets to see family and that you would love to come in and talk to them, but you cannot afford to cancel the trip. And ask if they can do a phone interview or do it via Skype, if it cannot wait until you return from the holiday trip.
I am desperate for a job too, but I would not cancel my trip home. The odds of actually getting a job from the interview are so slim right now (at least that's been my experience) that it just wouldn't be worth it to me. Plus, if the company could not understand that, then I see that as a problem anyway.
Yea that is a tough one but since it is booked already I do believe I would be coming home as interviews are far from meaning getting a job these days.
Your right about our great state of Michigan as well. Cant get much worse then here. Although I know Cali is darn near close.
In my opinion, tell them you have non-refundable plane tickets to see family and that you would love to come in and talk to them, but you cannot afford to cancel the trip. And ask if they can do a phone interview or do it via Skype, if it cannot wait until you return from the holiday trip.
I am desperate for a job too, but I would not cancel my trip home. The odds of actually getting a job from the interview are so slim right now (at least that's been my experience) that it just wouldn't be worth it to me. Plus, if the company could not understand that, then I see that as a problem anyway.
Go home to your family as planned. If the companies are not willing to work with you on this I would take that to mean PTO maybe a problem if you were to get the job.
You are not guaranteed the job so go home. You never know what will happen with your family but there will always be a job somewhere. You really don't want to work for a company that doesn't understand that you already have plans and have purchased your tickets. I would think they would be happy to have a phone interview and if that goes well, then you can have an in-person interview.
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I've successfully rescheduled two job interviews for less compelling reasons you are presented with. Call your contact person and explain the situation. It is the holidays and they might be willing to work with you on this. I don't think taking a gamble on foregoing your travel expenses unless you have some guarantee that the interview will actually turn into a position. There is no guarantees so don't risk losing your money by forgoing your family trip over a maybe.
I agree with sweety and all the rest. Explain the situation to them. Let them know what a delima you are in and that you really want to meet with them. Express a strong desire to really want to see them. If they aren`t understanding enough to work something out, then it probably wasn`t meant to be anyway. But I would not cancel a non-refundable ticket around the holidays. I wouldn`t think most companies would be interviewing the week of Christmas anyway,and if they were,I would think they could be somewhat flexible.
That is a dilemma....the one good thing about interviewing right before the holidays is they make quick hiring decisions.
I have gotten hired twice in the month of Dec, right before Christmas, starting both jobs the second week in Jan.
They want to go into the new year with the position filled.
The question is how long can OP stay in CA unemployed?
If they say no, or if you get the feeling they will pass on you....can you continue to live on your savings or however you are getting by?
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