Long Distance Interviewing
Dear Deb,
I read your article on Skype interviews. I had a phone interview with an HR manager last week. I am interviewing via Skype with the hiring manager in a few days. I live in Denver. They are in Boston. How many distance interviews will they conduct before they ask me to visit their office? Is it OK for me to ask if they will pay? Will I have an extra day to check out the city and living situation? I am a recent college grad and this is all really new.
Thanks,
Solomon
Dear Solomon:
Each company has a different employee selection process. However, it is reasonable for an employer to fly a finalist to their location when they become very serious about hiring that person. If they have a large pool of candidates, they may conduct two or more distance interviews before they fly out one or two finalists. I would ask these two simple questions at the end of your next interview, “What is the next step in the selection process?” and “What additional information may I provide to facilitate that process?” Avoid asking about who covers the cost of the trip to Boston. Wait until you are invited to Boston. At that time, you may say, “Can you explain the process for the visit?” Most likely an HR coordinator will explain those details before you have to ask.
Thanks for writing! I wish you all the best in your job search!
Debra
If you have a question for Deb, please email debra@careersdonewrite.com. The Ask Deb column appears every Friday on our blog at the Careers Done Write website.