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help me put away red flags...
I had a job phone interview back in... August, I think. It went well, and she said she'd like to come out here (she's in Detroit Rock City) for an in person interview. And then it was last month, and I sent her a note saying something like, it looked like they went with someone else, and did she have any pointers for me in my job search. Nope, she just got really busy, and would like to schedule an in person interview... later.
Today she called. I have an in person interview on Friday.
I'm really excited. It's a job that I think I'd L.O.V.E.
But I'm concerned about the lag in time between interviews. My past job makes me think of only negative possibilities: their budget tanked, they're reviewing the necessity of the program, etc.
Tell me some good reasons why it might have taken so long?
Re: help me put away red flags...
First of all, I say just take the in person interview opportunity and run with it and try not to think about the lag. Meeting her face to face is great and even if this job doesn't work out, more doors will open. Plus, you'll brush up on your interview skills.
With the lag, I think you are right to be concerned. It is telling me that the new person isn't an absolute necessity so it fell back in the priority list. But, that is all speculation. I don't think it would be a problem once the time is right to ask her for a little more details about the lag and how you as a candidate perceived that in regards to job stability, etc. Remember that they are selling this job to you too. If this is a new position and you are not replacing someone, I would really focus on how your time will be spent and who will be helping you to develop the position. I have had it happen more than once in a new position where they needed me soooo bad and I was going to be working soooo much OT, etc. only to find out there was little to do and I had to figure out stuff I could do.
Good luck!!!!
Do you know if the position has actually been vacant the whole time? Maybe there was a leading candidate who turned down the job (which is still cause for concern), or maybe the person currently in the position turned in their notice very early for some reason and they don't actually leave until December, so there just hasn't been a huge rush to get through the interview process.
Good luck!!
First, good luck!
Second, I'm not familliar with the field your in or how those organizations functions (with funding and such) but I can understand being a little leary of the lag time. It can't help to worry about it, so I'd try to dismiss it as something positive - they're so busy and in need of help that it took a bit of time to get back with you. I agree with Tigers too, it can't help to ask questions about the position and the lag time. If you go to the interview she might even say "Sorry it took so long to get this scheduled" which could invite you asking the question "No problem at all, it must be busy around here!" and hopefully she would expand on the issue and not feel offended.
Maybe budget year started in Oct and they figured it the position sat empty for a few months, it would help their FY 2010 year and then time got away.
I think there would be some creative questions you could come up to try to find out more details.
Good luck!
I agree with the pps regarding the various reasons why the lag could occur. Sure, it's something to be leery about, and it wouldn't hurt to try and bring it up in an appropriate manner during the interview, but it might also be a positive. They might be doing so well and getting so much business that these types of things just take longer for them to get to. (This happened to me with a consulting company I'm working for.)
Also, I don't know what field you're in, but is it possible that the company has weird hiring policies (they have to have X qualified applicants before in-person interviews can start, etc) that draw the process out? For my field, that timeline is pretty normal (or even short) because of the complicated hiring process. I don't think that most fields are like that, but any random policy like that could explain the lag.
Hopefully you can get a feel for the reason at the interview.
You've gotten a lot of great advice already. I just wanted to say good luck!