I need immediate help! Job interview dilemma!?

caviness

Call the state job and let them know that you're interested in the position, but you are currently working and that you don't feel it would be fair to not show up or call in sick. This shows them that you are responsible and honest. See if you can get a morning or an hour or two off from your job for personal reasons, or ask it the people who want to interview you ever interview after hours.

Your responsibility is to the job you currently have, and any responsible employer will respect that; and your decision to do the right thing.

inabinet

By all means, call out sick from your other job and interview for this one. I could be better for you. Most businesses do what is best for the business. You should do what is best for your long-term situation. The state may be cutting back but still have needs in areas that not many people apply for. I would go.

I hope this helps.

Tema

You MUST do what's best for you given the current economic difficulties. Go to work as you normally would, but "get sick" while on the job... go to the emergency room AFTER your interview so you can get something in writing that you were there. Also, you could go to an Urgent Care center claiming you are sick (major headaches, etc.) and get a note from them since it's probably cheaper than going to the ER. Make sure they don't specify on the note exactly what your ailment was. Just ask for a note stating you were there, the date, and that you are cleared to return to work the next day. Make that interview!

gladiolus

The state job sounds like a much better opportunity for you, but that doesnâ€™t mean you have to outright quit your current job to go tot he interview. Never write off an interview, and donâ€™t feel like you canâ€™t find something better just because youâ€™re in a job now.

Hereâ€™s what you should do: Right now get in touch with your current boss and tell them you need Monday morning off. Tell them that you will put in extra time to make up for it if they need you to, offer to work on the weekend, whatever. Just tell them as soon as possible, so that you are continuing to be a responsible employee (because you never know when youâ€™ll need a good reference). You donâ€™t need to tell your current boss exactly why youâ€™re taking the time off -- you can say itâ€™s urgent personal business, or a family matter youâ€™d rather not discuss (both of which are essentially true). You donâ€™t have to lie, nor do you have to tell all.

Then, go to the interview and knock them dead! When you get back to your current job, keep working your *** off to be the best employee you can be.

Good luck!

satiety

You can't count on commission. Tell them you have an appointment --which is true. Or you could call in and tell them you have a family emergency --which getting a stable job is-- and that you'll be in late. Take your time at the interview and go back to work after the interview if possible. If you don't go, I think you'll regret it more and for longer.

I wouldn't worry much about cutbacks. If they're hiring for this it's something they need and know they need.

Good luck!

stoned pumpkin

Tell your employer you have to see a dentist for a couple hours on Monday. Don't let an opportunity for a state job go.

Sean

Take the interview. It's good practice. You can always decline the offer.

catholic

Youâ€™ve been in a job search for 2 years. You recently started a new job. It sounds like it is not your ideal job; but, it is a job.

I would manage your actions around your new job.

I am not intimately familiar with the recruiting practices for tech jobs like these or for state jobs. I have managed professional recruiting on the side in addition to my day job--college, grad school, B-School and experienced hire recruiting--for a rapidly growing entrepreneurial firm. Most companies can be reasonable when they hear the line: "I am really interested in your firm and in your position. I have been looking for one just like yours for some time now...BUT, I have a commitment to work on Monday, and cannot make your interview. Our XYZ department is counting on me. Would there be any possibility of meeting later on after work on Monday? Or early on Tuesday?" If this company is rigid and inflexible, then obviously my strategy wonâ€™t work; but, I canâ€™t imagine a company saying they are intersted in you and being unwilling to adjust a little, especially given the last minute notice of the scheduling of the meeting.

By the way, if you are torn because they are being inflexible, do some Expected Value analysis. You can try to make your decision based on the output of this analysis. I wonâ€™t do it for you, but Iâ€™ll start it at a high level:
If you donâ€™t go on the interview, what are your chances of keeping your current job and what are the chances of your getting the new job? Iâ€™d hypothesize you get to keep a grade B (based on my guess as to your judgement) job, but stand 0% chance of getting the new one. What if you go on the interview? Maybe you will have a 50% chance of keeping your grade B job. Interviews are no guarantees of getting hired as I suspect you know. Letâ€™s say interview 1 has a 33% chance of yielding interview 2 and interview 2 has a 50% chance of getting an offer for an A- job. You can do the math with your assessment of the probabilities. Unless this job opportunity is the absolutely ideal job at the absolutely ideal company and you have been seeking this forever, I think you need to hold onto what you have and try to schedule the interview around your work. If it doesnâ€™t work, theyâ€™ll at least respect you for your responsibility and will call you for the next opening. But, I am betting they will accommodate you.

Here are some wild hypotheses on my part, as I neither have specific data nor know you. My sense is that there is a lot of demand for high quality tech folks and turnover is not low. I am wondering whether your protracted search is perhaps an overdependence on online job boards as opposed to person to person networking. My sense is that online applications have taken the mantle from newspaper ads for being some of the most frustrating search channels. It keeps job seekers busy but yields poor results. My firm received a lot of online interest. It generated a lot of wasted work. The success rate of these applications was infinitesmal. We were far more effective with targeted recruiting and recruits were far more effective networking their ways into the firm.

Hey, whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck!

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