Interviewing

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Gary Seinfield

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If you're out of vacation and sick days, how do you get time off of work for interviews? I'm trying to break into investment management from a completely different field, and I think that my best bet is extensive networking. This approach is working well for me, but it's getting to the point where I am starting to raise suspicions at my current employer.

I work out in the suburbs, and 99% of investment managers are in the city, so every informational meeting, job interview, etc. requires me to take an entire day off or call in sick. Those connections lead to more connections, and this is a great way to eventually land a position, but it's getting out of control. I feel like I'd have to quit my current job, take a leave of absence, or come up with something else in order to continue an effective search. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until January 1 or just take any position that gets me working in the city so that I don't have to take an entire day off of work to meet someone for lunch.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Hmm... Poor planning. Don't really know what to tell you. It's never a good idea to take every last bit of vaca/sick time. It's going to be nearly impossible to do lunch hour/breakfast meetings and not miss work. Can you schedule at the beginning/end of the day and just say you have an "appointment"? If I have to leave early for a doctor's appt, it's not counted against my sick time. But then, when you have a new job, your old boss will realize what you were doing...
 
I was in a similar position not too long ago, exept my employer was aware that i was looking. I had to take mornings, after noons and entire days off in order to have the best job search possible and I felt bad about it cause i had to lie to everyone else besides my boss.
It seems as if the ball is already rolling for you so, if you are financially solid, quit your job explaining the situation to your employer. Taking a leave of absence and comming back only to say you quit wont be regarded very well. Other options, tell your boss your are changing carrers and would appreciate time off from time to time at your expense, this is also beneficial for them as they have a lot of time to find your replacement. You are not changing for a competitor so I wont be a slap in the face.

Having the time without stress to meet with as much people as possible is the best cause you make contacts, learn about companies and get to compare offers when you get them.


my2cents.
 
I disagree with sims entirely. Do not quit your job without having another in place just because you may have to wait 1.5 more months for your vacation to replenish. That's retarded. Are you that anxious that you can't wait till the new year? And just taking days off that you don't have could get you fired. People are always more attractive when they have a job, and you have no idea how long it could take to break into another field.
 
Of course it's a ruse, but the "appointment" explanation, like grunt mentioned, is clearly your best first option here.

If it's too late to start doing that, or impossible for other reasons, I think you're going to have to come clean to your boss, ask for what you need and accept the consequences.

Kind of a difficult situation, and I sympathize. Hope the career change is worth it -- think of coming clean as a calculated risk worth running, though with some downside.
 
cfa2fgrunt:

If things are already going for him: 2nd interviews at many places and more new companies calling for 1st interviews. If financilay solid, why not take a few weeks vacation? you already get at least 2 paid from the company you work with already.

Of course you do this only if you dont feel you cant openly proceed with the job hunting process with your employer knowing about it.

Maybe you think this is ''retarded'' but i think concensus would be that it is more constructive than saying ''Poor planning. Don't really know what to tell you.''.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at Thursday, October 5, 2006 at 11:28AM by Sims.
 
Sorry, 2.5 months till the new year. Waiting that long is not too difficult. You can network in the evenings in the meantime (industry org happy hours, etc.) and lay the groundwork. If you simply can't wait, listen to ska!

If you've been a good employee up to this point and/or you're difficult to replace quickly, the boss will likely be more accommodating. If not, you're honesty could be problematic. Besides, you'll probably want or need a reference from your current employer in the future, so keep things amicable.
 
It really depends on your situation. I'd say that if you're out of excuses, definitely come clean and accept whatever consequences come with it, as skahammer mentioned -- people will be disappointed to hear of your decision to depart, but nobody will begrudge you for telling the truth.

cfa2grunt and Sims have both made good points -- what you decide depends ultimately on your situation. As long as you can, try to stick with your current job and look whenever you have free time. The job search isn't easy whether you're employed or not so don't get the idea that it should be -- it takes a lot of persistence and very careful and intelligent time management. In most cases, you're less marketable if you don't have a job, unless you have a very specific and tenable explanation why you don't have one.

Almost all of my friends who looked to switch jobs just tried to find time during their day to meet with other firms. I imagine this would be harder to do if you weren't in a big city though, or if you were on the road all the time as part of your job, say, consulting. In one case, my friend had a job at a big 4 strategy consulting firm and was based on the West Coast, but he really wanted to find a position in finance on the East Coast. He was about to be staffed on a major project that would have put him out in the middle of nowhere, and he just thought it would be prohibitively challenging to recruit. He knew he wanted to work in finance and also wanted to come home to the East Coast, so he decided to quit his job, move back to the East Coast and dedicate all his time to his job search. Things worked out pretty well for him -- he was able to get a job at a solid hedge fund within a matter of weeks, and didn't have many issues getting interviews. Of course, he had a stellar resume and also graduated from a top undergraduate institution with top marks, so while I still thought it was a ballsy move, I didn't think someone like him would be jobless for too long.

But this is exactly what I was getting at -- deciding whether or not to quit your job in search of a better one is circumstantial, and totally depends on your qualifications and your ability and projected likelihood of landing the job you want. Just make sure to think about everything carefully before you venture into the Big Apple as a jobless guy.
 
Thanks for your feedback. Regarding grunt's poor planning comment...10 days of vacation doesn't get you very far. This is the basis for my question. A few days off to study for the exam (remember, I'm in a different field, so my employer doesn't support this), and a few meetings/networking events in the city, and that's it. The rest is lying about doctor's appointments, calling in sick, etc.

As Sims mentioned, the key for me here is an effective search. I'm not 22, and this will be my first move into the industry, so I want it to be the right one. I feel like I simply can't do that in only 10 days a year. I have a fairly demanding (time & travel) job now, and I have a great relationship with my boss/employer...thus the conflict.

To be clear...these are not second (or even first) interviews in most cases. These are usually meetings saying, "hey, I really want to be in this business, and here's what I can add." If people like you and they're convinced that you'd be able to add value, they'll refer you to someone else who may be (but usually isn't) hiring. And then the process starts over with that new person. And on and on until you're the right person in the right place at the right time.

I know that quitting/taking a leave isn't a good option, but I'm worried that A) it will take me two years to find a job at this rate or B) I'll jump at the first semi-interesting offer to end the process.

I guess there's no good answer here. As numi mentioned, it isn't supposed to be easy. I'm just looking for some creative ideas, and I'm interested in hearing others' similar experiences.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at Thursday, October 5, 2006 at 12:47PM by Gary Seinfield.
 
I agree with numi, that it depends on circumstances. It seems pointless to quit unless it becomes necessary, but you may need to come clean with your boss about what is happening, and see where it takes you. If you are changing industries instead of going to a competitor, he/she may be more understanding. Let him/her know that you intend to take your responsibilities seriously, will work to make any transition at transition time easy for your co-workers. but that you are sending out feelers to make other plans.

Whether this is the best advice depends on the norms of your current industry and firm, and the relaitonship you have with your boss. The nice thing is that you don't have to do it all at once. You can point out that you've been thinking about finding something in finance/banking/whatever, and see how he/she reacts. Then decide if you want to be more open about interviews and things. You can ask if you can have more flexibility to go to occasional interviews, etc., but be sure to emphasize that you are going to meet your present work obligations, and that when the time comes, you'll give your boss as much notice as possible.

Of course, if your boss is a jerk, you may be asked to leave, and in any case, your boss will start to think of how/when to replace you, but if you have a good relationship with your boss, it does not have to be a big problem.
 
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