Ask HN: How do you schedule job interviews when already working? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do you schedule job interviews when already working?

Working in the Bay Area as a SWE (first job, started ~1 year ago). I'm looking for a new opportunity. Do you take time off for phone and onsite interviews? Any suggestions on how to balance work and interviewing?

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I take calls during the work day. I just tell the person "Give me a minute" and step out into the stairways (fire exit). Usually no one except building security occasionally is at that place.

It also doesn't really matter if you colleagues or boss find out. What are they gonna do? Fire you for looking?

1 time my manager over heard me talking to a recruiter. He later met with me and asked me why I was looking & I said low pay at current place and no raise. He immediate got me a 10 K raise so it worked out for me!

:-) That's a great story.

The dynamics of "power" are to be experienced everywhere. While you did not deliberately negotiate a raise, your employer on the other hand deliberately WAITED till he saw you could exercise your power of flight.

Magnificent.

I took time off for interviews; typically a full day for onsites and half a day for phone tech screens. If they're open to early morning or evening phone screens, you could suggest that too.

I would typically take the initial HR call in my car at lunch (drive to a nearby parking lot if you're worried about your current company seeing you). You could try to do this with tech screens as well, but I would make sure you have a rock solid internet connection and a good laptop. I never felt comfortable with that, so I just booked the morning off and did it at home.

I'm a shitty person but I schedule my phone screens either early in the morning before work (I come in at 10am), or during gaps in my work schedule, and I'll go to the parking lot and sit in my car for the phone screen. Luckily no one monitors what I do or where I go during the day, but to be fair almost everyone in the company is actively job hunting. For onsites I'd probably work from home for a bit and take the rest of the day off.

That doesn't make you a shitty person. You gotta do what you gotta do.

One thing you could do to have telephonic at early hours or late night- this way you can attend before or after your office. That's what I did.

People at the executive level frequently interview in the off hours.

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