Job opening in another city, don't want to move - how/when to broach telecommuting?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| DH has been laid off and there is not a lot out there for his field right now. He saw a job posting that is a direction he'd like to go in, and he has a lot of the skills they are looking for. But, the job is halfway across the country. We are settled here and I have a job so we do not plan to move. We would be okay with a situation where he could telecommute much of the time but had to travel back and forth regularly. The posting says nothing about telecommuting but is the type of work that could be done anywhere. Is it worth even applying? If he gets an interview, how and when would he inquire about telecommuting? It seems like he should find out before having them spend the money to fly him out for an interview, right? |
Anonymous
| It never hurts to apply, but it seems like unless a posting specifically mentions telecommuting that's usually something that happens after a person is established with a company. |
Anonymous
|
To me this post has incredible hubris. You are not offering to have your DH move out there for a couple of years and then telecommute. You are not offering to suck it up and move out there and then see what works for you. You "would be okay" with a situation where he's allowed to telecommute....in a job where he has a "a lot of the skills they are looking for."
OP, do you have any idea what the job market is right now? How many people are applying for vacancies. Why would they allow an employee they don't know and have no trust in to telecommute? |
Anonymous
| I say go for it. What do you have to lose? Don't mention it until they make him an offer. That's when he has the most leverage. By then, they know him, have presumably flown him out for interviews, etc. If he actually is the right person for the job, then everyone will benefit. |
Anonymous
| The time to discuss it would be once the job has been offered, but in this climate I would say the likelihood is very, very slim. If he would refuse any offer that isn't 100% telecommuting, then I'd think it was a waste of his and the company's time. In fact they may not even call him for an interview unless he indicates (in cover letter or over the phone for example) that he would be willing to relocate. |
Anonymous
| I agree with the PP that it's hard to even get to the interview stage if you are from out of state, and particularly if you don't have a firm plan for relocation. That said, we relocated for my partner's job, and they told her later that they would have hired her even if she wasn't willing to relocated. It is a company with a significant number of telecommuters and she had an existing relationship with the company. I would wait until there is an offer to bring it up. |
Anonymous
| Not in the interview! Found out the hard way -- even if its so terribly obvious that you are the best fit, even if your previous job was 90% telecommuting, even if they are having a hard time filling the position because of where they are located (away from a major metro area) you cannot broach the subject before you land the job and put in the time. Ridiculous? Yes -- especially in the 21st century -- but it's the truth. Only if the job is advertised as telecommuting can you discuss it. Meh. |
Anonymous
| I would contact them before you do anything and ask if they are open to having someone telecommute 100%. Otherwise your husband is wasting his time preparing a resume and then if it gets to the interview stage you're wasting everyone's time. As a hiring manager I would be really annoyed if I'd invested that much time in finding someone only to find that they have such restrictions. |
Anonymous
| This is absurd. My husband was unemployed and we were willing to move anywhere. When he was flown out to different locations they wanted to make sure from that moment that we were willing to relocate bc they didn't want to make an offer/waste more time for someone that wasn't local. In addition, many jobs won't even look at people that aren't local bc there is a surplus of local talent already in the area. |
Anonymous
|
Once the offer is in hand.
My advice is suck it up. My wife and I spent a year apart because of a job. We traveled back and forth to see each other. It's life. Prove yourself and then ask for telecommute |
Anonymous
Were you employed?? Op is. Why should she quit her job to move somewhere so her husband can have one? Would you insists that a husband should quit his job so that his wife can take a new job in a place where they don't want to live and for a job that requires a lot of travel? |
Anonymous
| OP, if we liked your DH's qualifications, the first thing we would ask prior to any interview would be your relocation plans. We would not consider allowing a new hire to telecommute 100% of the time. |
Anonymous
|
If DH is unemployed, then he has plenty of time to apply for this job, so don't NOT apply for the job.
It also depends on the type of job in terms of telecommuting. For example, people in sales often travel 75% of the time anyway, so the company may not care at all about location. If it was me, I'd just mention during the interview "Yeah, I currently live in DC and DW has a job there, but maybe we can work something out." |
Anonymous
Np here. Perhaps OP could telecommute. We moved for my dh's new job and I telecommute for my employer who I worked for in the DC area. |
Anonymous
|
I would just ask up front if he gets an interview if its an option instead of having your DH waste his and a recruiters time. However you are assuming your DH will even get an interview.
A lot of employers are still sketchy about telecommuting. We have a few out of staters in my office, but they've been here for years before they started telecommuting. |