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The short answer is, I do all my interviews over the phone.
The long answer is...
I would enjoy it: I'd love to drop everything, buy an expensive
round-trip airline ticket on short notice, hop on a plane,
and meet an 'end client' as soon as they call. 'End clients',
especially client managers, are fun and easy to meet because they have good people
skills. I enjoy meeting people, especially new people.
Having lots of free time: Unfortunately, during the week, I don't have 1 to 2 days
of free time per prospective client. Therefore I don't fly to
distant cities for technical interviews with end clients.
Spending $3,000.00 per end client: In this business, if you want to
stay in business, you don't spend $3,000.00 per end client, in return for a small (10%)
chance to compete for a short-term contract position (valued at $55 x 10% = 5.50 per hour).
Being in two places at the same time:
I'd love to be in two places at the same time, but I can't. It'd be wrong to
lose time and pay at work, and, in addition, lie to my most recent client.
One of the challenges is that very few out of town managers/interviewers
are available for face-to-face meetings on weekends, Sundays and holidays.
One solution. Most end clients have good business skills and
understand that a face to face meeting is 'not' a practical option. The vast majority
of prospective end clients are perfectly happy to interview me over the 'phone'.
Another solution. Please disclose requirements in advance.
If a prospective client in a distant city has a history of requiring all-day long
face-to-face meetings, then I want to know about it 'before' we submit my resume to that client.
Please don't withhold this information from me because
this adds additional time to our process. If you fail to disclose
important facts about a position, you shouldn't be representing
me. In this business, 'time' is our most valuable commodity. Please don't waste it!
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