Interview question

Hi Gaia,

A very valid question - what you are asking is a very fair concern between readiness and interview/headcount availability. 

Ultimately what you are trying to optimize for is the 

1. Best level of performance in a certain time period (before the slots 'close)
2. Within a certain time period (likelihood of slots/headcounts filling up)

Pre-hiring downturn (i.e. mid-COVID when hiring was booming, and pre-COVID), #2 above would have been less a concern as during good times, firms are always looking to hire talent and even though there are headcount quotas - they were much less stringent about those.

It's definitely a lot more uncertain today - in some markets firms are still doing badly so hiring has not yet picked up. The only way of getting to certainty of #2 is if you knew someone in the firm who could give you a sense of the hiring trends etc - which is also difficult to find out and put an exact number to. 

My suggestion if I were in your shoes - get in touch with the recruiters now, fix a date later in the future and timebox your preparation. 

• While time is a key function of preparation, it is not the only function of being well prepared
  • I have known candidates on the other extreme who take too long to prep and then lose motivation or consistency
  • In some instances, having a tighter timeline puts pressure (in a good way) on you and allows you to have good momentum
  • It is hard to give a recommendation on how long you would need - this would depend on your baseline now and how fast you absorb/improve
• As for which date to try pin down - I think you should try and get a sense from the recruiter whats feasible/within their expectations - i.e. “is [end Aug] too late if we have our first round then?”
• Depending on your context (I assume you are an experienced hire) pushing out interview dates is typically common as they know experienced hires have day jobs etc so work might be busy etc 

All the best!

Hello,

I think Francesco's advice is spot on - I would contact them now, reaffirm your commitment to applying, and ask whether it would be ok to schedule interviews in September. If not, see what schedule works for them. You don't have to be perfect to pass the interviews at all - you're just going to want to put in a couple of weeks of solid prep. Best of luck!

Hi Gaia, 

I would drop them an update message to tell them that you're still committed to the hiring process but just need a bit more time. You can then provide a different suggested timeline (e.g., September). 

Last but not least, you don't need to be perfect to pass the interview. Having this mindset is unfortunately harmful because you end up judging yourself against standards that don't exist. 

Best,
Cristian 

Hi Gaia,

Q: Should I contact them either way and try or email them in September and risk losing the option?

Given what you shared, I would contact them in July (if possible I would call) and ask if you can organize the interviews in September (assuming that's enough time to be ready for you). 

If they don’t think hiring will take place then, they will probably say that’s not an option and you can schedule them in July.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi Gaia,

I agree with Cristian and Francesco here. It probably doesn't hurt to contact them, give them an update, and let them know you're still interested. Agreed that a call is probably best.

If you're worried about timelines and not feeling ready, remember that that's exactly what coaching is for.

Someone going to the gym on their own is just inherently going to get fit/healthy/strong at half the pace (if not slower!) than if they had a trainer!