Interview Scheduling

Question

Hi, guys, I'm wondering for experienced hires, is HR flexible and open to negotiate the interview date? Is it okay to ask for an interview date in 3-4 weeks? Ideally, I would prefer to have 3-4 weeks to ramp up my case prep after receiving the interview invitation. Is 3-4 weeks acceptable and should I provide specific reasons of delaying the interview date? Thank you.

Answer 1

Its fine and nothing wrong in asking. Sometimes, they may be bound my strict dates and timelines, but dont hesitate to ask.

Answer 2

Hello,

Postponing an interview date is not unusual for a variety of reasons (people get sick, have scheduling conflicts, etc.), and in any case there is no harm in asking. I think 3-4 weeks is a fairly regular lead time before an interview anyway, so they may well provide you with a date like that from the get-go, but if not I would feel free to reach out to HR and ask to push it back. I would prepare a reason if they ask for it, but if you are an experienced hire I think that asking for a few weeks of prep time, especially given that presumably you are working at the same time, is not unreasonable.

Answer 3

Hi there,

As long as you're not recruiting as part of a pre-determined process (i.e. MBA recruiting), yes, you can generally ask for later dates.

Ideally, you want to aim to be about 80% ready 2 weeks prior to the interview.

Also, be careful - my advice is to give yourself a bit more time than you think you need…time moves fast!

Answer 4

Absolutely acceptable.

You can even specify that you need that time for preparation - although should not be required.

Ideally take at least 6-8 weeks of prep time if you are still talking about ‘ramping-up'.

3-4 weeks is the ideal window when you are 80% prepared already.

Answer 5

Hi there,

This is not unusual, and it's totally fine to postpone the interview. You can perfectly ask for an extra month due to personal reasons.

In fact, some consulting firms / offices invite candidates for a practice interview (that is not considered for the offer decision) with a less experienced consultant and if the consultant believes the candidate is not fully prepared, there will be a suggestion to postpone.

Therefore it won't be perceived as unreasonable.

But even if HR is not open to postponing, ask for it won't hurt your application. HR manages the process, but doesn't make decisions.

Answer 6

Hi there,

Consulting companies are pretty flexible in terms of scheduling, unless there is urgency due to the needs of a particular project.

You can definitely ask to postpone. Worst case they will say it is not possible, but as mentioned by Pedro and Sofia, no harm in asking.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 7

Hi!

It's perfectly fine to ask and align with HR.

Good luck,

Anto