travel expenses for interview

[gogamecocks]

Do you think it is unusual for a company to not offer to pay travel expenses for an interview? My husband has several job interviews lined up over a two week period. One company did not offer to pay travel expenses plus they want him to come mid-week for an interview. This would require additional leave days to accommodate as it is about a 9 hr drive away. He tried to get them to change the interview to a Friday or Monday so he could drive there(cheaper)and so as to not take extra leave days. They said no. I'm thinking he should just do a phone interview. The other companies offered to pay to fly him in and pay hotel and car rentals without him even asking. My thinking is they either have a bunch of people they are interviewing and that lowers his chance of getting an offer anyway and/or they might just not be a great company to work for. Maybe this is a red flag.

[UncaBuffalo]

Do you think it is unusual for a company to not offer to pay travel expenses for an interview? My husband has several job interviews lined up over a two week period. One company did not offer to pay travel expenses plus they want him to come mid-week for an interview. This would require additional leave days to accommodate as it is about a 9 hr drive away. He tried to get them to change the interview to a Friday or Monday so he could drive there(cheaper)and so as to not take extra leave days. They said no. I'm thinking he should just do a phone interview. The other companies offered to pay to fly him in and pay hotel and car rentals without him even asking. My thinking is they either have a bunch of people they are interviewing and that lowers his chance of getting an offer anyway and/or they might just not be a great company to work for. Maybe this is a red flag.

You got it.  :/

[tolstoy]

If your husband is applying for a non-management position the company might not pay for an interview. I had one company in the past start out by not paying and then when I balked they mysteriously found the money. My experience is that good companies will treat you well from the first phone call. They have a culture that permeates the entire organization. You'll have to decide how much you want the job.   

[HydroDave63]

My thinking is they either have a bunch of people they are interviewing and that lowers his chance of getting an offer anyway and/or they might just not be a great company to work for. Maybe this is a red flag.

I concur with your hunch, and UncaBuffalo.

[gogamecocks]

Thanks for your thoughts. He really has to manage his leave dates for interviews as his terminal leave starts on 12/21/12. I would prefer for him to be retired and home for Christmas(we currently live in different states). Of course, I want him to have a job lined up too but he seems to be getting interviews fairly easy now that he is in his 3-4 month window.

[Already Gone]

Generally, I would think twice about working for a company that starts off by being cheap.  They could save money by arranging an interview by skype - which is basically free.  But, they chose to save money by simply not paying the travel expenses.  It could be a check in the NO column.
But, I have interviewed for companies that didn't blink about plane fare, hotel, rental car, meals, and even a ticket to a ball game, and the job offer sucked.  The lure of lavish gifts sometimes masks deeper problems - as you probably know well.
If you have no other interviews lined up, or the offers aren't coming in, paying your own way might not be such a bad idea.  As far as leave goes, it really makes no difference if you go on a Wednesday or a Friday.  If it takes you a day to travel each way and a day for the interview, you still need 3 days leave.  Taking Thursday, Friday, and Saturday costs you the same 3 leave days as taking Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  You can't check back in from leave until you are physically back at the command, so it makes no difference.  Weekends and weekdays all count the same.  If you try to scam a few days off by getting your buddy to sign you in while you were still out of town, you could get busted - even at the very end of a good career.  This might look bad on a resume.

[GLW]

Thanks for your thoughts. He really has to manage his leave dates for interviews as his terminal leave starts on 12/21/12. I would prefer for him to be retired and home for Christmas(we currently live in different states). Of course, I want him to have a job lined up too but he seems to be getting interviews fairly easy now that he is in his 3-4 month window.

.........Taking Thursday, Friday, and Saturday costs you the same 3 leave days as taking Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  You can't check back in from leave until you are physically back at the command, so it makes no difference.  Weekends and weekdays all count the same.....

So many good traditions gone from a simpler time,...

Now basket leave appears to be another casualty,...

Ah well,...

[gogamecocks]

As far as leave goes, it really makes no difference if you go on a Wednesday or a Friday.  If it takes you a day to travel each way and a day for the interview, you still need 3 days leave.  Taking Thursday, Friday, and Saturday costs you the same 3 leave days as taking Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 

Actually, that's not true. You forgot about requesting a special lib day. That costs nothing if you request a Friday or Monday.

[HydroDave63]

Isn't special lib supposed to be within a recall radius of 150 miles or something like that?

[gogamecocks]

Isn't special lib supposed to be within a recall radius of 150 miles or something like that?

Who knows. If that's true then I'm sure he wouldn't use it for that purpose. He is pretty much a stickler for going by the book. I'm not too excited about the location of this job anyway, but I'll let him decide what he wants to do. As long as there is a hospital around then I can find a job.