Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
When is it time to discuss a felxible schedule with a prospective employer?
The encouraging news for job hunters who really need flexibility (either in time or location), is that just in the past year, employers have discovered how the notion of flexibility is actually quite viable, both for themselves and their employees. With many businesses now struggling to attract top talent in a post-pandemic world, job hunters may have the upper hand when it comes to asking for and receiving their desired compensation. Still, timing is everything, especially when discussing various types of compensation, including flexibility in scheduling.
Wrong Time
From the perspective of the job hunter, their most important task is to present a list of skills and talents that will be of great value to a prospective employer. Job hunters must first win over an employer before making “demands”.
What does this mean in terms of timing? Certainly a job hunter’s cover email (or letter) and/or resume should not make any reference as to what the job hunter desires in terms of a flexible schedule. Nor should the interviewee be the first to bring up compensation demands when setting up an in-person or video conference interview, or during the initial interview. The main takeaway is to focus on impressing a prospective employer until you know they may be interested, then you know you may have additional leverage.
Right Time
When an interviewee is asked about what they would like to receive in terms of compensation, they’ve been given the signal that it’s the right time to ask for flexible scheduling, along with other benefits they would like to have as part of their compensation package.
Along with discussing compensation such as salary, vacation time, etc. it’s definitely acceptable to discuss the possibility of remote work as a perk, or the ability to adjust one’s work hours for child care responsibilities, etc. Of course, it’s always a good idea to be diplomatic when asking for perks, and the conversation should center around how, by adding flexible scheduling to your compensation package, it actually benefits the employer as well. If the employer is willing to nail down your request at the time of the interview, then you know this could be the job for you. If not, yet they offer you a job at a later date but refuse to accommodate any flexibility into your schedule, then perhaps it’s better to continue your job search.
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