The Fly-In Interview

I received a call from someone referred by a friend in Utah. He was being flown in for an interview by a firm with whom he had been in conversations for quite some time and wanted some coaching before his interview. After all, it had been a decade since he last interviewed!

In circumstances like this, I try not to overload someone; in his case, he had an advantage because as a long-term consultant, he was used to selling his abilities.

I asked him about a few details.

What time is your flight?

Who’s going to pick you up?

What’s your schedule that night?

In his case, he had an afternoon flight. After he landed, he was going to rent a car and drive to a restaurant to meet the person for dinner who was sponsoring his candidacy; the next day would be when the heavy interviewing would occur.

For one of my clients, they fly people out the day before, have a driver take them to a hotel to stay overnight, and then interviews start in earnest the next morning (they bring people in the day before so that if flights are delayed or even canceled, the interview schedule isn’t impacted).

Given that he was meeting someone from the employer for dinner (I thought of how rumpled I can be after a flight), he planned to change at the airport into appropriate attire for dinner, rather than travel in his suit.

I have had companies treat the driver like a surveillance member and report back any rude or obnoxious behavior. I have had job seekers abuse the ability to charge by expensing expensive liquor to their rooms.

Be smart about lies ahead of you.

You will be under someone else’s control for a day or so. What can you do to perform at peak?

Try to get a sense of your schedule. I have a client that will interview for five or 6 hours. Can your blood sugar hold that long?

Traveling across time zones? East Coast people have it easier interviewing on the West Coast. They may be up early but, a 9 AM interview is like interviewing at noon for them. If you reverse it, a West Coast person is interviewing at 6 AM and may be up at the equivalent of 4 for breakfast, appearance preparation and to get to the interview (always arrive on time, of course).

I remember Muhammad Ali would always start and finish each round strong to create an impression on the judges. Do the same. Start and finish each meeting at peak.

And, remember, you are not a rock star who is expensing a limo and numerous expensive bottles of champagne!

The Interview at the Airport, Hotel Bar, Etc

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The Fly-In Interview