Interview advice: work/life balance?

exhibitv

Hello all! Was hoping there were some ladies with personal experience or advice. I am going on one of my first interviews since having my DD and I am looking for work/life balance in my next job. I am currently a CPA working in public accounting over the last 5 years, and I am looking for a job with more "standard" hours.  I am applying for professional jobs (probably a lateral move) and have noticed that it is generally frowned upon to ask about typical hours at work. I'm not sure if this is a local culture type thing or what.. but it's making my job search difficult.  On the first interview I went on, I was using a recruiter who did most of the communicating for me. The employer was very interested in me, but when the recruiter was negotiating pay/benefits and asked for standard operating hours, the employer balked and said that they don't like to put "goal posts" on hours and so and and so forth.  The offer fizzled after that. Since then, various recruiters have told me I am not a good fit for jobs X Y and Z because of my request for balance. 

 Am I delusional to think I can find a position that will NOT be a downgrade but can also get me home at a decent time on MOST days? I'm not afraid of hard work and staying late on occasion for deadlines (that's what I do now on a very regular basis and for months at a time in busy season), but how can I find out what the REAL culture is at a job without making it sound like I am limiting my hours too much? I don't want to turn off employers, but I also don't want to work at a place that expects 50 hours every week either. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA.  

Reilly626

I'm not familiar with your field but is there anyway you could work for a school system? Then your hours would be what you want.

EastCoastBride

Ask questions around "What's a normal day look like/ a normal week?".

LoCarb

When working with recruiters let them know work/life/balance is on your priority list. This will limit the opportunities but it won't keep you guessing about the employer.

When interviewing on your own, I like to ask what the typical day and month end is like?  Then I get a good feel of employees attitudes and usually the employer offers a time (ie: most leave at 5 pm or we have three long days requiring OT during month end).

snicksnack

This is so frustrating. I don?t understand why so many jobs want to basically own people these days and not be honest and clear about it. Even the lower level jobs are like this. I like the advice about asking what a day, week, etc...look like.

In my world you have to work outside business hours on occasion, I work events and communications. I am very upfront with everyone I interview about it because we sometimes work nights and weekends, most often in the fall. I also make sure to point out that in general we are very flexible so if you work a Saturday in most cases you can take a week day off etc? I want to have these conversations because I had one employee who had a side business and working weekends became an issue for her even though she knew it was part of the job. So now I make it a point to really discuss it with the person while interviewing and give that person a feel of the average day, week etc?

exhibitv

Thanks all for your advice. I will definitely be asking about the normal workday, even though I feel it doesn't always help in terms of learning the hours at a job (at least in accounting).  I have communicated to recruiters the need for "regular" hours so that is probably why it is limiting my opportunities so much (which I am ok with). With the last interview I was on, I waited until they gave an offer to start talking about what my normal operating hours would be and that's where they balked (not even about the money!).  I'm just feeling discouraged that I'll never find a job where I can be home around 6pm so that I can see my kid for a few hours before she goes to bed. :: sigh ::

rockychryslerb2010

I work in a field where longer hours are the norm, and we try to be very up front with expectations.  We can't really put an hr on it (sometimes I work 40 hr weeks, sometimes 60 hr weeks), but if someone asks about it in an interview, we honestly tell them, but we don't have a set schedule.  If you can get the job done in less time, no one expects you to sit at your desk until 7pm.  Once you get an offer, could you ask the recruiter to speak with someone in a similar position to get a better idea of the work?  Then you could have an informal conversation and hopefully get a picture of what it is really like.  Alternatively, have you looked into social media, like LinkedIn?  Maybe some of your connections know someone who works at the company you are interviewing with.

We always have a round of 5 interviews in one day, and one of those interviews is with a 'peer' in the role the person is interviewing for.  That is a very informal interview, and is really an opportunity for the interviewee to learn about the position and expectations.  It sends warning flags to me if a company isn't up front, like they're trying to hide something.  

marym94

I hate this and I am in a different - but similar boat. I currently work in a situation where I have a lot of travel and extended work hours and I am interviewing with other companies (in my free time, what?) to see if there is something out there with more "balance" and I am finding that its hard to come by today... I am finding that asking questions and learning about the company culture is a better way to learn about what kind of work/life balance you can expect.  You may see if the recruiter wants to incorporate those types of questions. And they are good for you too - when you get to that point in the conversation.  In the meantime, I agree with the poster above who said that its good to have fewer options after the recruiter has cleared the air, then to find yourself in a bind in a conversation down the road when you realize that the company isnt a good fit for those reasons.  good luck

dallasbiglaw

I would try asking "How would you describe the office culture at xyz company?" If the company has multiple locations I follow up with "what sets this office apart from the other offices?" If interviewing with a person in a similar position "what is your typical day?" or "what have you enjoyed about working at xyz?"

In my experience, often times if you are having a good conversation with the interviewer they will generally expand on all of those questions.

Good luck!

FemShep

I'd ask more general questions if you're not working with a recruiter.  For your field, in addition to asking about the culture, ask about the qualities that top employees share, how performance is evaluated, and how they handle busy times like preparing quarterly reports.

These questions are open-ended enough that they don't necessarily raise red flags, but if the company is one that requires lots of hours and values people who stay until 10 at night, you're likely to find out about it through the answers.

Good luck! 

AnnecyDream

I'd try to find this information from sources other than the interviewer or the recruiter, especially pre-offer. See if anyone you know works for the company via LinkedIn. Search for employee reviews on sites like glassdoor. And, like PPs said, you can always ask after an offer has been made. Might help in setting a schedule pre-hire, too, if they really want you.