a reader writes:

i had applied for a job with a state government about 2-3 months ago online and hadn’t heard any response back from them since then. in fact, i had forgotten that i had applied. however, i heard back this morning with an email stating that an interview has been scheduled for next week and providing me with a time, location, and direction. i’m a little shocked. i do want this job since it pays well, is secure, and is in line with my career objectives; however, i can’t make the time because i will be at an out-of state conference all next week and have pre-arranged time off for vacation the week following.

have you ever heard of an interviewer setting up a time with no prior feedback/input from an applicant?

how should i respond, considering i cannot make the time? i’m thinking of proposing a broad range of dates and times the week following my return from vacation, but should i do more?

this is ridiculous, but it’s also totally in keeping with many government hiring practices, which are rigid and very, very robotic, as if there aren’t actual people involved. (for example, also common in government hiring are interviewers who have a list of questions they must ask all candidates and aren’t permitted to deviate from it, even for follow-up questions about your answers.)

in any case, ideally you’d write back with something like, “thanks so much for the interview invitation. i’m very excited to meet with you, but i’m not available during the time you proposed. however, i’m available to meet (fill in options here).”

however, your case is a little trickier because it’s not just a matter of their proposed time not working; you’re not able to meet for that whole two-week period. and that could legitimately be prohibitive on their end. many employers have some constraints on when they need to complete their interviews by, and asking them to push it back may or may not be doable. (in theory, they should be willing to be flexible to hire the right candidate, but in practice that doesn’t always happen. it’s also true that unless you’re a particularly senior or particularly desirable candidate, they might be perfectly confident that they’ll hire someone great whether you’re in their interview pool or not.)

so you might think about whether you want the job enough to change your travel plans. if not, though, then you could say something like, “thanks so much for the interview invitation. i’m very excited to meet with you, but i’ll be out of town during the next two weeks. however, i’m available to meet any time convenient for you on the week of ___.” but if you do that, be prepared for to hear “we’re only conducting interviews during this particular week.”