Free Career and Job Search Advice

[jadoescher]

Hey Everyone,

A job was posted to my company's internal site. I applied for it and got an interview, but I am not sure I really want the job. The job involves an extensive amount of travel (75-80% of the time, sometime more) which is the main reason that I am not sure. Am I under any unspoken obligation to accept an offer? Could I foster ill will by applying, interviewing, and not accepting an offer if it came across the table? I am qualified and pretty confident that I will get an offer. I am filling in temporarily for the position that is being offered (traveling out of state to provide training to a customer), could this add to the possible ill will?

Thanks for you input.

[Pauloz]

jadoescher

Yeah, basically the job is the job, and that's what you're applying for, win lose or draw. The fact you're in the job at the moment does make you a natural choice. The job description is the status of the job when you apply for it, so you're assumed to know what you're going for, particularly when you're doing the work. Sorry to say that you'd be in the wrong, on principle, if you don't accept it, even though there's nothing to stop you knocking back the offer or negotiating. The employer probably wouldn't get your reasons, which could undermine your position.

"Ill will" can happen if you're seen to be wasting their time, ducking work, or not pulling your weight.

That's avoidable, if you get onto the panel prior to a decision and tell them "Sorry, but..." and give them some reasons. After the event is likely to be too late. They're unlikely to appreciate having to go back to the other candidates, having made the move to give you the job.

Suggestion, if you do get the job:

That said, if you get this job, you can also manage travel pretty well if you get the job organized to work the way you want it to work. Travel can be tedious, if you don't. If you're in charge of the how, when and where of your traveling, it could pan out well. Another thing you can do is to minimize travel in the interests of efficiency. These days, your actual presence anywhere is often a discretionary thing. You could also save the employer quite a lot of money by emphasizing cost efficiency in not traveling quite so much, particularly if you're doing things you can do on the phone, etc. If you do the same work and get better results with less expensive running around, you'll make a point and get some credentials for working smarter.

In theory, you could redesign the job into something much more manageable, and do a better job, more efficiently.

Important: If this is a career track job, the sort you need to do, grinning and bearing it might be the better option in the long run. Don't know if you're intending to use this gig in your CV, but if you are, a good track record in a position like this does help. Generally speaking traveling jobs are given to people who are trusted employees, who can operate on the move.

In job terms, there's the ladder position to consider, too. Where does this job take you? If it's somewhere you're trying to get, suggest consider these positions before any final decision.