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maybe that particular employer has been burned before by flying people in and housing them and then the people just not taking the offers.
conversely, if a company is willing to fly you in and put you in a room then you basically have them in your pocket and can negotiate much more, as it is a sign they are serious about hiring you.
there could be multiple reasons for doing this, it is up to you to decide if the opportunity is worth pursuing (and ultimately cash out of your pocket for a flight).
Actually - if a compay is willing to fly YOU in for an interview (and pay for room/board) then they're also willing to do it for any qualified candidates - as it means they've opened the job up to a national (or at least inter-regional) search.
Which means you may have a LOT more competition, or at least higher level competition.
Usually a large company (fortune 500) will try to whittle the # of candidates down to a reasonable #, but that said - flying in and housing 3-5 candidates for a mid or higher level position would be very reasonable and no one would think twice about.
In the past couple of months I have had several phone interviews with companies out of state. One company seems to be very interested in me and asked me when I would be in town to go talk to the owners and to show me around their office. They will not be paying for me to go out and interview with them. The flight would cost me $300. I will be staying with family, so no other costs. Has anyone ever landed a job where they paid for the flight, or would this be a waste of time?
I have done this (after 3 rounds of phone interviews), but I don't actually think it's worth it. It's a pretty big risk and potentially a huge waste of time.
Having been burned by something like this, I'd proceed with extreme caution. I once made a 15-hour round trip drive, put myself up in a hotel, and prepared a formal presentation for a job interview. But it tuned out they already had chosen their person and just wanted to pick my brain, asking me a zillion questions about the job I had at that time.
Having had that experience, I would ask much more pointed questions this time around. Some examples: what would the start date of this job be, how many other candidates are being considered, and WHY are they unwilling or unable to pay the expenses of someone they're really interested in? If they hem and haw and you don't get legit and respectful answers to those valid questions, they're likely on a fishing expedition.
In the past couple of months I have had several phone interviews with companies out of state. One company seems to be very interested in me and asked me when I would be in town to go talk to the owners and to show me around their office. They will not be paying for me to go out and interview with them. The flight would cost me $300. I will be staying with family, so no other costs. Has anyone ever landed a job where they paid for the flight, or would this be a waste of time?
It seems like a small shop when you say "talk to the owners... to show me around the office." You could be setting yourself up to meet with some cheapskates since they know you are out of state (right?) Or did you use your family's address?
I've done it. But, I used frequent flier miles. I still had to pay some misc expenses, including a car rental. But part of me just liked it because I got a reason to explore another city.
In your case, you have family at the destination so it's a bit different.
You should request skype or video conference interview. After completion of that, if they are still interested, they can start a background check process. You'll know if they are serious if they start that since background check verification costs them money.
It seems like a small shop when you say "talk to the owners... to show me around the office." You could be setting yourself up to meet with some cheapskates since they know you are out of state (right?) Or did you use your family's address?
You should request skype or video conference interview. After completion of that, if they are still interested, they can start a background check process. You'll know if they are serious if they start that since background check verification costs them money.
Agree, try skype first. Out of 4, only 1 denied me a skype interview and they were unprofessional in other ways.
How much you want the job; how much you are willing to move to the new town; how likely you feel going in that the new company will offer you a job.
So, you turn the tables in your favor and use the leverage which they are giving you:
"I am very interested in your company, and very interested in the position; HOWEVER, if I am going to come out there, I want to make sure we fully use the time; THEREFORE, will you set up a full day of interviews with everyone in the hiring process, and perhaps have someone show me around the area?"
This puts some pressure on them, let's them know you are serious, and PERHAPS moves them along to divulge that they are SERIOUS about your candidacy. In a best case scenario they will acknowledge that they are ready to hire you, and the visit is just a formality.
Bottom Line: If you are going to pay for this out of your pocket, get your money's worth.
I think that's great advice. OP, before you decide whether or not to go, find out what kind of interview it will be, how many people will be there, whether or not you can get all the interviews done in one day, etc. In other words, make sure it's not going to be a really short interview, and that it's not just the first part in a series of interviews that could be a week or more separated from one another. If it's a really short interview, and you couldn't even speak with everyone you need to interview with, then it's a total waste of your time and money. However, if they're really planning for your visit - meaning they'll make sure everyone is there who needs to be there, they plan on multiple interviews that day, they plan on showing you around the offices, etc., then it shows that they're pretty serious about this.
I understand a company not paying to have someone fly in for an interview. Times have changed, and companies aren't throwing a lot of money around. I work at a company that used to pay to fly people in, and they got burned a number of times (people used some of their time here to interview at other companies, or they took the job here, only to leave within a couple months as soon as they found a different job). Companies are more cautious these days about paying money out for those kinds of things.
I've never had to fly out for an interview where the company didn't take care of my travel - usually it has been typical for them to buy the plane ticket and pay for hotels or transportation costs directly without me having to go through a reimbursement process. But I guess that depends on the type of company and type of position.
I would not even consider paying for my own plane ticket for a job interview. If they can't spring for a $300 plane ticket to find the right candidate, what else are they going to cheap out on? Even if they bring in the top 3-5 candidates, that is a drop in the bucket compared to what I would expect in terms of salary. So a company that wanted me to pay for my own interview travel and/or relocation would be a red flag to me. However, there are few engineering jobs that do not offer relocation, because the competition for engineers is high and finding someone with directly related experience is usually quite difficult. It may be different if I were an admin assistant, or office manager, or had some other job that was more standard from company to company and they don't have to search high and low to find a competent, trained, experienced person. Of course, if you are in one of those fields, why can't you just find a job where you live and save yourself the hassle of moving?
Of course, if you are in one of those fields, why can't you just find a job where you live and save yourself the hassle of moving?
Plenty of people decide to move for various reasons that have nothing to do with finding a job. The job part is secondary. And if you find yourself in that position your choices may very well be either foot the bill before you move to try and find a job or be forced to try and find it after you move.
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