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Sorry to say, there is usually no way to know the answer with a high degree of accuracy before you actually start working there. A lot of this will depend on the specific manager you are working for. I wouldn't ask at the interview. I don't think there is a way to ask this that doesn't hurt your chances. Even if you do ask, they are going to give you a pretty standard answer rather than detail the individual situation.
Check out glassdoor or other sites that have reviews of the company and see if there are comments about worklife balance. Even better, if you know anyone that works there or has worked there, ask them. Also, find out if there are industry specific cycles. You can expect the workload to be heavier at those times. If the position is salaried, I would go with 50 hours a week, figure out what salary you want to shoot for and go from there.
if you ask that question, it will be a huge red flag.
usually you can kind of tell by looking around the office when you interview. if your interview is in the morning at 9am and the office still empty...they probably start late and don't work that hard. if your interview ends at 5:30 and the office is still full of action that looks like it's not ending...then it's a late working environment.
if your interview is in the middle of the day, you can also gauge at how fast people are walking, how much of a look of urgency is on their faces, etc.
i had an interview once where i showed up and there were folks milling around in the kitchen, a guy flirting with the receptionist, people generally looking bored...and the HR director that i met was telling me how the work environment is high paced, high stress, etc. and she asked what makes me think i can work in that type of harsh environment. i laughed in her face and said "let's take a look outside your office" and i told her "i've been in high paced environments before. i worked at startups for the past decade where if we don't meet our launch dates, the company is going to shut down. failure is not an option. i have stayed at work for days / weeks at a time to meet a deliverable. i know what a high pressure high paced environment is like. look out here...this is not one of them."
of course my pompous attitude probably didn't help but i did well in the other interviews anyway but they were really slow (wanted me to come back for the next round of interviews a few weeks later, etc.) and by then i already got another offer and accepted it.
I can't think of a way for this not to appear lazy, or at least like someone with a questionable work ethic. If it simply has to do with adjusting your salary requirements, that's something you can determine if and when you are interviewed. What's the standard number of hours/week for jobs in your field? Assume that and take it from there. Don't ask.
I don't understand why people are hesitant to ask this at the interview stage. You're interviewing a prospective employer as much as they're interviewing you as a candidate. I've worked in hiring and have always been asked the hours/compensation, and even negotiated pay at the interview stage for the right people. Alternatively, when on interviews myself, I always ask up front because I don't want surprises when I start a new position. Usually this information is offered beforehand or estimated in the job description, but if not, I ask towards the end of the interview. I would only consider it inappropriate to ask prior to applying or interviewing (they have no obligation to provide this information to you), or if phrased in a way that sounds like you are looking to do the minimum. Employers expect you to have questions about the position and what the expectations are, as most reasonable people will understand that you are looking for the full picture and probably have other offers or prospects to compare it against.
I don't understand why people are hesitant to ask this at the interview stage. You're interviewing a prospective employer as much as they're interviewing you as a candidate. I've worked in hiring and have always been asked the hours/compensation, and even negotiated pay at the interview stage for the right people. Alternatively, when on interviews myself, I always ask up front because I don't want surprises when I start a new position. Usually this information is offered beforehand or estimated in the job description, but if not, I ask towards the end of the interview. I would only consider it inappropriate to ask prior to applying or interviewing (they have no obligation to provide this information to you), or if phrased in a way that sounds like you are looking to do the minimum. Employers expect you to have questions about the position and what the expectations are, as most reasonable people will understand that you are looking for the full picture and probably have other offers or prospects to compare it against.
People should be hesitant to ask because, like asking about salary during the interview, it leaves an impression that you're more concerned with salary or having to work overtime than you are with landing the job.
Salaried employees who don't want to put in any hours beyond forty have an hourly mentality and would be happier getting a job that pays by the hour. I wouldn't hire anyone like that. People on my team seldom work o/t, but I'd rather hire someone with a 'whatever it takes' attitude.
I'm okay with working over 40 hours a week IF and only IF the salary is commensurate with the work. I'd work 50-60 hours a week for the right salary. I'm not going to be one of those suckers whose compensation isn't really much more than someone working at McDonald's or in retail when calculating what the equivalent hourly pay is.
I've read this forum for years out of curiosity. I've seen stories of how people who ask about work life balance or how many hours a week a job entails getting shot down. What can I do to learn from their mistakes?
I wrote a paragraph outlining some of my accomplishments to prove that I am not lazy, but I decided it won't be necessary as I don't expect to be flamed.
Is this something I can ask before an interview or even before applying? Ideally, I'd like to do research on my own on the company to get an idea, but this isn't always possible or accurate.
Basically, my salary expectations shift depending on how many hours a week the company wants.
You want to have your cake and eat it too.
You already said you won't work government jobs because the pay is too low. Well, guess which jobs are known for being consistent 35-40 hr/week jobs?
In the private sector and professional and consulting, you are expected to produce a certain amount of work. It's not like high school where you sit at your chair and wait for the clock.
That's one reason why people with more experience get paid more. They can get the same work done in a shorter amount of time.
That said, I am with you. I really do not want to work more than 40 hrs/week either. You/I should have entered service industry jobs. Healthcare/retail. You show up for work and your workload is provided for you. You leave when the last customer leaves. Essentially, you do not need to be a self started/motivated because your employer is doing it for you. Of course, those jobs are straight 40 hours, but it is often a difficult 40 hours.
There are well paying jobs where you only work a relaxing 40 hrs/week in the professional private sector. But they are either tenuous, or you need to be lucky to get them. You will notice that when somebody has one of these jobs, they will NEVER leave. People stay there for 10, 15, 20 years. And why would they leave? It's everybody's dream to have a chill job where you work a set 40 hours and get paid a nice wage.
Without sounding lazy you can say that you are only willing to work 40 hours a week.
On Job interviews, when people ask me if I willing to work overtime, I say "Sure, how are you going to pay for that ?" Verry simple. When they don't pay for overtime, that question gets followed up with a moment of silence.
You have a whole lawn of leaves to rake up. That's a tough task. Let's say it'll take you 6 hours to do it, working consistently, but not breaking your back, raking most significant patch of leaves off the grass.
You hire someone to do it for you. Are you going to give them six hours pay, and whatever gets done in six hours, gets done in six hours? Or are you going to pay them to accomplish the task?
The 40hrs/week thing is kind of a sham set up by modern society. In reality, a private employer is having you rake leaves off his lawn every week of every month of every year. If you spend six hours working and only have half the lawn done, you'll either get fired or keep your job and never advance (if you're lucky).
Of course, again, the way around this is to work for municipal/state/federal/universities. In this case, you are being paid to do a task with somebody else's money. Namely ... OUR tax money. So, nobody cares if you do a good job or do it in a timely manner.
your raking the leaves analogy is a good one. however, a few points as i have been both an employer and employee many times:
1) let's say that you expect it to take 6 hours to rake all of the leaves. if a guy starts and it takes 8 hours but the guy really works hard and soon it takes 6 hours and then 5 hours that guy usually gets rewarded. if a guy takes 6 hours at the start and never improves, that guy usually doesn't get rewarded as much.
2) if a guy is super fast and takes 3 hours and then goofs off for 3 hours, the employer is usually not happy with this guy. in my view, the guy should rake for 6 full hours and do 2x the amount of work. then this guy becomes a superstar.
3) many times the success criteria for a job is not a clear cut as finishing the raking of leaves but even in this context, one guy may say he's done but there are still some leaves here and there and another guy says he's done and it is immaculate. both might be considered "done" but quality does vary.
you can ask for a typical day but those are not always accurate. usually they start with getting coffee, reading email and news, working out, etc.
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