Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"How do you respond to "can you work weekends and nights?" If you honestly don't want to work weekends and nights?"
How about " respond honestly " to keep the anxiety and cognitive dissonance level normal between both parties which will reduce the mental and physical decay that results from not telling the truth.
The problem is that while it's no ideal for some people to work nights and weekends, it sure as hell beats being unemployed and worried about keeping food on the table and a roof above your head.
And yes, I've just recently LOST a job offer for the sole reason I said during the interview I was not keen on working 60+ hour weeks. They felt that working 60+ hour weeks was the company culture, thus I wouldn't fit in if I weren't 100% onboard with working myself to death. Luckily, I didn't need the job, but I've been near homelessness before and those 60 hour weeks wouldn't look so bad if I were back in that situation.
In short, your honesty should depend on how much you need the job. Don't need the job, be honest and look for the perfect fit for you. Desperate and need money just to get by, suck it up and do whatever it takes.
I prefer nights, I worked Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights, got paid a full 40 hours instead of the 36 I worked and I had the rest of the week off. The night diff was 15% and the weekend was 15%, made 30% more than the day shift people and worked 2 days fewer.
edit: I'm single and no kids so I can support myself without working around someone else's schedule of school. And I don't mind not "partying" on the weekends, I do that the entire week
It continues to amaze me how people select professions that require 24/7 support (law enforcement, nurses, IT, etc...) jobs and than don't want to work weekends, holidays, or nights.
Better to select a career field where you don't have to "pay your dues" to get a M-F, Weekends and holidays OFF type of job than to try to find a job that will fit your needs at entry level (and anyone being interviewed has no real seniority, at least not with that company.
Be honest, because they were with you when asking.
Thanks to modern technology and the prevalence of international business, there are very few jobs these days where people work strictly 9 to 5, M-F. I certainly wouldn't expect a call center to be one. Even bank tellers sometimes have to work at the bank branches that are in supermarkets or untraditional locations. Professional and executive jobs require attendance at night time events, travel at night or on weekends, participation in special projects that could last far into the night. I used to have to work at night to contact customers in Asia. Lots of people on the West Coast have to start work when markets open on the East Coast, which means starting work at daybreak. Also, if there are unpleasant hours at some jobs, those are automatically given to the new employees, unless people with experience want those hours for some reason.
The OP says a friend wants to know how to "respond" when ask if s/he is available to work nights and weekends. As many others have said, if the answer is absolutely "no," then they should say so and the interview can be brought to a quick close. If there are contingencies where the interviewee would consider it, then why not ask, "Could you explain the situations in which night and weekend work is needed? How often does the necessity arrive? What percentage of employees work those hours?"
But honestly, I can think of very few jobs the OP's friend could be applying for where s/he expected only to be working 9-to-5.
Anyone not willing to work nights and weekends needs to be honest about that. Why would anyone want a job that made them work a hated schedule? Just tell the truth.
To this shift worker, "nights" means 11p-7a or something like that. In an office world, it might mean what are "evenings" to me, that is, after 5p but not all night into the next day. The third shift, meaning overnight into the day, is physically brutal but has its own advantages. I am not sure what the OP meant by "nights."
Agree that clarification is needed if the job is salaried and the "extra" time (beyond 9-5-ish) is in addition to an already-40-hour week.
I would say be honest. I work in a hospital we are open 24/7, 365 days a year and I get so irritated by coworkers that do not want to do their share of weekends or holidays especially the ones that pull the but I have kids crap as you took a job knowing there would be weekends and holidays involved so quit whining and do what is required or find a job that does not have such requirements.
Just say yes, remember, everything is negotiable. The whole purpose of an interview is to get the job, not talk your way out of it
Sometimes they just ask to see how flexible you may be if needed. My dh was told he may be required to be on call. so far, he's been called 2x in 5 years, and one problem was handled over the phone. So, what if he had said NO, I don't work on call?
Remember, its YOUR job to get the job, not make it easy to filter you out!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
