[passmaster16]

So I've been casually looking to see what new job opportunities might be out there. I went for an interview last week which I felt pretty good about in terms of the company's interest in me. However I was concerned when the manager conducting the interview made it a point to say that the job was not a 9-5 job and that some weeks I'd be working 40 hours while other weeks I might be working 50 or 60. Obviously the overtime issue is usually mentioned during an interview, and I expect that since projects do come up and work needs to get done off hours sometimes. I was surprised though that he seemed to go out of his way to make that point. I should preface this by saying that I work in the IT field so I expect a certain level of overtime hours.

It just so happens that the person who formerly had this position had left to go to a company in which a friend of mine works. So to get some added information, I had her ask him what the work environment was like. He basically confirmed what the manager had told me and even went further to say that he was working overtime every day. This company does not pay overtime but does try to provide comp time. Even if they did pay, I personally am not interested in being a workaholic. I think that there is a distinction between putting in some extra time for a project or important task vs working overtime every day of the week. This is a technical position not a high end executive position.

Perhaps I'm off base with my thinking. Is work-life balance an important consideration to you? Have you ever had it come up in the course of looking for a new position? Since I'm working through a recruiter, I'll probably just thank him for his help with finding this position but explain to him that I'm not interested in something that is going to require extra hours on a consistent basis.

[wallinbl]

Yes. It is a large factor for me. Money really and truly isn't everything, although most people end up needing to learn this for themselves because it's difficult to believe.

My last job offered 35 paid days off per year and required you to take them (your manager would show up and say "you have 7 days of time off left and your anniversary date is next week. Don't come back until the 12th"). It was truly fantastic. We kept a schedule of who was out when because so many people in the office were out at any given time. I left because we decided that we wanted my wife to stay home after our first daughter was born, and so I needed to move to a job that would make up for the loss of her income. Looking back, it may have been better to cut expenses and work for a great company than to simply chase money.

[peeb]

Of course it's an important consideration - it seems like you have all the information you need to make this decision!

[passmaster16]

Thanks for the feedback. Would you think this is something that is "off-limits" in an interview? The reason I ask is that I decided not to dig too deeply into the topic of overtime. Since I had gotten the interview through a recruiter, I decided to wait until after the interview to see if he could get me more detail regarding the hours involved in the position. I figured this might be a more "politically correct" way to handle such a question. Besides, since the recruiter has worked with the manager before, I thought he might be able to offer some insight just in case the manager was simply overstating the work hours to cover himself (doubt this is the case now). I guess the bottom line is I don't want to come off looking or sounding like I'm a slacker and not interested in working. In fact, I'm the complete opposite, and often times I work over 40 hours at my current job. However my current situation is voluntary. There is no expectation that I give more than 40 even though there has never been a case where I was not available when necessary. I was just wondering what the best way to handle this in an interview situation.

[highstakes]

No, I think its proper to ask about overtime and how many days you get paid vacations.

[peeb]

This is entirely an appropriate question to ask at interview, or as a follow up.

[design219]

If my job required serious overtime, I would have to look for something else. I value family time and personal time too much. You are not off track thinking through what you really need out of a job.

[ort888]

HUGE CONSIDERATION.

I had to work crazy hours at my last job and I vowed to never do it again. Working 90+ hour weeks was the norm during our busy period, which was about 3-4 months a year. It really sucked and we were not compensated.

I'm not saying that I don't have a price. If my old boss called me and threw a dump truck of cash my way, I would go back... but I've grown to learn that my free time is very valuable.

[Kevin]

I only have to work O/T TWICE a year and it was for only a few weeks.

[JonoMarshall]

Overtime? What's that?

If you can find a job you love, spend less and don't get stressed (or work overtime) then you'll be doing all right.

I'm forced to have this attitude as I work in an industry that pays peanuts, hmpf.

[macroy]

Originally Posted by passmaster16 

..... I should preface this by saying that I work in the IT field so I expect a certain level of overtime hours.

I'm not sure that's any different from other professional positions. But one consideration you also need to have is how "relaxed" are they with the other way around? Meaning are they expecting to see you sitting at your desk a minimum of 40 hours / week? Or as long as your work is done, you get to come and go.

To answer your questions - work/life balance is a HUGE consideration. The best jobs I've had (and the only ones I'll take in this day and age) are the ones where you're assessed on your productivity, not time spend actually at WORK. And they don't always go hand in hand.

I'd ask about the ability to work from home, and even just ask how they view work life balances. Even in IT, that is very much possible (depending on the job of course)... I've been doing that for over 5 years.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by JonoMarshall 

Overtime? What's that?

If you can find a job you love, spend less and don't get stressed (or work overtime) then you'll be doing all right.

I'm forced to have this attitude as I work in an industry that pays peanuts, hmpf.

My job is easy. I design ads and logos for local and national companies, and put out 2 phone books a year. I get to wear what I want, come and go pretty much as I please, full health benefits, 401k, the works. On top of that the whole office is fully Mac based. I don't have to deal with the "public" and have my own office. I can wear whatever I want, and I am encouraged to do anything that would spark my creativity. (I brought a small acoustic guitar in I strum from time to time). My workplace is also about 6 minutes away from where I live.

Though two times a year, I am asked to work some over-time to make sure the two phonebooks we put out get to the printers on time. Whenever I am asked to, my Boss is there too. And so is most everyone else. It isn't one of those "Come in while I watch TV at home" type of thing. And he always treats us with good food. It's more of a "gathering" and a "party" than real O/T to me.

So I don't mind. Plus they pay me for time and a half for every hour I go over 40 per week.

The FIRST year I worked here was the first year the spec artist starting doing production ads. And the main office was WAAY behind.. I had more O/T hours on my check than I did regular hours .. but man the check was nice right before Xmas..

I don't mind working O/T when doing work I enjoy.

[peeb]

How about a four day week?
http://groovygreen.com/index.php?opt...=374&Itemid=57