New job... Already scheduled vacation

[Count Zero]

If I were a boss I would deny anyone time off they had already planned and didn't tell me about during interviews / when accepting the position.

But since it's a gov't job they probably have specific guidelines for how to handle that sitch.

Everyone in here seems to be pretty confident it won't be a problem, so I wouldn't worry.

I am curious why you didn't bring it up earlier tho.

 

[cartizel]

DM me, I'll give you my detail and get them tickets changed asap.

I wouldn't want you to make a shitty first impression.

 

[cartizel]

If I were a boss I would deny anyone time off they had already planned and didn't tell me about during interviews / when accepting the position.

But since it's a gov't job they probably have specific guidelines for how to handle that sitch.

Everyone in here seems to be pretty confident it won't be a problem, so I wouldn't worry.

I am curious why you didn't bring it up earlier tho.

My guess would be that you wouldn't want to give a prospective employer a shitty reason to go for another candidate just cos you've got holiday booked in Oct.

 

[Regular Joe]

Starting a new job in about a week.
Had vacation to Hawaii all booked in October.

Should I even bother asking to take it off? Would it look bad?

This is a government job.

Nope; it wouldn't look bad. That's just life. I was literally in the same position a few years ago. Got offered a gubment job started in December; had a Hawaiian vacay planned for January that was already booked and paid for. You just let them know before you sign the papers. If they want you, it won't be a problem.

 

[Jacob14]

Do government employees really do anything anyway?

 

[BPA00]

That is typically the type of thing you tell them during the hiring process.

 

[Thread]

Be funny if they let you go on your vacation and when you come back they fire you.

 

[phipps66]

If you request it at least 2 weeks in advance they'll need to have a compelling reason to deny it. Like they already have a bunch of people out that week or short time on a project or something. Since you're new and not trained it shouldn't be a big deal. Just tell them quick so they don't schedule training or something for that week.

Also LOL@ all the gov employee dissing. Some genuine hurt feelings up in hea'

 

[platfox]

Private company, I would tell them during the offer. A Gov't agency, I would tell them when the paperwork is done. I wouldn't tell either during the interview unless it came up in conversation.

 

[The Special One]

Tell them immediately. You prob should have fronted after you got the offer but not the end of the world. Unless you got hired on an emergency basis, its prob best that you are getting the trip out of the way early rather than later.

 

[platfox]

Starting a new job in about a week.
Had vacation to Hawaii all booked in October.

Should I even bother asking to take it off? Would it look bad?

This is a government job.

Another thing to keep in mind is how long is your probation period. It might be best to wait until after that period if you can delay your vacation. If it's just a 6 month probation period, I may wait. If it's a year, I would go.

It's just Hawaii. Not much difference going in October or the early next year.

 

[SherdogGoat]

You did the right thing by not telling them during the interview. Never give any additional reason to your potential employee which may negatively affect their decision to hire you. If there is another candidate on par with you, this little thing may become the biggest reason for them to prefer the other candidate over you.

You should, however, inform them as soon as you start working or get the offer letter. At the most they'll tell you No which is still better than not getting the job in the first place. At least at that point, the decision will be yours to make, regarding whether you still want to go ahead with the vacation or not.

 

[SherdogGoat]

I interview people quite a lot and one of our standard questions at the end is to check what vacation they have planned and it has absolutely no impact on whether or not they get the job.

I have also hired quite a few people and I think it's a great policy to check for people's vacation ahead of time but having no impact on whether somebody gets the job or not is highly dependent on the nature of the job. If for example, it's a tech company needing somebody well versed in a certain technology urgently for some important task , the vacation would be a very important factor in selecting a candidate.

 

[cmw43]

I have also hired quite a few people and I think it's a great policy to check for people's vacation ahead of time but having no impact on whether somebody gets the job or not is highly dependent on the nature of the job. If for example, it's a tech company needing somebody well versed in a certain technology urgently for some important task , the vacation would be a very important factor in selecting a candidate.

That's a very valid point!

I think for a govt job he should be fine though.

 

[SherdogGoat]

That's a very valid point!

I think for a govt job he should be fine though.

Yeah probably, but I was talking in terms of a general guideline for interviews. I learned the hard way that you shouldn't give anything extra to your potential employer that may harm your chances or anything that is unrelated to the job.

About 3 years back, I needed a new job badly and landed an interview at a great company. The interview went perfect and I could tell the interviewer was very impressed. I felt comfortable as the interviewer was quite friendly and we talked about a lot of things unrelated to the potential job. I was sure I'll land that job but after 2 weeks or so, I got an email stating that I wasn't selected. I was really bummed and quite pissed.

Anyway, after a few months I was talking to my cousin and that interview came up. As it turned out, that company was partially owned by his friend. So the next day, he told his friend my details and that I interviewed at his company and to find out the reason why I wasn't selected. Well, I wasn't selected because during my small talk with the interviewer I told him how dedicated I was to a personal project of mine and that I do not find a lot of free time for extra curricular activities because I usually work on my personal project in that free time. They thought I was too invested in my personal project and as they had some tight deadlines for that time, I wouldn't be able to dedicate extra time for them. Other than that, they were highly impressed with my experience and technical skills. I thought that was a really shitty reason to not give me a job as I would have totally been able to give them extra time when required and I needed that job badly. After that I decided to keep my mouth shut and only give out information that is necessary. Some of the things may seem very minute to us but the person taking the interview may very well make a big deal out of it. Sorry for the long story.

 

[cmw43]

Yeah probably, but I was talking in terms of a general guideline for interviews. I learned the hard way that you shouldn't give anything extra to your potential employer that may harm your chances or anything that is unrelated to the job.

About 3 years back, I needed a new job badly and landed an interview at a great company. The interview went perfect and I could tell the interviewer was very impressed. I felt comfortable as the interviewer was quite friendly and we talked about a lot of things unrelated to the potential job. I was sure I'll land that job but after 2 weeks or so, I got an email stating that I wasn't selected. I was really bummed and quite pissed.

Anyway, after a few months I was talking to my cousin and that interview came up. As it turned out, that company was partially owned by his friend. So the next day, he told his friend my details and that I interviewed at his company and to find out the reason why I wasn't selected. Well, I wasn't selected because during my small talk with the interviewer I told him how dedicated I was to a personal project of mine and that I do not find a lot of free time for extra curricular activities because I usually work on my personal project in that free time. They thought I was too invested in my personal project and as they had some tight deadlines for that time, I wouldn't be able to dedicate extra time for them. Other than that, they were highly impressed with my experience and technical skills. I thought that was a really shitty reason to not give me a job as I would have totally been able to give them extra time when required and I needed that job badly. After that I decided to keep my mouth shut and only give out information that is necessary. Some of the things may seem very minute to us but the person taking the interview may very well make a big deal out of it. Sorry for the long story.

No I read your story and I think that's good advice. I think I was a bit too blas

 

[Gregolian]

Just let them know up front.

 

[Cheese]

Vaction Time? Fukcing Piker.

Spoiler

 

[J0N0]

I'd tell them now rather than wait until you start. Just say you were excited about the job so forgot to mention it when you got the offer.. If people are planning their workloads and training for you around the assumption that you're going to be there then the sooner you tell them, the less likely to be pissed they will be.

Nothing annoys me more than my co-workers changing or taking holiday at the last minute. It's basically the most selfish/antisocial thing you can do if you work in an office, I'd strongly advise that you tell them before you start so they can plan accordingly.

 

[Count Zero]

My guess would be that you wouldn't want to give a prospective employer a shitty reason to go for another candidate just cos you've got holiday booked in Oct.

Yeah, I get that - but isn't this then balanced against the possibility they either don't grant you the time off for the vacation you've paid for and maybe see you as lazy and/or incompetent, or possibly fire you ?