Social contracts are hard - the job edition
Had an insanely interesting twitter conversation this afternoon with John Mark Walker and Byron Servies. We’re in the process of hiring a few people, and I’ve had some sub-optimal candidates so far. I have the nasty habit of tweeting some snarky thoughts after my phone screens. Today, I had a candidate tell me that he wants to work 20 hours/week max in front of a computer. When pressed on what else he wanted to do, he kept talking around the topic, saying “I’m 3* now, I can’t work 60 hours/week”. He was digging for all sorts of deep questions that actually just made me uncomfortable.
This rubs me the wrong way for many many many reasons, though not the one you’re thinking of. I hope this doesn’t piss off any potential VCs, but I don’t think we’re actually doing 60 hour weeks here. Keep in mind that 60 hours is 9am - 6pm 7 days week, or 9am - 9pm M-F. I’m probably doing about 9am - 6:30pm, plus odds and ends on the weekend right now, averaging 50 hours. I have NO doubt that there will be 60, 70 hour weeks or more when needed, but the goal is to keep that to a minimum for everyone.
What got me going with this guy was the message behind it. No one wants to work insane hours. We all get that. Work life balance is one of the hardest things we all face - and I don’t have kids yet, so I have no real idea of the challenges. I really don’t think we’ve hit on the right balance in our culture, and I freak out a bit whenever I think about the future trends that will just make this worse. All that said, saying you don’t want to work long hours is just totally counter productive. Yes, as Byron points out, there are still many many managers out there that confuse face time with productivity. But saying you don’t want to work 60 hours/week doesn’t get at that. Nor does it get to the work/life balance. It’s a negative statement, it’s what you don’t want to do.
My advice here, is to focus on the positive, outline what you do want, and test what you don’t.
Focus on the positive
Instead of saying what you don’t want to do, tell me how you’ve kicked ass in flexible environments in the past. Or how you’re excited to make the team so productive that no one ever needs to work miserable hours. Or about the time you managed to outperform some teammate 4:1 and finished in 10 hours what he did in a week. Telling me the negative just makes you a prima donna.
Outline what you want
It’s fine to tell me you’re concerned about work/life balance. Tell me you are looking for a job that respects your family, and allows you to spend the time you need with them. Tell me you love to travel, but that for now you’re looking for a job here locally. But remember, I’m trying to fill a job, so make sure it comes back to how it’s going to help me fill the position.
Test what you don’t want
Blah blah, after all the above, what you really want to know is will you be here till 10pm every day. Guess what, no matter what you ask, you’ll never know. I may lie. I may forget. Hell, I may say yes cause I think that’s macho, even though I go home every day @ 4:30 to catch my talkies. Just your asking makes me cautious and nervous about you. So don’t ask. If you’re about to commit 2000+ hours of your life to a company, how about taking a few extra hours to drive by the office during times you hope people are at home. See how many cars are in the lot. Email the hiring manager a thank you note at a strange time, and see how quickly you get a response.
Remember, at the end of the day, you always can say no. Use the interview to sell yourself, do your research independently. Trust, but verify.
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Great random trail through MyBlogLog got me here just when I needed to read this. I’m going through this process from the other side and so it’s neat to read about someone doing the hiring. I recently wrote a blog entry you might find interesting, called “Why Can’t Working Be More Like Dating?”. You might find it a bit whiny, come to think of it, but I certainly think work is changing and people are looking for more than just a paycheck these days. And after a particularly nervous day today involving an interview and the promise of another very soon, thanks for your advice: “Remember, at the end of the day, you can always say no.” I need to remember that. Good luck with your situation, I hope you find some great people!
James, thanks for the comment.
I actually think you’re right on the money. It is a bit crazy to pick a job based on 4 hours of talking to a few different people. I’m all for taking the “dating” approach. In the past for me, once I’ve managed to get the prospective company excited about me, I’ve turned it around and said point blank that now it’s my turn to interview them, and I’d like to come in a second or third time to make sure we’re a great fit. I’ve yet to have any pushback.
The more I think about your analogy, the more I like it. I would no more tell my first date that I expect her to cook and clean and be barefoot in the kitchen (joking honey!) than I would outline my exact demands in the first interview. Finesse, take some time, and make sure you’re right for each other.