The Next Episode

Edit:

The trip will not be happening, as I learned that this particular firm doesn't "reimburse costs associated with first-round interviews."

This strikes me as a ridiculous policy, not the least because it means that I, personally, am SOL. Think about the type of question that you face as someone considering spending ~500 bucks on a trip to a job interview. Under what conditions should you take the trip?

First, if you're exceedingly confident that you'll get a job offer, then you might do it. When you're sitting in your new office in the Big City making an embarrassing amount of money, that 500 bucks will be essentially trivial. However, to have that kind of confidence you need a way to infer that they're serious about hiring you; not picking up the tab is a strong signal to the contrary. Your confidence, in all likelihood, would be misplaced.

Second, if you just happen to be loaded, then you also don't care about the 500 bucks and you might as well go. Good for you.

Third, if you're desperate and not at all confident that you'll be getting offers from anywhere else, then you might go. The 500 bucks is a risk, but even if you're risk-avoidant (which most of us are, on average), that is still more attractive than being totally unemployed.

So, the first category of people won't be coming, and the second is probably not relevant since anyone in that category either has a great job already or is a card-carrying member of the Idle Rich. I'd propose that all this policy does is select for that third group. Lots of luck finding those diamonds in the rough, fellas!

(Ironically, this is for a place that specializes in "risk management." How can you manage risk and not understand incomplete information and signaling?)

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Original:

Crazily, the phone interview I had for the financial consulting job has turned into an offer for a real interview next week in New York. In the unlikely event that someone I know is reading this who will be in or around Times Square on Monday/Tuesday, and this person wants to drink some beer, say something.

I'll also be heading to Lansing tonight, to either see Ted Leo or get all up on Gov. Jennifer Granholm depending on the breaks.