A reader writes:
I currently have a job that is hybrid/remote, with emphasis on remote. I go into the office when needed, but that may be once every couple of weeks. I fell into this during Covid and I love it for so many reasons, from the lack of a commute to the vastly improved work-life balance. I don’t want to go back to office life. But I am job searching.
During the interview process, when should I raise the question of remote work or a hybrid schedule? Remote work is a deal-breaker for me, so part of me wants to broach it immediately so I’m not wasting their time or mine. On the other hand, maybe they would consider it for a candidate they really want and I won’t be that candidate unless I get to the end.
Does it depend if the ad mentions remote work as a possibility? What if it doesn’t?
Since it’s a deal-breaker for you, raise it early on, whether the ad mentions it or not — ideally in the phone screen if there is one, or in the first interview if there’s not. There’s no point in going through multiple interviews if they’re not open to remote work and you’re not open to the job otherwise.
There is a school of thought that, as you said in your letter, maybe by going through the interview process you could win them over so much that they would make an exception, and so therefore you should wait to ask about it until the end of the process when you’ve wowed them and they really want to hire you. I don’t recommend doing that for a couple of reasons:
First, there’s a decent chance they’ll just say no and you’ll have gone invested all that time for nothing. You might figure you’re willing to take that risk, but it’s likely to be pretty annoying to them that you didn’t bother to mention such a significant deal-breaker earlier. You might figure you don’t care about annoying them, which is your prerogative, but it could end up mattering if there’s ever another opening there you want in the future. Of course, if they’re still not remote, that may not matter.
Second, and probably more importantly, it’s not good for you to be the only remote person on a team, particularly if you start out remote (as opposed to working on-site for a while, becoming a known quantity, and then going remote). Too often, teams that make a lone exception aren’t set up to support remote employees very well, and it can be difficult to build relationships, get the information you need, and make your work visible, and you can suffer from “out of sight, out of mind” in a way that affects what opportunities you get … all of which ultimately harms you professionally. There’s also a higher risk that they’ll decide the arrangement isn’t working well and end it.
You’re better off landing in a company that’s set up for and supportive of remote work and, if they are, it’s going to be okay to ask about it early on.
