Work and Visit plans are interfering!! Advice?

[Falcon90]

So I'm from the UK and my SO is in the USA. Up until a week ago, I was supposed to get a permanent job (in the financial services industry) from my internship. With that in mind, my SO and I planned a trip around Christmas time which my manager was totally cool with (we havent seen each other in over a year!). But things got complicated when my job offer got pushed back, possibly to even Sept 2015! I am looking for a job now but I'm worried because we already booked the 2 weeks holiday. I'm worried it will interfere with my capabilities of getting a job since I would have to let them know I'll need two weeks off in December! Has anyone been in similar situations? Just need some advice on what I should do.

[silvermoonfairy3]

Would you be getting a job in the UK, or the US?

I don't know how it works in the UK, sorry, but in the US if you get a job offer, you could tell them that you have something booked and work it into your offer to have that time off.* Most places are pretty accommodating about that sort of thing, but you need to tell them before officially accepting the offer. (But definitely wait until you have an offer, don't bring it up in an interview or whatever.) There are probably some places that will still say no, and at that point you can decide if that's a dealbreaker for the job, or if you try to get airfare credits, etc. and postpone the trip.


* When I took my current job I was super demanding, lol. I thought they were gonna tell me I was nuts. I got an offer to start at the end of July, and I was like so... I'd like to take this offer, but I do have some things to bring up. I need 3 days off in August for a family thing, and then I need a day off in September for my brother's wedding, and then I need 10 days off in mid-September because I already have a trip to Europe booked..

That said, at the time I didn't NEED this job, I already had one that I was willing to stay at, so if they'd said no, I would have turned down the job offer, not changed my plans. But if I'd been unemployed and really needing the money, and they said no to my days off, I would have altered my plans. (Except my brother's wedding, obviously.)

[Redheart14]

I agree with the post above. Each work place is different. Just be honest and upfront about it and see how they take it.

[GuineaPunk]

It's similar here in the UK to what silvermoonfairy has said, most decent employers are happy to take into account any pre-booked holiday. I would definitely make sure to bring it up before you accept the job though, I have known people who have immediately got their new employers backs up by walking into a new job and then bringing it up, 9/10 would rather know beforehand and it shows that you are upfront about things. Lots of people book holidays a good year in advance to make sure it is secured so it isn't entirely unexpected, some employers even prefer you to have your holiday sorted well in advance.

Equally some sectors do kind of wind down a bit during December, though equally others burst into live like a firework display. I have always worked in construction and/or manufacturing which is pretty quiet during December time, not sure how the financial services sector does at that time of year.

[Hollandia]

I've been the "employer". I don't mind it if the person is the one I want, it won't change my mind. The only exception to that is your days off are prime holiday days that others might have taken off. I am not going to tell my person with seniority that can't have off for date they already requested off for a new hire. Your trip at Christmas could be a problem if you are not willing to postpone till after the holidays. When you think about it, it is only fair. How would you feel about it, if you worked for someone for years and arranged your holiday at Christmas only to be told that you could not take it off because a new hire had already made plans and they wanted them more?

You can try but long and short of that is it depends on if anyone else wanted that time off in the new companies you be applying for, and my best bet is they probably will. I would try to push the trip to a time less common and you are more likely not to run into a problem.

[Unconditional]

It depends on where she's applying as well, because with the way we hire "seasonal staff" at my work, I'd probably be able to get the week of chirstmas off. Seeing as I'll be more seniority than all of the new hires, and the second highest seniority in my area (as soon as a few people leave this year.)
However, since it's not a big retail company, it's definetly different I agree with pretty much everyone above, I'd still go for it though, but let them know that you'd like those days off.

[silvermoonfairy3]

It depends on where she's applying as well.

Yeah, exactly. Hardly anyone at my work is in the office around Christmas, it wouldn't be a big concession for a new hire at all.

[Hollandia]

Yeah, exactly. Hardly anyone at my work is in the office around Christmas, it wouldn't be a big concession for a new hire at all.

For 2 weeks? Wow, must be a cultural difference. In US it is a huge Holiday and taking that much time off would be an issue in most places.

[silvermoonfairy3]

For 2 weeks? Wow, must be a cultural difference. In US it is a huge Holiday and taking that much time off would be an issue in most places.

I'm in the US.

I found that once I got out of retail and food service, people take a LOT of time off around Christmas. I've been at 3 different offices where people take off a few days before Christmas through a few days after New Year's. It's particularly common at offices where vacation time doesn't carry over and needs to be used in that year.

Business-world work tends to slow waaaaayyyy down from mid-December - early January around here, so it's an ideal time for people to take longer vacations.

[Hollandia]

I'm in the US.

I found that once I got out of retail and food service, people take a LOT of time off around Christmas. I've been at 3 different offices where people take off a few days before Christmas through a few days after New Year's. It's particularly common at offices where vacation time doesn't carry over and needs to be used in that year.

Business-world work tends to slow waaaaayyyy down from mid-December - early January around here, so it's an ideal time for people to take longer vacations.

Yes, it is, but not for two weeks and not for new hires. As a boss, I know that there are some skeleton spots that need to still be filled and the newbies are the ones that are going to have to do it. If you ask off for the day before Christmas I might be okay, if you ask off for the day after Christmas I might be okay, but don't ask off for the 2 weeks of Christmas through New Years or you are going to have a problem. I worked in corporate for years and mostly in auto that required the banks... they don't shut down for 2 weeks, they still have people working. The car business was retail when I was still an employee and I had to work most days of the holidays even with seniority and the banks were still functioning all days except for the federal holidays. This is the way it has always been. You might think it slowed down, but it does not come to a grinding halt, and someone has to carry that load. As a boss, in my book, it is going to be the new hires.

She said she was taking "two weeks off in December". so the big question is... what weeks? If you want the prime weeks off you are going to have a problem. I would not even ask, if it is "those two weeks" wrapped around Christmas and New Years, as a interviewer, that might very well make me take you off my top list. These are literally the most wanted time off in the year. If they are those two weeks, it would be almost offensive to have a potential candidate ask for off in advance. In my book, that is pushing it a bit.

[silvermoonfairy3]

Yes, it is, but not for two weeks and not for new hires. As a boss, I know that there are some skeleton spots that need to still be filled and the newbies are the ones that are going to have to do it. If you ask off for the day before Christmas I might be okay, if you ask off for the day after Christmas I might be okay, but don't ask off for the 2 weeks of Christmas through New Years or you are going to have a problem.

I'm just saying, it depends on the company.
I did it a few months after being hired. They had no issue with it.

it would be almost offensive to have a potential candidate ask for off in advance.

As I mentioned, you don't ask til you have an offer so they're pretty sure they want you and are willing to make some accommodations. Additionally, holiday time off is an extremely common request. I've been an interviewer and a hiring manager as well. It's easily one of the most common negotiations, and sometimes companies even throw it in as a perk if they know they can't offer a higher salary, etc.

[Hollandia]

I'm just saying, it depends on the company.
I did it a few months after being hired. They had no issue with it.




As I mentioned, you don't ask til you have an offer so they're pretty sure they want you and are willing to make some accommodations. Additionally, holiday time off is an extremely common request. I've been an interviewer and a hiring manager as well. It's easily one of the most common negotiations, and sometimes companies even throw it in as a perk if they know they can't offer a higher salary, etc.

If it was not mentioned in the interview and you were my new hire, you would never get that time off, but that is just me. Everywhere I have ever worked at, this is prime time of year. It would be a hard pill to swallow since most people want that time of year off. Yes, tell me you want off 2 weeks in February and I don't care, but prime holiday time goes to those that have worked there first. if you ask for it off during interview it would be a very bad idea, and if you want till hired don't assume it will be okay. I am just being blunt, most likely it won't be. I fought for three years to be able to take off the whole week of Christmas and had to ask it off in January.