Ask the expert: Is an interview in another city worth my while?

By MARIE WILSON

Q. I would like to ask you about protocol when looking for a job in another city.

My partner has recently been transferred to Auckland from Wellington. I am still working and residing in Wellington and looking for a job in Auckland. I have now been to four job interviews in Auckland.

As this is both stressful and expensive, I would like to ask you how I can screen potential job opportunities before arranging time off work and flying all the way up to Auckland.

I feel that I need to ask questions about salary and conditions, which one would not normally ask in the initial stages, to determine whether I am interested enough to travel to Auckland for an interview. I would also like to ascertain my chances, again to assess whether it is worth my while to travel to the interview.

A. Congratulations about having been successful to the interview stage, but I can understand your not wanting to waste resources in finding a job. You can always ask how many applicants are being interviewed, so you have a better idea of your odds.

I also agree that you should invest the time to find out as much as possible about the job before committing to an interview; there's nothing worse than finding out in the interview that this clearly isn't the job for you.

I wouldn't limit your questions to salary and conditions, I think you could do a quite thorough reverse interview about the job - asking the potential employer about the culture, expectations, career opportunities and working environment. This type of research would allow you to screen out unsuitable options and should increase your chances of being hired, as well.

I don't know what level of position you are applying for, but if it is a professional or managerial post, you could at least approach the potential employer about paying some or all of your airline ticket for the interview.

Alternatively, you might see if they could secure a better rate for the trip, and then provide a reimbursement. At a minimum it makes a potential employer aware of the investment you are making.

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Q. I have spent about three years in Japan teaching English but I feel now as if I am ready to make the move back home. I speak, read and write Japanese to a high level and can also speak Russian although other than that my base of skills is quite generic.

What sort of jobs would be available if I was to make the move back to New Zealand?

A. I think those "generic skills" at the base are still going to be quite important in securing employment, so it would be helpful to know what they are.

Certainly there are language teaching opportunities in New Zealand, but most require Esol qualifications.

Other uses of fluent language skills include translation services, tourism and tourism-related retail and working with businesses that are exporting or importing.

Each of these will require some other business-related skills to complement your language fluency.

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Q. I think I may have missed out on an interview for a job I was well suited to because I responded honestly in a job application which asked what my "salary expectation" was. Should I fudge this sort of question in the future so I can't be screened out on pay reasons, or be honest?

A. Personally, I always put "competitive" in that space, as I feel that this is a matter for negotiation if I am selected. You should, of course, check what the salary range is for a position before applying so that you're not in the position of having widely differing expectations from what the budget will support.

Employer's knowledge of the market is often updated when they fill a position and find that their preferred candidate is a bit more expensive than they expected.

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