It’s summer time, which means your thoughts turn to vacation. If you’re new at a job, what are the rules about asking to take vacation time?
In a lot of jobs, you earn vacation time, which means that you can’t take a few days off until you’ve worked long enough to have earned time off. But some jobs grant you vacation on your first day of work. Can you take a vacation – and succeed on the new job – when you’ve only been there for a month?
To keep reading, click here: How to Ask for a Vacation When You’re New to a Job
If you have a pre-planned, pre-paid, vacation scheduled, I would mention that during the job interview itself, especially if it’s for a special event like a wedding, family reunion, etc.
I have two, recently-graduated friends that have been on the fence about looking for jobs because they have big, month-long trips planned in late summer. At first, they planned on starting their job search AFTER they came back because they were concerned that potential employers wouldn’t even bother with someone who’s going to go on vacation for a month after only 2 months on the job, but my advice was to start searching now, because you never know how long it’ll take to find a job. Plus, I think most hiring managers are willing to accommodate if they really like the candidate– one month is a long vacation, but it’s a small price to pay if they do good work for years to come.
That said, I’ve heard different opinions about the timing of when to mention these trips: earlier in the interview, or until the offer is on the table. I think Suzanne’s advice is probably the best, since I doubt hiring managers will rescind an offer based on your prior vacation plans– but it may certainly irk them that you waited this long to tell them. That said, mentioning it earlier in the interview might hurt your chances at getting the offer in the first place.
Anyone else experience this? Thoughts?
I have always just mentioned once I have the offer, “I have vacation planned for X dates. I don’t mind taking it unpaid, but I do want to take that time. Would that be a problem?”
For one job, they paid me anyhow. For the other, they didn’t. I didn’t care so much about the money – I just wanted the time.
When I go the offer for CurrentJob I told boss that I had an already planned, 2-week vacation starting one week after the proposed hire date. We delayed my hire date 3 weeks – easy, peasy. And I got to tell everyone at the family reunion that I was currently unemployed, so I got lots of sympathy and free beers.
Ha, ha. Perfect. Sympathy and a new job!
I agree with Suzanne’s advice to notify the new employer of any vacation plans (set or potential) at time of offer. As a recruiter, when I’m extending an offer to candidates, I ask about potential start date and any upcoming vacation or travel plans that I can share with the hiring manager so they can plan onboarding appropriately.
I’d like to add something for the managers out there. If you tell someone it’s OK to take their preplanned vacation after they’re hired, mean it. Don’t tell them it’s OK, then make remarks after they return about never taking that much time off again, or don’t forget, you’re out of vacation time until next year, and especially don’t make remarks to other subordinates about your displeasure regarding new person’s vacation time. Either say it’s OK, and move on, or deny it. Don’t keep bringing it up.
Agree. One of my co-workers took three days off two weeks after starting LAST YEAR; and our manager still mentions it to her and in front of others.
When things go wrong it is because “we let you take that time off and now you’re behind” or something along the lines of “aren’t we generous – no one else would let a new person take so much time off when they have just started.”
What I find most interesting about this whole thing is that the manager has no idea how much like an idiot she sounds.
Oh my goodness. The manager does look like an idiot in that situation.
I had this situation with my current job. I was offered a position. During the negotiation phase, I let her know I was planning to get married in five weeks and I had already rescheduled it due to damage we had from hurricane Sandy. Sine it was a destination wedding in Hawaii, I already incurred quite an expense with rescheduling. It was decided that I would start my job after I was back from my wedding/honeymoon seven weeks later. We had mutually agreed that I would not be focused on the new job pre trip and it would not be fair to be at work for three weeks then be gone for two weeks. Even though I was desperately needed, they agreed to wait until after I was back. I got back from Hawaii on a Friday, and I started the job on Monday.
Communication is the key to success, so it is important to state your plans clearly before you sign the contract in order to avoid misunderstandings. However, it is mandatory to be diplomatic and instead of demanding time off before you even start working, you can ask if this is possible. You also need to acknowledge your responsibilities and adjust your summer plans accordingly.