Dear Lifehacker, Lately I’ve been looking for work experience at a law firm. The one I’ve been very keen on recently got back to me to offer an interview, but on both days they suggested I already have prior commitments. How should I play this? Is it a bad first impression to ask for another day or should I fold on my other appointments and just accept one of their inconvenient interview slots? Thanks, Troubled Law Student
Picture by jo-h
Dear TLS,
The short answer: yes, you should change your other appointments. The long answer: you’re in a competitive field, and you want to make a good first impression. Your career in law (or just about anywhere else) is going to involve balancing conflicting priorities. If it seems you can’t manage that before you even get your foot in the door, the interviewers are likely to be biased against you from the start.
That’s especially the case as you’ve already been provided with two different alternatives. If you had been offered a single day and you had a truly unmoveable commitment — a university exam, a rare appointment with a medical specialist — it would be reasonable to explain that and ask if an alternative was possible. However, as you have choices, the onus really is on you to fit everything in.
That’s our take. If readers have a different view, please share it in the comments.
Cheers
Lifehacker
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