Proving you are committed to a potential employer?

[HondaRaceReady]

I'll keep it short. I had a phone interview last week. We established that I am willing to relocate 3000 miles on my money if I am hired (dream job). This must have thrown up a red flag. They specifically said they are looking for a long term employee and wanted re-assurance I wouldn't use them as a stepping stone. I froze up and said I wanted to stay there long term to build relationships with customers and the team. Thinking back, I'm sure it sounded ingenuine. Any ideas on how I could convince them I'm committed in my next interview?

[wilkin250r]

It's a valid point of concern, but it's an absolutely absurd question for them to actually ask. There is nothing you could possibly say that would prove your commitment. The words "I'm committed" are just as easy to say if they are false as they are when they're true.

I'm not sure how you should proceed, but that's probably the way I would proceed, I would volley the topic right back at them. I would have said "There is no combination of words I could string together to prove I am committed that I couldn't also string together in deceit. The only thing I have to offer as proof is that when I'm still with your company five years from now, my actions will have spoken for themselves."


I'm not sure that's how YOU should handle it, because I don't know the particulars of the job, what they're asking, ect ect. You're probably better off trying to find examples of what your goals are (not just stating your goals, but finding examples and situations to illustrate them), and discussing how this company and your long-term employment would help achieve them.

[300ex_#387]

Are they going to be putting any sort of money into you training wise?

With the company I got hired onto awhile back I had to sign a reembursement contract whenever i receive any training. It basically is a contract that if i quit within a certian period of time after they pay for these training trips I go on I am liable to repay that full amount.

Not sure what kind of work your getting into but this is the deal I had to make with this company to assure I would stay instead of leaving after receiving some extensive training.

[quad2xtreme]

Originally posted by HondaRaceReady
I'll keep it short. I had a phone interview last week. We established that I am willing to relocate 3000 miles on my money if I am hired (dream job). This must have thrown up a red flag. They specifically said they are looking for a long term employee and wanted re-assurance I wouldn't use them as a stepping stone. I froze up and said I wanted to stay there long term to build relationships with customers and the team. Thinking back, I'm sure it sounded ingenuine. Any ideas on how I could convince them I'm committed in my next interview?

Are you saying your being 3,000 miles from the job threw up the red flag? Didn't they realize that before setting up the interview?

[JOHNDOE83]

Based on the info you provided, this company is basically testing you. They will throw you curve ball's to see what your reaction is as a test for what youll say and act like when put in a situation that may make or break a contract based on your reaction. If it were that horrible, you would never have got the second interview that you stated was possibly coming soon.

In my opinion, it wasnt that your reply sounded ingenuine, It actually sounded like the reply of someone who was put on the spot and reply'd as honestly as possible with out being to "invasive" or "intrusive" as to why or what? The only problem I see is that it may have sounded like a planned answer and not strong enough for conversation with a high priority client or upper management.

Which is a good thing to a company that looks for employee's more then 2,999 miles away, I personally would have asked directly after my response about retirement plan's or 401k's and health insurance benefit's. That would slap them right back in the face and make them realize your looking for long term, they may be looking to train you for their benefit.

Next interview try to ask them about the long term benefit's, it will show long term on your behalf. Try to speak mono tone and slightly lower and maybe slower then your normal speaking voice, also try not to sound to willing to pack up and leave and pay for relocating. Keep that stuff quiet for now unless they bring it up, if they do they wanna see where your head's at, if your put on the spot and get fluster'd just respond right away with "Im not sure I understand, could you elaborate more on the specific's of the question" It will buy you sometime for a better prepared response and can easily flip the interview in your favor if done correctly.

If you get thrown of course or fluster'd by a question, just remember that's exactly what the question was designed to do and your response might continue or end the interview, so be ready and remember this. It's better to be "passive" on the question instead of being to eager to answer or to evasive about it.

If your worried about your reply to using them as a stepping stone, I would have said "look, Im willing to move and pay for it because of the oppurtunity to work here long term. I wouldnt pay and relocate 3,000m to leave after a few year's." Then follow it up with "Was my resume that good?...LOL. Im just not sure what made you ask me that"

But Im deffinetly not the best person for advice.

Good luck :D

[derekhonda]

I almost would have taken offense to the question. I think you did a good job of answering it, because my response would have been "If packing up and moving my life 3000 miles away doesn't prove I'm committed to the company, I'm really not sure what else I can do to prove it to you."

[quad2xtreme]

I tell every prospect we are looking for employees wanting a long-term commitment. It is just part of the speech. I don't get why you are correlating that you would move 3,000 miles to this. I bet you are reading too much into the conversation and they were moving to a new subject in the interview and you are trying to tie it altogether into one fluid progression.

[HondaRaceReady]

Thanks guys, you definately reassured me that I did better than I originally thought. They said they definately want another interview, we just haven't scheduled it yet. I'll keep you posted.