New job and DVC vacation...Help!

[srberubenh]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post, but I am looking for people's opinions. My DW has been unemployed for over a year (stayed home with son after being laid off) and recently had a very good interview with a Fortune 100 company. She has a second interview next week with the big boss, but they already started a background check due to "heavy interest" according to the recruiter.

So we have a DVC vacation planned from January 9th - 21st (2 work weeks). The trip was planned far before she applied for this job. We may be getting ahead of ourselves but if she is offered the job, is it appropriate to request this time off as the vacation was already planned. Having the time unpaid would be fine. I just wanted to see what opinions you all may have. I would hate to cancel our first trip home as owners, but obviously it does not make sense to turn down the opportunity for a trip.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[manning]

In these times I would skip the vacation. Why start off on the wrong foot.

 

[bwvBound]

Thoughts:

• Vacation time is generally an accrued benefit -- and she'll be starting with a zero balance. Many employers will allow an employee to go 40 hours into the hole -- but I think 80 hours is rather uncommon.
• If the position is Full Time -- it may be difficult to get leave w/out pay. However, if the position is casual or part-time this may be easier to arrange.
• If the position offers "floating holidays" -- perhaps this could be combined with 40-hours negative vacation to cover the time?
• Perhaps the vacation could be reduced from two work weeks to one?
• FWIW, I started a new job in late Oct 2002 ... having a timeshare week booked in Hawaii for week of Thanksgiving. I told the employer about this trip during the interview/negotiation phase. Of course, it wasn't too surprising to them since I was also holding out for 6 weeks of vacation as part of my package. (Still surprised the admin when I submitted a stack of vacation requests on my first day on the job!)
• Defer start date until return from vacation?

My advice: bring up the vacation plans during the negotiations at the point when starting dates are discussed. If she is the right candidate -- the employer will work with the existing vacation plans.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

She should mention the planned vacation during the interview stage. She should also let the interviewer know that she is willing to reschedule the vacation if it will impact her chances of being offered a position.
I took my current job with a vacation planned, paid for and just a week away. I was up front with the interviewer (my current boss). Funny thing, she had a vacation planned right after mine, and it was a new store opening, so my absence would be no worse than hers.

 

[Daddio]

Done right, it will not hurt to mention the preplanned vacation (I would use the term "travel plans') as long as it is emphasised that the job is much more important to her than the travel plans.

Let us know how it works out.

David

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

Would mention it if job is offered. Then, she already has the job and no is the worst they can say to the vacation not the job offer.

 

[Figment2]

I agree about mentioning the vacation during the next interview. I can't tell you how many people we have hired who worked a couple of weeks and then left on vacation. It may or may not be paid depending on the position. When I first started at my job in Sept (10 years ago), I was given five days vacation for that year!

Cyn

 

[Sandisw]

I would also suggest that she mention it. I once went for a job interview when I already had my honeymoon scheduled. I knew I would not have vacation time by them and mentioned it because I needed to know if I should cancel and re-do it at another time.

The company was very understanding and said that I would just have to do it without pay but would authorize the leave.

There should be an opportunity for her to bring it up with the company, even if just to say, our family has already scheduled a travel and need to know what company policy is for new employess so that she knows whether or not to cancel.

Good luck on both counts!!!

 

[Inkmahm]

Thoughts:

• Vacation time is generally an accrued benefit -- and she'll be starting with a zero balance. Many employers will allow an employee to go 40 hours into the hole -- but I think 80 hours is rather uncommon.

• 
  
  This may apply to most employees but generally not to management level. I have never taken a job with less than 4 weeks vacation to start with in my first year, including my first job right out of college. Management employees rarely start with zero vacation accrued.
  
  I'd mention the vacation only after the company indicates they are interested in hiriring her.

 

[mguilford1]

I just went thru this same thing. I decided at the 2nd interview to tell them I had a 2 week vacation planned and that if I had to I would cut it back to one week. I got the Managers job and they told me to take the whole 2 weeks, but it would not be paid. Like my dad told me if they are decent people to work for they will understand. I guess if you desperately need the job you could tell them that you would cancel the trip.
Today was my first day on the job and I will have Feb 5-20 off.

 

[srberubenh]

Thanks for all of the comments so far! I have the same opinion as most of you. If she gets the offer, she can mention the pending vacation and see what type of accomodations can be made. Luckily, we are not in a position where she needs to take the job, but a Disney trip is probably not a good reason to decline the offer. Hopefully, some accomodation can be made and we will make the best of it. If she does not get it, the upside is that we won't have to worry about cancelling the vacation...maybe we will extend it to comfort our sorrow

 

[robertdangelo]

I would wait until an offer is made. Mentioning the vacation is kinda like "Countering the offer"... all part of negotiations. I'm sure they will work something out.
Good luck!
Bob

 

[bwvBound]

This may apply to most employees but generally not to management level. I have never taken a job with less than 4 weeks vacation to start with in my first year, including my first job right out of college. Management employees rarely start with zero vacation accrued.

Maybe I'm not saying this correctly. I was using accrual to describe the employee's balance of available vacation hours. If the offer includes 4 week of vacation each year, she'll earn (accrue) that time at 13.33 hours for each month of full-time service. At the end of 12 months, she might have 160 hours of vacation available -- but in her first month she had zero.

 

[crisi]

I'd do it when the offer was made. And I'd say "this isn't a deal breaker for me, but I have this vacation planned that has been in the works for a long time. I can cancel it if I need to." I think the chances are pretty good that the response will be "No - go. Have a great time."

She's lucky she isn't in the position to really need the job. If that were the case I'd quietly plan on cancelling the vacation without every talking to the company. In this economy, that would be safest.

Good luck to her.

 

[FigmentLady]

This actually just happened to me.
I interviewed for a job less than a month before a planned Disney trip.
I actually mentioned it in my interview and it was not a problem at all.
I have a full time job, and took the week off unpaid. In fact, I knew the interview had gone well when we spent more time talking about Disney during the interview than we did talking about me or the job.

I think as long as she is honest and up front with them and is willing to reschedule if need be, she may be fine. I would definitely mention it.

 

[Hopefully]

Thanks for all of the comments so far! I have the same opinion as most of you. If she gets the offer, she can mention the pending vacation and see what type of accomodations can be made. Luckily, we are not in a position where she needs to take the job, but a Disney trip is probably not a good reason to decline the offer. Hopefully, some accomodation can be made and we will make the best of it. If she does not get it, the upside is that we won't have to worry about cancelling the vacation...maybe we will extend it to comfort our sorrow

I too would mention it during the interview process, and before the offer is made. I think this is a pretty common occurence. I know we will honor pre-existing travel plans for new employees, but it is looked on much more favorably if mentioned during the interview process.
Good Luck

 

[rsimon]

I too would mention it during the interview process, and before the offer is made. I think this is a pretty common occurence. I know we will honor pre-existing travel plans for new employees, but it is looked on much more favorably if mentioned during the interview process.
Good Luck

I am not sure I would mention it during the interview process because it is not relevant and should not enter into their decision to make you an offer or not. I would definitely discuss it IF an offer is made and let them know you have a pre-planned / paid trip that you were planning and ask if that is okay even if the time is taken unpaid.

If the company retracts their offer at that point, I am not sure it would be the right company to work for. Meaning, they will expect you to be married to the company and 100% committed to them with no life. If they are willing to work with you and your plans, they are indicating they really care about their employees.

People should remember, the interview process is a two way street and you need to make sure the company is right for you as well. This is not an ideal way to start a new job, but it is a chance to see how they treat their employees.

I own a few businesses and have worked for a few and I have actually had to do this before. It is all about how you approach it and what type of company you are looking to work for.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

Ok, I haven't read any of the replies but....

I've been there, done that (looking for new job with a Disney vacation planned) and so has my brother. In my situation, I had a job (horrible job) and was looking for a new one. I had a very good interview with a place so, when they called me back, I let them know that I had a vacation planned for two months later and that it was ok if it was unpaid but I needed that one week off. I was hired, started June 16th, went on vacation that mid-August. They even paid me vacation time under the stipulation that if I left or was fired before my 6 month mark (company offered 1 week after 6 months, 2 weeks available every year thereafter), they'd take that week's pay back. I'm still here 4+ years later.

My brother's situation was that he was unemployed and looking for work for nearly 2 years. My mom and I took DB and his 3 kids to DW this past August. He finally got a job offer about 3 weeks before our trip. He just let them know about the vacation when they called to offer the job and they had no problem with him taking the week and a day or two without pay. He's been working there now just over 3 months.

 

[materise]

I hionk yo mention you have a vaction plannned but are willing to cancle it if it impacts the job offer. I bet you end up being able to take the vacation and come home to a great job too ! Good Luck

 

[Inkmahm]

Maybe I'm not saying this correctly. I was using accrual to describe the employee's balance of available vacation hours. If the offer includes 4 week of vacation each year, she'll earn (accrue) that time at 13.33 hours for each month of full-time service. At the end of 12 months, she might have 160 hours of vacation available -- but in her first month she had zero.

I got that. But what I"m saying is that vacation is most often granted immediately for management employees. As in when I start a new job, I have 4 weeks to use THAT year, not at the end of the year. I could use it all in the first month (although that wouldn't be practical...)