So I was issued a command by e-mail to contact a company to schedule an interview for a job. Actually, the job sounds fine, but the location is not where I want to be. What do I do? Ignore the e-mail, or explain that I don’t want to work at that particular location? I’m worried that it would sound snobby to say that, but might still be better than not replying and making it seem that I’m not interested in the company at all.
Thanks, this jobsearch stuff confuses me sometimes.
You should reply and be honest. Advise the sender of the email just what you expressed in your OP: the job sounds great but the location won’t work for you at this time. The company may have a position in a more desireable location.
Is the job in the wrong state or in the wrong part of town? If it’s the former, contact them and exlain that you have commitments that make relocating impossible but thank them for their interest and wish them well in their search.
If it’s on the wrong side of town, go to the interview. It may turn out to be such a great job that you are willing to drive. It may turn out to be a job that you can work at home two days a week and that you wouldn’t mind driving three days. It may turn out that what they need is someone on your side of town to open a new branch or something.
At the interview, be honest about your reservations :“I’m excited about the prospect of working with X, I think that X is a great company with a solid reputation and it would be a wonderful oppporunity. I am, however, a little concerned about the lengh of the commute, because 45 minutes each way would definitly impact my quality of life.” There’s nothing wrong with doing this, and they may have an idea that can help resolve the situation. Maybe they will offfer you the chance to telecommute or increase the salery to make it worth your while: maybe they will tell you that if you have any reservations at al you are an ungrateful fuck you should go take a flying leap out of a third story window. That’s unlikely to happen, but even if it does, your situation isn’t any different than it is now, except that you have had some more practice interviewing, which will help get you the perfect job next time.
Another viewpoint, if you need “practice” at interviewing, best that it be done while interviewing for a job you don’t want. Nothing says that you have to take a job if it’s offered to you, simply say “I’m considering other offers”.
-lv
My husband was contacted to interview for a job he wasn’t interested in. He was quite happy where he was. The job was at the wrong end of town and involved longer hours. Plus he was working for a buddy for his, and made pretty good money.
They ended up saying “we really want you, what will it take to get you on board?” He named a ridiculous figure…and they paid it.
He’s been there three years, and loves it. The hours are still lousy, but the commute has gotten better since he switched buildings. His buddy now works for the same company - although in a different department. And the old company - everyone got laid off.
Who’s commanding you to interview? That seems a little odd to start with.
Aside from that, I’d definitely go to the interview. Even if you’re not really interested in the job, it never hurts to find out more about an opportunity. And I think that being honest with them is the way to go - you wouldn’t want to find out that the company had misrepresented itself to you.
I’d go in and say something like, “You know, I’d never really considered this position because of [whatever problem you’d have with it, phrased in a nice, inoffensive way]. To be honest, I’m still a little hesitant, but I’d like to find out more about it.” Maybe it turns out to be exactly what you expected, but maybe it turns out to be a whole lot better.
I would say go to the interview. Find out everything you can about that place, practice your interview skills, hand them your resume and tell them that you are not interested. They will keep your resume on file for a few years and if, for some reason you change your mind, you can give them a call and renew contact. Keep your options open and never ignore an opportunity to practice talking in interviews. If you flub the interview, learn from it and dont worry about. You didnt want the job anyway, right?
Yeah. Nothing like a really short commute to mess up one’s life.
Manda JO, it’s in the wrong state. I guess I could take the advice of others and go anyway, to get practice interviewing since I suck at it anyway. It’s a 5-hr drive, though…
Dangerosa’s story sounds great, although I don’t think that’ll happen to me since I don’t have much experience. 
And yeah, you heard right, I was commanded to contact them. I am not so thrilled about the tone of the e-mail; my first reaction was that I wanted to tell them where to go–especially since at the end of the email they felt the need to point out that they don’t help with relocation costs or travel costs for the interview. Seemed really tacky to me.
I will think on it a bit more. Thanks for the input, all.