Ask HN: Phone interviews during work

The best way I have dealt with these in the past is to tell recruiters and companies that you can only do one date for phone interviews. That way you can plan 4-5 calls in one day.

Far from what recruiters and companies say if they are serious in hiring you they will respect this. They understand you have a job and that whilst you are working for them it is inappropriate for you to be on the phone. (Doing this is a good way to see if a company really wants you. If you are their ideal candidate they will wait for you to become free).

Failing that you can either arrange first thing in the morning or last thing in the work day. That way you can start a little early or later without causing too much hassle for the recruiter.

Failing that, you need to try and arrange on your lunch breaks (guessing you get an hour or so).

The recruiter & hiring manager will appreciate you have competing demands on your schedule. It's entirely acceptable to plan phone conversations/meetings before & after normal business hours, say 6:30am coffee or 6pm conference call.

When I drove to work, I would just go sit in my car. Quiet, discreet, and convenient.

In my experience, coffee shops and the like are too loud, and if they aren't you won't feel comfortable speaking in your "interview voice". If you have a coffee shop with outdoor seating, that can work.

I have done phone interviews literally walking about the neighborhood near my office. This has the added benefit that you supposedly speak with more confidence and authority when standing up and walking.

Are "coffee shops" any good? How can anybody answer that? They're fine if they're quiet and it isn't you that's being the d-bag.

If you bill for something that isn't work that's fraud, although a five minute call is a lot different from a full-on phone screen.

Go somewhere quiet, don't bill for it. Common sense.

Try to schedule them an hour before you typically start work or the earliest you can get out of the office for the day.

An early or late lunch might work as well.

If there are lots of private conference rooms around you might be able to grab one of those and take the call on your mobile and then work through lunch.

Good luck with your interviews.

I just ask them to call me in the evening. Its imho NOT OK to due it during your working day.

If they don't want to call you at the time you will be suggesting, then it's not a position worth going for.

I think a company like breather might have a use case here.