Invited to in-person interview during second week of new job… what would you do?
I recently accepted a biopharma research role and start in a few weeks. It’s a solid position with good pay/benefits (~$105k + 12% bonus and decent 401k match and RSUs), and I had pretty much mentally committed to staying there for a few years for financials to vest.
But today I unexpectedly heard back from another place I had applied to months ago (a very well-known research/government science institution) and they want me onsite for an interview.
The salary range for this second role could potentially be much higher than my new job’s comp ($122-155k range on JD), and the work sounds like an interesting opportunity to dabble in AI antibody engineering.
The issue is the timing. The interview would literally be my second week at the new job. I’ve never asked for time off immediately after starting somewhere and I’m worried it’ll make me look unreliable before I’ve even settled in. It also might not be the only in-person interview for the role in the near future.
I also feel guilty because the company hiring me has been very welcoming and if I did get this other job, I will be burning a bridge with this company & I wouldn’t be able to work there in the future if I left so quickly, right?
At the same time, it feels irresponsible to not explore a potentially huge opportunity just because the timing is awkward.
Has anyone dealt with this before? How did you handle asking for the day off? Did you regret taking (or skipping) the interview?