I wasn’t told until my final interview that I’d need to work 80-hour weeks

A reader writes:

I just completed the fourth and final interview for a newly created role at my company. It’s within my current division but with a different team. The process has dragged on for about three months, but up until now it’s been entirely positive.

My first three interviews couldn’t have gone better. The hiring manager was supportive and communicative during a two-month lag, proactively informing me on where things stood in the process, and even sharing that I was on the shortlist of candidates. The hiring manager’s boss was also encouraging — instead of grilling me, he spent our interview helping me prep for my next interview. I have a strong sense that I’m the preferred candidate.

This role would be a stretch for me. I don’t possess every skill listed, but I’ve proven myself to be very capable, a fast learner, and have a very strong track record at my company. My first three interviewers seemed to recognize that and said they had no reservations about me as a candidate (a question I always ask at the end of each interview).

But my final interview — with the president/head of my division — really threw me off. The president emphasized how critical the role is and said that because I don’t yet have the full skillset, I’d likely need to work significantly extra hours for a couple years while learning the ropes. Then they said, “You may be expected to work 50, 60, or even 70- or 80-hour weeks at first. Do you see that being a problem?” I was shocked by the question and just said something to the effect of, “I believe in being a team player, I wouldn’t leave important work undone at the end of the day just because it was 5 pm and I’m willing to put in extra work as needed by the role and by the team, especially as I’m getting up to speed.”

This was the first time in the interview process that anyone had mentioned anything close to those kinds of hours. The hiring manager (who’s currently doing this work) is indeed overloaded, which is why the new position was created. But the broader culture at my company (a bank) is very balanced — people generally don’t work extended hours unless it’s end-of-quarter, and I never thought to ask about it based on my experience at the company and the hours I see my would-be colleagues putting in. The job description states the role’s schedule as 40 hours/week.

This final interview left a sour taste in my mouth, to the point where I’m questioning whether this is the right job for me. The president oversees a division of 120 people but doesn’t directly oversee this team and could be a bit removed from the day-to-day. So now I’m wondering: Was this a genuine heads-up? A test of my commitment? A scare tactic? Or just an out-of-touch leader mischaracterizing the role?

This is a mid-level management job, not investment banking or private equity. Of course I’d expect to put in extra hours and effort while I’m learning, but being told by the president that I could expect to put in as many as 70–80 hours a week for the first couple years feels extreme. I would not accept an offer if that was truly the expectation.

Any insights? Or thoughts on how I can best raise this with the hiring manager, should I receive an offer?

What the hell?!! Just casually tossing out of 80-hour weeks, which no one else had thought relevant to mention? And expecting you to work those hours for several years?

I do think there’s a very strong chance that the president is just wrong about this, if the job description lists it as a 40 hour/week job, no one else mentioned anything to the contrary, and you’ve seen with your own eyes that the rest of that team doesn’t work those hours. He might just be wildly out of touch with what the work entails and with what will be needed for you to get up to speed.

But you definitely can’t take the job without finding out for sure.

If you get an offer, talk to the hiring manager and say this: “I’m very interested in the job, but I wanted to check with you about something Ron said when I met with him. He said that he’d expect I’d need to work long hours for the first couple of years while learning the ropes, and specifically said I’d be expected to work 50-80-hour weeks at first. That was the first I’d heard of that and it wasn’t the sense I’d gotten previously, so I wanted to ask if that would indeed be the expectation.”

If she says that that’s not correct, you should say, “That was my sense as well! But I’m nervous about accepting if that’s what he’s envisioning. Is there a way to formally clarify the hours with him to ensure it won’t pop up later as an issue, before I accept?”

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