The Harsh Reality. Some employers consider family responsibilities to be a negative and will quickly eliminate candidates that may potentially have work-life issues.  So unfortunately, bringing up personal issues and asking questions about work-life balance during the interview can be a red flag and result in elimination from being considered for the position.  It’s a risk that you take.  With so many applicants competing for so few positions, companies can easily use this as a reason to eliminate a candidate. That’s why it’s best to wait until you receive the offer to bring up your personal work-life balance issues.  Once you receive the offer, you can negotiate the flexibility that you need to fulfill your personal responsibilities.

Our Reality. Some of us have legitimate work-life balance needs that are non-negotiable.  For example, you may have a child that requires a 5pm pick-up, making it absolutely imperative that you leave the office by 4:30.  Additionally, you may need the ability to occasionally work from home.  If you know going into the interview that this is a non-negotiable issue and you don’t want to continue with the interviewing process if your work-life balance issues can’t be met, you can certainly ask for the standard work hours and if flexible working arrangements are encouraged.  The key is to avoid giving details about your personal situation or making work-life balance a focus of the interview – you should spend minimal time on the topic.  The employer doesn’t need to know that you have a young child or a sick parent that you care for – you can discuss the details once you get the offer.  Understand, however, that there’s always the possibility that questions about work-life issues could be interpreted negatively by the interviewer.


The Good News. Many companies pride themselves on their work life programs and communicate their commitment to work-life balance by including these policies on their websites and recruitment brochures.  And, many employers are more than happy to boast about the wonderful work-life balance programs that are offered. Conducting research before the interview to determine what work-life balance programs exists within the company is a great idea.  You may actually find that you don’t need to ask the questions because the answers have already been provided in the company’s materials. 

The purpose of the interview is to establish you as the preferred candidate and the focus should be on conveying the skills and value that you can bring to the organization.  You want to be remembered as the outstanding candidate that possessed excellent skills, not the one that was focused on work-life issues.