Ask recruiter to reach out after a few months or interview?

Question

Hi everyone, I received an email from a recruiter at Meta requesting to setup an initial call with them, regarding software engineering roles. In a normal situation, I'd setup the call. However, my last 2 roles were both under 2 years in tenure. In the potential situation that I get laid off at Meta or find the wrong team, I'm scared that I'll look like a serial job hopper. The recruiter did mention that I could request to follow up after a few months if now is not a good time to consider opportunities. I'm not sure if this is as good as throwing away my consideration or if they do actually reach out after a few months. Any insight is much appreciated, thanks!

Alex Chiou · Accepted Answer

I wouldn't focus on the job hopper angle. Sometimes people just have bad luck, especially in this economy. And if you do get into Meta and are able to stay 1+ year, then the Meta name should cancel out most (if not all) of the short job stint downside.

Like Rahul mentioned, I would focus on preparedness. If you don't feel ready to do a Meta interview, then push it out. If you do, then go for it and best of luck! Meta is an incredible tech company to work for.

Tactically, you can try the best of both worlds if you need more time. Try asking your recruiter something like: "I really appreciate the consideration! I would love to work for Meta, but I need some time to get things in order and feel ready. Can we schedule our chat 1 month out?". And if the recruiter call goes well, you can continue to space out phone screen and onsite to give yourself even more time.

I highly recommend going through the entire thread as well: "How does the Meta interview work?"

Ask recruiter to reach out after a few months or interview?

Discussion