Jet lag + interview
 

Hello, I'll be flying back from Japan to the east coast USA on 12/17. Then I'll be starting a new job the Monday after 12/18, and have to wrap up some pending interviews as well. I have a technical onsite interview that should take about 3.5 hours, and currently scheduled it for that Wednesday night (12/20) from 5pm - 8:30pm. Is a two day gap a reasonable amount of time to undertake something like this or should I space it out more? I haven't flown international in a while so figured some here would have better insights on jet lag.

Thanks!

You appear to be much further along in your career than I was during my heavy interview days, but I was recruited by numerous investment banks shortly during my final year of university and stress/jetlag were a common part of the deal (e.g. 330a phone interview with Singapore, midnight video interview in SF with the Hong Office, and a single day trip to Tokyo). I suspect that much of this drill was to implant the that working for these companies as an analyst or associate was going to be hell. Ultimately, I ended up taking a job in Mountain View instead, which I quite liked and moved to Asia several years later in a slightly more senior position than analyst/associate. My Silicon Valley experience preceded the dot-com bust might not have been as glamourous or as lucrative as Asia, but the work environment was quite humane (i.e. long hours were counterbalanced lunches at the nearby driving range) and set me up nicely for future jobs in private equity.

Now that I'm older, it takes me about 3 days to recover from jet lag, and I take this into account for trips of any sort, but I'm not completely obstinate about this (i.e. flying over weekends is fine).

Thanks. It’s about 72 hours exactly from my arrival time on Sunday afternoon. Wish jet lag was more predictable.

Business class and nonstop flights certainly helps, but I'm still not keen on starting work related activities immediately upon arrival. As I previously mentioned, departing on Fridays or Saturdays helps, but even then, I prefer using Monday mornings to get caught up on my work before engaging in formal meetings.

If at all possible start the new job a couple to a few days after arriving on Sunday 12/17. Just give yourself some rest time. When I flew over an ocean I had a relaxing day for arrival and a relaxed morning with only “light” work for 2 days before starting 8-10 hour work days. For domestic events I also tried to have light work days after the flight which might have included a few hours of work (prep) on the day of the flight.

I suppose it's also relevant to point out the each of us deal with jetlag differently. By way of example, 6a arrivals at HKG or LHR, followed by a shower plus a day at the office are fine we many, but I prefer evening arrivals myself. Sure, I get less sleep on the plane, but the hotel bed is more comfortable. The calculus for leisure trips is different (e.g. showing up at USM before noon is fine)..