In late summer of 2020, I was faced with a dilemma.

Having been unemployed for nearly six months with zero prospects due to the pandemic, I finally landed interviews for store-level positions with two organizations.

They both wanted in-person interviews on the same day, but I was already booked to care for my then one-year-old son with special needs and needed to take him to a doctor’s appointment, which was also long overdue because of the pandemic.

One was willing and able to reschedule.

The other? Well, Here’s how they put it:

“The date is the date. If you can’t make that date work, you’re welcome to re-apply in a week or two.”

You can guess which interview I went to.

You can always re-apply for positions where the managers make it clear that you are seen as expendable before even meeting you. But managers who are willing to change their own schedule to simply open the door for the opportunity to meet you in person are always worthy of your presence.

Do not deny them that opportunity.