After a few phone screens, I was asked on a Wednesday to come in to Gulfport, Mississippi, on a Friday. Only a few days' notice. I explained that I was in Atlanta, and that coming in on that Friday would not only require me to take off work, but also cancel a significant family trip that I had planned for months. "Will I be provided a hotel room?" I asked. No. "Will I be provided a plane ticket?" I asked. No. "Will I be reimbursed for gas and/or mileage? I asked. No. I was able to persuade them to do a phone interview while I took a long lunch at work. The interview itself was good. But in the end, they hired someone within the company. Which, after looking into it, I have to admit they were an objectively better fit than I would have been. To Mississippi Power: In the future, just say that only local candidates will be considered. I'm no HR expert, but based on my understanding of the subject, geography would not be considered a legal form of discrimination.