QUESTION: Is it possible to avoid detection at work when dressing up for a job interview?One idea is to suggest to the interviewer that the meeting be held offsite at a more casual location. Among my experiences:
ANSWER: Thanks. I'm still smiling at the visual images of your stories and your sunny resourcefulness.
- To keep an interview under wraps, I once had to change in my car while driving through a car wash.
- Another time I changed between cars in the furthest reaches of a parking garage, hoping no tourists would wander through.
- And then there was the interview for which I stashed a suit in the company gym because the meeting was in the same building. Fearing discovery, I took the stairwell down from the gym on the 52nd floor to the interview on the 16th.
- But my best interview was at a Panera Bread, where the interviewer and I wore shorts since it was a Saturday. Obviously, my skill set was in demand, because he was willing to meet me offsite in super-casual clothing.
ANSWER: Thanks. I'm still smiling at the visual images of your stories and your sunny resourcefulness.
How to keep your job search under the radar when you must dress better than usual for interviews and how to get time off for interviews are subjects that continue to puzzle many. Here are a few thoughts.
Dressing normally. Looking spruced up forinterviews now and then is a dead giveaway if you ordinarily come towork in casual attire. Either keep a change of clothing nearby andchange wherever you can, or start dressing better every day, commentingthat you've been thinking about your appearance and realize it's timefor a makeover. If stuck, you can say you're headed for a special eventright after work.
Scheduling. Whenever possible, take personal leave time for job interviews. Or try to arrange meetings after hours.If your own time isn't an option, at least schedule the meeting early in the morning or late in the afternoon.Creative excuses. Apparently, there's no end to imaginative excuses for sneaking out for job interviews.Back to earth. During normal work hours, anticipate interviewersasking where your current employer thinks you are. If you say, "At thedentist," the interviewer can't be blamed for assuming that if you lieto one employer, you'll lie to all employers.Caught. If your boss does find out you're interviewing and confronts you, but you're not ready to leave, be prepared with a response.You can say you were referred (OK, so you were self-referred)and merely wanted to find out what the interviewing company isoffering, but you love your job.Or you can explain that you are always in career-management mode and regularly check out your marketability.Finally, if your job has become intolerable, you can try tonegotiate a quid pro quo. In return for not being forced out beforeyou're ready to leave, you'll spend two days training your replacementon your own time, even if you have to return on a weekend to do so.When you don't stand and reason if your duplicity isdiscovered, your time-management problem may solve itself. You'll beable to schedule interviews full-time.Source: Tulsa World. Powered by Yellowbrix.
CONTRIBUTE TO THIS STORY
