Calling in sick for job interview: excuses? (unemployed, money, business)

[charolastra00]

Stomach bug or food poisoning - and just plan to eat something bland for lunch tomorrow. No one will question and that sort of thing is often (hopefully!) a 24hr issue.

[AV8n]

Depends on how nosy your current manager is. Will a vague "personal issues to attend to" work, or will it invite deeper questions?

Obviously, if you do get a job offer and give your notice, they will figure out that at least one of your recent sick days was probably spent interviewing. On the other hand, interviewing somewhere else really is a "personal" thing, so you wouldn't be untruthful going that route.

[Koale]

Originally Posted by Mr.BadGuy

• bathroom flooded and need to wait for the plumber
• electricity went out
• car died
• crown on tooth broke, need emergency repair
• girl/boyfriend or spouse needs to go to the ER
• kidney stone
• child is sick

If you can take a half-day and make up the work later, even better.



I think it's sad how you get 24 hours' notice or less for an interview these days. In many cases, this happens months after you've applied or reached out to contacts at the company too. When I interviewed people at my last job I ALWAYS gave them the option of lunch or after-hours interviews. It's just courtesy since THEY are checking you out too. Hiring is never a one-way street. Not saying the OP can control that. S/he may have no leverage with the hiring manager.

but you wouldn't know it according to replies I recieved on another thread. It appears that, anymore, it's 'all about them'...they have the job, they are doing the hiring. There is such a mind-set of arrogance with employers anymore that it's really very sad because everyone looses. I agree with you completely, while I was a hiring manager I was considerate of my candidates as well. I always felt that if I wanted a 'true employee' and not one that was just out for a paycheck, I needed to put the first 'best foot forward'. I never kept anyone waiting for an interview. I was polite, courteous, and well mannered. You don't find this anymore. It's very sad because it seems to be the general state of mind in our country anymore.
Koale

[groar]

do you have to give a reason?

if you don't have a problem with excessive call-offs, "i can't come in to work today" should be acceptable to any reasonable manager. of course, you may not have a reasonable manager. and if your job search continues for any appreciable amount of time (and the odds are that it will), you WILL have excessive call-offs.

i honestly don't know what i would have done in my last job search - i was looking 500 miles away, so any in-person interview required a full day off. and i had a ton of them. but i was also lucky enough to have a manager who i could just tell about my job search and i just scheduled pto for interviews, or worked extra hours the rest of the week to make up for time i missed. i realize most people don't have that luxury.

[my name is mud.]

This thread is sad. You are asking what lie to tell.

You are an adult. If you are working somewhere that you cannot tell them you will be an hour late without lowering yourself to being a dishonest person, then just quit already. I swear that the Universe will fill that vacuum as long as your intention is pure. But it disgusts me how many people think this is par for the course and are giving you lies to tell.

[Perfect Stranger]

Originally Posted by tijlover

Nothing can be more disarming than humor. Try humor, it's a gamble, but you might win!

When one of my co-workers called in sick one night, making us short of staff, I asked her the next day what her excuse was. Migraine headache!

Humorously:

"Now that excuse is totally unacceptable to me! If you had said you had reached that stage of becoming so horny that you would have put your co-workers and patients at risk, excuse would have been acceptable!"

Oh Jesus, just as well I don't work for you. I'm not good at laughing at the boss's bad jokes.

[strawberrykiki]

Originally Posted by my name is mud.

This thread is sad. You are asking what lie to tell.

You are an adult. If you are working somewhere that you cannot tell them you will be an hour late without lowering yourself to being a dishonest person, then just quit already. I swear that the Universe will fill that vacuum as long as your intention is pure. But it disgusts me how many people think this is par for the course and are giving you lies to tell.

I don't approve of going around lying, but in this case a lie IS necessary. Should OP tell the truth to his boss that he's going on another job interview? What if the boss says okay then, just leave now since you're looking elsewhere? What if OP doesn't get the other job? Now he's unemployed. Most people don't tell their current employer when they're looking elsewhere. Everyone knows this.

I wouldn't miss a whole day of work for one interview - can't you just say you have an appointment and leave for the interview and then come back?

[Tekkie]

Try to set your interviews up around lunch time. That'll alleviate this issue most of the time.

Otherwise, just tell them you had to set up an appointment. If they continue to pry, you can use a variety of excuses. My car, dentist appt., doctor appt., pick someone up from the airport, etc.

FWIW, the last several interviews I've had were set up within a 24-48 hour window, so the short notice is becoming more common. One time they told me they wanted me to come in on Monday morning. They told me this on Friday afternoon at 4:50pm. Employers don't care about your commitments, only theirs.

[Tekkie]

Originally Posted by my name is mud.

This thread is sad. You are asking what lie to tell.

You are an adult. If you are working somewhere that you cannot tell them you will be an hour late without lowering yourself to being a dishonest person, then just quit already. I swear that the Universe will fill that vacuum as long as your intention is pure. But it disgusts me how many people think this is par for the course and are giving you lies to tell.

Don't hate the player, hate the game. Welcome to the Employment Situation 2013. OP would most likely be fired if his employer found out he was going to interview with another company. That's why the truth will not work in this case.

[my name is mud.]

Originally Posted by strawberrykiki

I don't approve of going around lying, but in this case a lie IS necessary. Should OP tell the truth to his boss that he's going on another job interview? What if the boss says okay then, just leave now since you're looking elsewhere? What if OP doesn't get the other job? Now he's unemployed. Most people don't tell their current employer when they're looking elsewhere. Everyone knows this.

I wouldn't miss a whole day of work for one interview - can't you just say you have an appointment and leave for the interview and then come back?

Why can't people make statements without lying? All they have to say is: "I won't be here until 11 am tomorrow morning."

That's it. You don't owe anyone personal info. This is not slavery.

As for your contention that the person would be unemployed, so what? It's not the end of the world and actually could be just the beginning. Obviously this poster doesn't want to work there anyhow.

You can't be fear-based in life. We are not here to work and then just die. We are here for a higher REASON!

The Illuminati set up this system where you have to work because you have to earn money. Before, people just lived, foraged, etc. Land was SHARED. The European Reptilians came here to muck things up but we can stop doing their bidding. When you live in the Flow, things come to you effortlessly. I may not have what a lot of people in America have materially, but at least I am not time-poor. I have what I need.