how can i prevent a prospective employer from contacting my current employer (applying, interview)

[tropolis]

here's the deal:

i work part time 30 hours a week. i love the job, i make good money and it covers all my expenses. i have unlimited flexibility, i can go in whenever i want, i can remote from home, etc.) normally i spend 25 hours a week at the office, remote the other 5. being a student i am in the perfect position with that job.

now i go to school and am finishing my associates this summer. after that i probably will be done or i will go to a 4 year and just go part time.

applied for this job i saw online, got an interview next week. its a 3-11 4 days a week job, making 12 an hour. its not what im making with my part time work, not close, but it fills a need i want, which is extreme saving. right now i save 400 a month with where im at. with this job all going to savings, that would be another 1250, netting 1650 a month going straight to the bank.

the problem is i dont want this employer to contact my current one. i dont want my current employer to think i might want out, etc.

also afraid of this prospective employer thinking i cant handle all the work because of other obligations.

whats the best way of going about this, and prevent them calling my current employer.

thanks.

[kodaka]

First of all, you need to remember that most job applicants don't want their current employer contacted. All of your particulars about shift work and savings are really extraneous to this issue. Most people don't want their employer contacted, and most hiring managers know this, and therefore won't do it. This is pretty routine.

For this job, you might want to mention in your interview that your current employer doesn't know you are looking, which will signal to them that they should not be contacted. In the future, you may want to change the name of your current employer on your resume to "Confidential Widget Manufacturing Company" (or whatever). This lets the recipient know that there are job security issues at play, while at the same time reiterating that the experience is relevant to the job to which you are applying.

You should also keep in mind, when you are interviewing with this other company, that it is not only your current employer that might have concerns about your ability to manage the demands of two jobs or whether or not your interest is long-term. This potential employer too is going to wonder if you will be reliable and whether or not you might just quit one day because you have another job to fall back on. So you might want to temper what you say in response to questions about your current work status and your availability.