Currently job hunting & received a call today from an agency asking if I am available for a interview. Problem is no holiday left so leaves little option than to pull a sickie or dentist.

How many folk here have done just that and did your colleagues suspect?
What other excuses have you used?

Have a feeling the good folk here may have cottoned on to me. Few calls on the mobile.

Family firm or massive corporate monolith?

Take 2 days to cover your tracks, even better if it’s a thurs/fri or a mon/tues, that gives you 4 days of being ‘sick’ when you include weekends. Maybe a nice concussion from a bump to the head. Self cert as well for the first 5 days.

Got any on going medical conditions? Nothing serious but asthma maybe, or an injury of some kind? If so, use that and say you need a checkup.

If not, just pull a sickie, the standard approach is the “been up all night vomiting and feel like crap, need a day to get myself back together”. Sorted.

You need these key phrases to be inserted into your excuse as you see fit:

“suspicious lukewarm prawn vindaloo”

“shitting through the eye of a needle at 30 paces”

No-one wants anymore details than that, and will avoid asking any further questions whatesoever.

Happy to help 8)

Yes, any mention of unpleasant bowel movements, and most people really don’t want to hear any more. 😀

Pulling a sickie is fraudulent though (if you were found out, you could be sacked, and have no job and no references!); can’t you take unpaid leave?

Cautionary tale from my first job, woman I worked with pulled a sickie for interview, made a good impression so they called her boss for a reference same day to get a startled response.

Didn’t get the job and got a telling off back at the old job.

I’d do it but I’m cautious about giving out any reference contacts until an offer is in place.

Sickies would look odd for me, had a few hosptial visits but not phoned in sick for years.

Never pulled a sickie in my working life.

Can you do time owed instead?

yeah take two days off to look real. Sure you can think of something to do on the 2nd day if the sun’s out and the trails are calling….

I pulled a sickie for an interview, I told my boss that my girlfriends shop had been burgled and she needed a hand to clear up the shop.
Went for the interview and then got a call that my dad was in hospital where he later died. Coincidentally I was a few miles away from the hospital rather than a couple of hours so was able to get there quickly.
On returning to work after my compassionate leave my boss asked how the shop was. Not a word about my Dad.
I left within days.
Do what’s right for you.

“on the toilet all night” is my favourite.

OK OK, I only had a midnight dump but…

Don’t forget to keep away from Social Media – there are eyes everywhere in this day and age!

For me unless your current job is so rubbish you don’t mind being shown the door, take it as unpaid leave. But give an unrelated reason for the sudden day off.

You need these key phrases to be inserted into your excuse as you see fit:

“suspicious lukewarm prawn vindaloo”

“shitting through the eye of a needle at 30 paces”

You missed the classic;

Both ends…..[dramatic pause]……sorry.

“Don’t forget to keep away from Social Media – there are eyes everywhere in this day and age!”

This can work in your favour, if the number of people announcing how terrible they feel/their imminent death on SM is anything to go by! 😆

Could the agency/new employer needs to be flexible with a 5:30pm interview?
Do you have a policy about interview time? Most organisations seem to have an ‘unpaid time’ policy – ours as long as it doesn’t impact delivery to customers.

CaptainFlashheart
You missed the classic;
Both ends…..[dramatic pause]……sorry.

Yeah, it’s a fine line though – you don’t want to get too comical or they’ll get suspicious, “fizzy gravy” is probably best avoided too 😆

Two words, boss…….
Brown
Rain.

I’d probably just tell them i was going for an interview as part of my CPD

I would get in touch with new company and explain to them that you don’t have any available leave to take, and you aren’t the sort to take random sick days, so could the interview be arranged to a time that won’t mean you have to let your current employer down.

Can’t see how that would hurt your chances of getting a job.

I would get in touch with new company and explain to them that you don’t have any available leave to take, and you aren’t the sort to take random sick days, so could the interview be arranged to a time that won’t mean you have to let your current employer down.

Can’t see how that would hurt your chances of getting a job.

I can. It might mean you don’t get interviewed (especially if they have lots of other interesting candidates).

Can’t see how that would hurt your chances of getting a job.

Recent experience suggests the interviewing company simply shrug and re-advertise the job, rather than ask a couple of folk to work a late day for an interview…

Trick there is ask for an early apointment.

7.30am

Thanks for the advice. Having spoken to the agency man, I enquired if the boss of the company would meet me at the end of his day? Waiting to hear but i explained i did not want to miss this opportunity or take a sickie for it.

The director of the company has looked at my linkedin profile, got to be a positive, so we’ll wait and see what happens next.

Having spoken to the agency man,

who’s now probably phoning your current boss, enquiring about filling an upcoming vacancy…

“I need to leave early today, I’ve got a job interview. I’ll make it back tomorrow” is what I’d say.

Failing that, “I need to leave early today for personal reasons.”

I pondered the same thing when I had an interview for my current job. In the end I decided to be honest with my previous employer and tell them i had a job interview and I’d have to pop out for an hour or so, they were fine with it and my conscience was clear.

Employers have to give you time for interviews so just ask if only option though I’d try to arrange it so I could make up the time later.

Employers have to give you time for interviews

unpaid time

Yes so no need to sacrifice your integrity – for those that care about such things.

Employers have to give you time for interviews so just ask if only option though I’d try to arrange it so I could make up the time later

No they don’t.

Employers have to give you time for interviews

I wish that was true, I’d be going for ‘interviews’ most Monday mornings and Friday afternoons if that was the case.

I pulled a sickie many years ago for an interview bit got spotted on the way back by the boss who I overtook……

That was an entertaining conversation the next day!

Employers have to give you time for interviews

Only if your being made redundant.

Recent experience suggests the interviewing company simply shrug and re-advertise the job, rather than ask a couple of folk to work a late day for an interview…

No great loss then – I wouldn’t want to work for people like that.

You and me both.

I do count myself lucky, though, that I’m currently able to make that choice. I don’t realise I’m born, in the grand scheme of things.

Quick update. No need to yank a sickie as I have an interview after work tomorrow evening. 🙂

Good news, got the job after Friday evenings interview. Just been told.

Super pleased.

Time now to escape from here.

double post