How can I schedule interviews for other jobs without constantly faking sick?

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THE QUESTION

I’m in the midst of applying for a new job but am stumbling upon a hurdle when it comes to scheduling interviews. Most of them are happening during business hours but I am required to be in person at the office five days a week. My company has a policy that we have to give two months’ notice to request time off, aside from emergencies. While I could fake a sick day every now and again, it seems dishonest and unmanageable for rounds of interviews with multiple companies. How can I make this work?

THE FIRST ANSWER

Nora Jenkins Townson, founder and principal, Bright + Early, Toronto

You’re right not to rely on sick days too much. You might get away with one or two, but doing it across several companies and rounds will wear you down and your manager will probably notice. With some planning, you can handle this.

First, check what the policy actually covers. Two months’ notice is unusual in my experience – most workplaces I see ask for two to four weeks. Some industries have good reasons to need tight scheduling (healthcare, retail and shift work, for example), and I don’t know yours. Still, many policies such as this one are meant for longer vacations, not a couple of hours off for an appointment. Ask your manager if there’s flexibility on this. You don’t need to say why.

Next, explore where you can fit in interviews around your work hours. Ask for a lunch-hour slot, or whether early rounds can happen over video so you can take a 30-minute call from a booked meeting room. If a company wants several conversations, ask whether they can fit them into one morning.

You can also plan around the rule. If the two-month notice really does apply to everything, give notice now and book a couple of vacation days about eight weeks out. If you get to final rounds (searching can often take longer than you think), you can offer a day you’ve already set aside.

Be picky. Regardless of the rule, interviewing at a million places is exhausting when you work full time. A quick call with the recruiter upfront about pay, flexibility and the role can save you three rounds with a company that wouldn’t have been a fit anyhow.

Some might say to ask for times before or after work, but I don’t love that advice; in my recruiting days, I often had candidates ask for off-hours interviews, which made me feel like they didn’t respect that I also had a life outside of work. That said, if a potential employer is demanding or totally inflexible, it tells you a lot about how they’ll treat your time once you work there.

THE SECOND ANSWER

Jennifer Houle, vice president of people operations, Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, Victoria

There’s nothing wrong with being upfront with recruiters about scheduling constraints. Tell them you’re currently employed and have limited flexibility during business hours. Realistically, though, you also need to be prepared to offer some flexibility. It’s much easier for a company to ask one candidate to find an hour during their workday than to coordinate an entire interview panel outside regular business hours.

If you can, avoid using sick days or vacation time for early-stage interviews, especially screening calls, which are typically short. Try to fit those into your lunch breaks. The further you get into an interview process, the more time it will likely require, so save your flexibility for when you need it.

Your employer’s two-month notice requirement complicates things, but I wouldn’t get too far ahead of yourself. It’s a tough job market and, without being too cynical, the odds that you’ll suddenly find yourself juggling unmanageable rounds of interviews with multiple companies are probably fairly low. If you make it to a longer interview that can’t be scheduled around work, that may be the time to use a sick or personal day.

You could also play the long game and book a few vacation days two months out, then try to steer future interviews onto those dates. Worst case, you’ve given yourself a day off.

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