Avoid Getting Axed for Interviewing

15 January 2009

3 minute read

Should employees be fired for interviewing with another company? Sports pundits were buzzing last week when Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo fired head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski for interviewing with the New York Jets. While the practice might be a revelation in the sports world, DeFilippo's actions probably didn't surprise many in the private sector, where employees regularly risk termination if they're caught interviewing for another job.

In fact, some managers start recruiting for a successor if they happen to overhear an employee talking to a recruiter on the phone or spot an employee's resume posted online.

Considering the lack of job security and growth opportunities these days, it hardly seems fair to be let go simply for interviewing. But if you think you might be laid off or your compensation has changed for the worse, you may have to take the risk. If you do, follow these tips to keep your search a secret.

1. Don't change your attitude: Employees often disengage once they decide to look for another job. Leaving early, coming in late, or participating less during meetings are all tip offs to your boss that you've all but quit. Maintain your momentum and your regular behaviors, because it could be several months before you land a new gig.

2. Conduct search communications outside the office: Return phone calls outside the earshot of fellow employees, use your personal computer or PDA - not your company-owned hardware - for e-mail, and avoid using company accounts for job search activities. Adjust your lunch schedule so you can catch recruiters and hiring managers before or after their lunch break.

3. Interview at a neutral site: Don't assume that your co-workers will protect your secret, or that word won't get back to your boss through the inter-company grapevine. If possible, try to schedule interviews in a neutral site, like a hotel lobby, recruiter's office or restaurant, and don't confide details about your search to co-workers.

4. Use a confidential resume: Use a professional alias, instead of your name, and only list your city and state for your address. Don't list company names in your work history, just a business description, such as "Fortune 500 technology company," and don't supply your references until you receive an offer. Give the interviewer a paper copy of your resume containing your full contact information and detailed work history, so you can exercise as much control as possible over the information.

AUTHORLeslie Stevens-Huffman

Insider Comment

4 comments

De
Dean
22 January 2009
Nice! . . . but I agree with Alejandro.
I am caught in precisely the situation you describe, and to the nth degree. I'm employed and fully engaged - from 7AM to 7PM - I sit on a trading floor and have no privacy! I'm not in midtown and must engage in gymnastics to interview. The real headache is that I'm in a market-making business, and everyone where I work is calling about continually. The risks are very high!
Unfortunately it is very difficult to "mask" your data when you apply for jobs on line, with employers or with recruiters if you want to be taken seriously. Employers and recruiters look at you like you have four heads when you try that stunt. "You don't trust me?" Try saying "Well, no, I don't, but I need market access!"
Networking becomes a very difficult matter. I use the home PC e-mail, limit but still use my work e-mail (I forward to my home e-mail, delete them, and don't allow system backups), and engage in some phone networking from home. I must do some networking from the office, and so I walk out of the building to the loading docks when I head for the "facilities" and use my cell phone to make batches of calls. What else can you do?
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Al
Alejandro
22 January 2009
I don't think the advice about using a professional alias and "code names" for your past employers is a realistic one. It's already hard enough to get interviews using your real name and employment.
I seriously doubt that using "John H. Doe" and "CFO, Fortune 500 technology company" in your resume will get much credibility with a recruiter, much less the hiring company.
If only it were that easy...
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Jo
Jon Jacobs
22 January 2009
Yvonne, you are right about scheduling interviews: In my personal experience, it's extremely rare that an employer would be willing to interview a candidate anywhere except at their (the employer's) premises. The only situation I can think of where an employer would want to go that way is if the job is so senior (CEO, CFO, head of a major division) that the candidate would be recognized in a way that would spark rumors among the employer's own staff, the news media and/or Wall Street analysts who follow the company. More typically, the risk of being spotted and "outed" while interviewing is just one of many risks and sacrifices - such as completing unpaid assignments as part of a tryout - that candidates must grin and bear as part of the interview process. -- Jon Jacobs, eFinancialCareers News
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Yv
Yvonne
22 January 2009
Use a confidential resume. Good for someone with a lot ofd experience, what about some more junior position. It's hard to schedule interviews in a neutral site, like a hotel lobby, or restaurant.
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