How can I get to this interview?

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I’ve got a job interview in a different city in early December. I have no holiday left and the interview is on a work day. I go abroad the next day. I’ve considered ringing in sick but I’m worried work will think I’m trying to add another day to my holidays.

I’ve only been there a few months and don’t have a particularly close relationship with my boss. He’s friendly enough but I couldn’t confide the interview. Any ideas?

If you don’t want to lie, tell them about the interview. I’ve always done this and had no issues. If you’re more comfortable lying, ring in sick.

Can you come back a day early from holiday and change your holiday dates - so you take holiday a day earlier to go to interview, and then cut holiday short

I can’t change the flights but thanks for the suggestion.

How confident are you about the interview? If I was very confident I'd just ring in sick. I did it recently, knew I wouldn't be able to get the day off for an interview for a far better job so pulled a sickie, went to the interview and bagged the better job and a £4k salary increase. So that one sick day was worth it for me 🤷‍♀️

I’m still on probation so don’t want to tell them I’m looking elsewhere. That won’t end until January.

I think it’ll have to be ringing in sick but I think they’ll know I’m skiving but will think it’s because of my holiday. I suppose they can’t prove it.

I feel confident but they’ll obviously be interviewing others and one could be better than me.

Do you need the whole day off? Could you go in late / leave early and use the excuse of the dentist/doctors?

Can you say you have an appointment and log in remotely after the interview? Would depend on your job - DH could do this, I couldn’t.

Yeah, the city the interview is in is hours away.

I could log in remotely but will have to drive seven hours round journey so adding in the interview it’s going to take up the whole day.

Get up at 4am. Drive to interview city. Log in and work. Log off for interview. Log back in and complete your workday then drive home in the evening.

What times your interview? If it’s in the morning you could leave at 6am for example, interview at 10am, log in for work 11.30am after doctors excuse, drive home at 6pm after an early dinner.

Great idea, but where's she going to work? In her car? In the offices of the company she's interviewing for?

It’s at 1:30pm but I could try and find a hotel room or something that’s got wifi. That could work.

I’ve worked in my car many times!

I would need Wi-Fi, I’ve only got a work laptop. I could maybe pay for a hotel and get an early check in though. Or maybe a late check out.

Haven’t you got a personal mobile? Could you not hotspot? Or find a Tesco cafe or similar.

honestly I like this idea because I think it will help you relax before the interview, you don’t want to be travelling long distance right to an interview, you want to feel refreshed beforehand and in the best headspace.

not all work devices let you connect to hotspots or public WiFi, has to be secure WiFi only

You're over-thinking it, just call in sick. Even if they are suspicious, they won't be able to prove anything. But loads of people do really get sick over Christmas because of mixing with family from all over the place and being drunk and run down x

You could go to a cafe and use their WiFi or use your phone hotspot. You don’t need to book a hotel room. You could also use a hotel lobby

Definitely couldn’t work from a cafe. Too many confidential conversations involved. I do have a phone but not one that would reliably keep me working.

Will your boss not be asked for a reference, so they’d know about your application anyway?

I had considered travelling the night before anyway because I adore the city but decided it was an unnecessary extravagance given my holiday the next day.

Chances are if it is a city there will be a library with WiFi that you can work from. Depending on the nature of your job, can you pre-do some work say the night before that you can hold back and send shortly after the interview so that there's no obvious big gap in working?