CornMonkey

i'm working for a dotcom right now...but am definitely looking to find another job somewhere else in the future.

is there a proper protocol to setting up interviews while i'm still working at my current job? if possible, i would not like my current employer know i'm looking around...this means it's critical that my interviewers NOT call my boss for a reference.

do i just not bother putting in my current employment information during the application process? how do i go about finding a new job without my current boss knowing? thanks in advance.

ialsohaveadream

A lot of applications will ask if they can call your current job or contact your current supervisor. If not, you can state in the interview that you'd prefer they didn't contact your supervisor (there's generally no reason for them to call BEFORE an interview...calls are only made if they like you).

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dbax791

I dunno and I am interested in the responses.

Just a couple tidbits, I did do work for some Fortune 500 companies as a consultant, and due to confidentiality, I was not allowed to list their corp names. I listed the clients I worked for as "Telecom Manufacturer" or "Consumer Products - Home Entertainment" and never had a drill-down question as to who they were.

I do know that due to liability issues many companies will not discuss performance pro or con to other companies. But I do believe they do confirm employment periods if asked. Probably not an issue for a 1st interview but something to think about on a 2nd or 3rd.

ialsohaveadream

Yup. They aren't allowed to offer an opinion on your work, but they can say, "Yes, good ol' DBax worked here from April 1997 until June 2000."

Kevster

When I was interviewing at different companies about 6 years ago, I used my gym as a convenient place to change clothes and go to interviews during the day (on my lunch hour). It's that or I would tell my boss I have to go to a dentist's appointment, doctor, run an errand, etc. If the interview was a considerable disance away, I'd try to schedule it on a Monday or Friday and take the day off so that my employer saw it as me taking a 3-day weekend.

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I think over again
My small adventures, my fears.
The small ones that seemed so big,
For all the vital things I had to get and to reach.

And yet there is only one great thing, the only thing:

To live to see the great day that dawns,
And the light that fills the world.

-old Inuit song

Jeffbx

It's kind of difficult, esp. if you're working in a casual office & need to dress up for the interview. I used to drive the minivan on interview days & just change right in the parking garage just before the interview. I'd schedule it late in the afternoon & just take off early.

Be sure to tell the people you're interviewing with that you're still in your current position and not to contact your company. Everyone I've interviewed with understands this & no one has ever slipped up for me. They will also take this into consideration when scheduling an interview (I know I do this too if I'm lucky enough to be hiring someone), and ask if you'd like to meet early in the morning or after business hours.

If they *don't* do this, or don't seem to care about your current situation, I'd suggest that you consider whether you even want to interview with them. If they're bad to the prospective employees, just think of how it'll be if you actually work there.

Good luck!

dbax791

Fortunately they can't say that I seldom show up to work on time, if at all. Forward viruses to everbody, and don't practice good personal hygiene.

Kidding aside, I do know that my work does background checks and employment verification, but I think it is only after the offer is extended.

I have personally seen 2 folks canned after the fact. One was caught lying on her resume, and the other failed a drug test, but he worked here a week before the results came back.