how to have phone interviews while at work

baseball1988

i work in a technical support environment and we usually don't have official breaks. even lunch, we eat at our desk and pick up calls at the same time.

i can take maybe one or two short breaks (10 mins max). but most of the time, we work non stop and dont even take breaks. this month ill be applying for better job opportunities but i dont want to make it look suspicious that im having a couple phone interviews while im at work.

the problem is that i dont have official lunch hour or breaks at all to take phone interviews. it's become the "norm" that we work and eat at our desk due to short on staff and the company is taking advantage of us.

also, i dont want to bounce calls back and forth. ie) employer contacts me then leave VM. I call back during my mini break and can't reach them so i leave a VM. while i return to my desk, they call again, etc.

any advice?

mattlee09

baseball1988 wrote: »

i work in a technical support environment and we usually don't have official breaks. even lunch, we eat at our desk and pick up calls at the same time.

i can take maybe one or two short breaks (10 mins max). but most of the time, we work non stop and dont even take breaks. this month ill be applying for better job opportunities but i dont want to make it look suspicious that im having a couple phone interviews while im at work.

the problem is that i dont have official lunch hour or breaks at all to take phone interviews. it's become the "norm" that we work and eat at our desk due to short on staff and the company is taking advantage of us.

also, i dont want to bounce calls back and forth. ie) employer contacts me then leave VM. I call back during my mini break and can't reach them so i leave a VM. while i return to my desk, they call again, etc.

any advice?

Looks like they've got you backed into a corner. It's always your decision though.

I suppose you can step away and tell them it's a family emergency, or a bathroom break.

I'm afraid it looks 'cut-and-dry' to me, hopefully someone has something.

ramirer

Depending on how the initial call backs go try to set up all the phone interviews on the same date. This way you can call off sick and do a good amount of job interviews within one day.

baseball1988

Thanks for your advice.

I can take as many breaks as possible. But, I don't want to make things look suspicious and walk in/out of the dept. It has become the norm that everyone sits at their desk (including lunch / breaks).

I do have a few official days off during the week (1-2 day). In fact every week i have 1-2 days off since i work long hours during the weekend. A friend suggested not to put on the resume "the best time to contact me is on thurs/fri" because they might throw away my resume.

I'm open to listen for further advices.

Psoasman

What hours do you work? Perhaps, you can schedule the call before/after work. You could explain that you are being respectful of your current employer's time and that work has been busy and want to allow enough time for the interview.

Turgon

baseball1988 wrote: »

i work in a technical support environment and we usually don't have official breaks. even lunch, we eat at our desk and pick up calls at the same time.

i can take maybe one or two short breaks (10 mins max). but most of the time, we work non stop and dont even take breaks. this month ill be applying for better job opportunities but i dont want to make it look suspicious that im having a couple phone interviews while im at work.

the problem is that i dont have official lunch hour or breaks at all to take phone interviews. it's become the "norm" that we work and eat at our desk due to short on staff and the company is taking advantage of us.

also, i dont want to bounce calls back and forth. ie) employer contacts me then leave VM. I call back during my mini break and can't reach them so i leave a VM. while i return to my desk, they call again, etc.

any advice?

Tell the recruiters you can take calls in the evening. Professional recruiters can accomodate that. You need to concentrate on your working day 9 - 5.

Forsaken_GA

baseball1988 wrote: »

Thanks for your advice.

I can take as many breaks as possible. But, I don't want to make things look suspicious and walk in/out of the dept. It has become the norm that everyone sits at their desk (including lunch / breaks).

Unless it's a rule, who cares whether it's the 'norm' or not. Start doing it ahead of time to get all the weirdness out of it, and eventually they'll get used to it and no one will question it. If they ask you why, then just say that you need to get out of the room every once in awhile to recharge your batteries, and you want to eat in relative peace. Or say you're calling your significant other, and you don't want to bother the people around you with a personal call, nor do you want them overhearing your personal business. This will make anyone who sees you talking on the phone away from your desk think nothing of it. I tend to use my personal calls as an excuse to go out and smoke, but I wouldn't suggest taking up smoking as an excuse to make it look normal to be away from your desk.

Above all, don't buy into the herd mentality.

When I started wearing nice clothes into work on a regular basis, everyone kept asking if I was leaving, or who I was interviewing with. After I explained a million times that I decided I didn't have to dress like a lazy ass computer nerd, people got used to it. Now I get questions about my dress when I show up in jeans and t-shirt like the rest of them.

I'd also avoid being dishonest. Saying you're going to take a leak when you're going to take a call from an interviewer erodes your own moral character, and if you get caught taking the call when you're supposed to be in the john, you might have some uncomfortable explaining to do. It's one thing to condition people to believe something based on the drawing of their own conclusions. It's something else entirely to outright lie.