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Now that lateral hiring has picked up, do y’all have any advice on how to get away to interview without getting canned from the job you currently have?

On the one hand I don’t want to tell my seniors (or the partners) that I have a doctor’s appointment for 2-3 hours 2-3 times a week, but I also don’t want to get screwed if they call and I’m not there/can’t come by their office right away (this is admittedly more of a problem with partners but still).

Would greatly appreciate any advice y’all have!!

Anonymous User wrote:Now that lateral hiring has picked up, do y’all have any advice on how to get away to interview without getting canned from the job you currently have?

On the one hand I don’t want to tell my seniors (or the partners) that I have a doctor’s appointment for 2-3 hours 2-3 times a week, but I also don’t want to get screwed if they call and I’m not there/can’t come by their office right away (this is admittedly more of a problem with partners but still).

Would greatly appreciate any advice y’all have!!

I was in a big office so it made it easier, but I just said I had meetings from like 11-2 or whatever and then went on my way to the interview. If you're not in a big law office and need a specific excuse, I am not sure it is that easy to pull it off multiple times in a week

Also interested in this. Particularly those looking to lateral to new markets. I'm planning on switching coasts so I'm slightly worried about how to pull this off if a 4-5 hour flight is in the mix as well.

Lie about doctors appointments, vague appointments or family emergencies.

Seriously.

I did one interview on a holiday when my previous firm was closed but my potential new firm was open (like Columbus Day). I also traveled to the new location and worked out of my firm's office in that location and took a long lunch to interview at the new firm (told my current firm I was visiting that city for an evening event with my friend).

Other things I've seen: stomach bug, partner has a stomach bug/other emergency and you're staying home to help/stuck in the ER, migraine, strep, pink eye, family event, wedding, doctor's appointment, dentist appointment, children's illness or doctor's appointment, vet appointment or pet emergency, car breaks down on the way back from lunch, etc. If you need to travel to the opposite coast, see if you can pair it with a weekend or even a three-day weekend so that you fly out on Thursday, interview Friday, "spend the weekend" there seeing your friend/family or otherwise vacationing, and you're back at your desk on Monday. If you're in the same city, lunch/coffee with a friend from law school or other innocuous business development contact is a great excuse. Whatever you choose, make it as consistent as you can with your actual location - if you are worried about running into someone in the airport, don't tell them you have a migraine and are working from home. Less detail is better, and if possible, stay as close to the truth as you can.

Nobody is going to can you for interviewing. If they already don't like you, they won't be motivated to prevent you from leaving of your own volition. If they like you, they might try to see if there's anything they can do to keep you around.

I told some partners I had a doctor's appointment, others just "an appointment". Told one of my seniors that I was going to be out of the office until noon one day without providing a reason. Nobody asked for details. People recognize the pattern of behavior that appears when someone is about to leave. This is par for the course in big law.

wet.ink.siggy wrote:Nobody is going to can you for interviewing.

don't listen to this. Plenty of places will can you if they find out you're interviewing. Even if you don't get fired, you'll find your work drying up pretty quickly, and you'll get counseled out at your next review

FND wrote:

wet.ink.siggy wrote:Nobody is going to can you for interviewing.

don't listen to this. Plenty of places will can you if they find out you're interviewing. Even if you don't get fired, you'll find your work drying up pretty quickly, and you'll get counseled out at your next review

I second this. Don't take the risk.