Right it might not have worked. It is SOOOO out of the norm that, at best, its going to overshadow everything else the OP brings to the table, and t worst, as I said, make them look like a real speshul snowflake. I wouldnt add a lecture, but they wouldnt get the job. By the day of the interview I was feeling much better but still had some mild congestion. I could understand the attitude if I was dripping snot everywhere and it was gross. Im talking about the people who criticised OP for taking sick leave; sorry for the confusion. Except then you risk not getting the job, simply for rescheduling. She said it was up to me if I felt up to it, coming in was fine. However, coming in with your own tissues and cough drops does kind of read that you are more powering through the cold than actually feeling better. Im not so sure that the hiring manager was on a power trip. Oh my god, I cant imagine cancelling an academic interview. But I was asking here because maybe general opinion considers strep as trivial as a cold. i had the women next to me at baby clinic telling the nurse that she thought her baby might have measles and could she look at this rash (in the uk you strip your baby down to a nappy to be weighed at baby clinic and she was about a foot away from me). People were criticizing her like mad. Courtesy should work both ways. T here was a time, not too long ago, when employers were in such a rush to hire workers that they were doing anything they could to make it easier for people to apply . annoying boss gave me such a hard time about it that i ended up coming in ill the following day to get a report out and collect my laptop. pocket just in case? Oh, for sure. Its universally very frowned upon if you called off for a mere cold. THIS!! I know that if I was interviewing someone who would not shake my hand, even out of abundance of caution, I would assume they are contagious and trying to soft peddle it. and then touching surfaces in the office. Am I an outlier on this is strep now regarded as no big deal? Aggressively washing ones hands before the interview and conscientiously making sure you dont touch your face during the interview, and bringing tissues to cover your nose/mouth if you sneeze, reduces the chances of getting other people sick, and doesnt normally carry the chance of being automatically rejected for not being able to interview soon enough. Should I keep a few tissues in my Many job hunters play hard-to-get and think that's an effective formula for . Expecting that everyone works jobs where they have copious paid sick leave they are always permitted to use without jeopardizing their jobs or ability to pay their bills is classist as hell. Totally agree. Yeah, I show up to work with a cold. And how do you expect people who dont have sick leave to stay home? TheThatcher, I think also a lot of people have worked in environments where they have been nervous wrecks to call in due to illness or have managers with martyr complexes that set a tone where they wont call in themselves so its kind of hard to give the benefit of the doubt to a company when so many are not that great in this regard. But I wouldnt send an obnoxious note about it either. I realize that there are a couple things at play here: I wasnt long term immunocompromised and I was a kid, but nevertheless I never once have thought wow, I should be upset at this other person who had absolutely no idea what my circumstances were and Im bewildered to see so many people here saying that everyone should stay in quarantine because they might meet someone who is immunocompromised or meet someone who sees someone who is immunocompromised. I agree. This. Her doctor had written a note prohibiting physical activity for several weeks but she didnt hand it to the nurse until after the Big Meet. Id be awfully nervous to propose pushing out an interview date even a week later, especially when Id likely be in the same condition at that point. Its adorable that you both think this is how employment works and Im sure its based in the fact that you work white collar roles at senior levels. And that usually means applying online. If I were to get a note like that after a rejection Id be super upset. What is proper behavior for a one-on-one meeting while one has a cold? Huh. Its not a matter of maturity. It was during my second round of symptoms that I came in to work, specifically to meet with a client that had been scheduled back when I thought I was fine. Cassidy Hutchinson claims Trump figures tried to influence her As another (immuno compromised) commenter pointed out, many dont. There are a few different options for how to approach an interview when you're sick. Apparently my preparation and precautions worked because I got the job and nobody caught my cold! Is it professional for interviewers to end a job interview midway if not happy with candidate? Exactly. How to Write a Cold Email for a Job | Anyleads If you're still actively in the middle of it hard, sneezing, coughing, difficultly talking/swallowing water, etc. Oh my god no. Its just part of life. I strongly disagree. People get sick. And in the UK, yes, mandatory statutory sick pay is a thing. I wouldnt automatically reject someone for it, but it could detract from my overall impression of a candidate. Thanks for updating us! Urgh. And, the employer is still really rude. Id bet theres zero employee support all round. (Probably unlikely, but I can just imagine a conversation with a coworker in the spring Sorry, OP, my allergies are terrible today! And these people make up a large segment of the workforce. The person who is probably most likely to infect you with a cold or flu virus is the person who is walking around feeling fine, unsuspecting. In the future, its best to attend the meeting anyway. This. I feel like if I looked horrible, could barely talk, or had something very contagious, rescheduling seemed like the best bet. I get the same thing, but Ive learned I can (mostly) force it out sooner by standing bent over at the waist so my head is upside for about 30 seconds, and then getting up. I also feel like working with a common cold is nothing too bad, I mean, if I was really, super sick I wouldnt come into work but some congestion isnt enough for me to burn through sick time! Hiring manager is on a power trip. This was kind of like a lose/lose because people either think: yuck, keep your germs OR what a wuss. Be friendly and relaxed (but still professional). Most employers do not pay sick leave; most employees cannot afford to go 4 weeks unpaid for a mild illness. She was understandably terrified that she might NOT have appendicitis, but since she did, she had not only shown her grit, but her diagnostic acumen. It doesnt really change the situation, but maybe it takes some of the sting from the rude jerks who cant be pleased explanation. I mean it is only a cold, which most people dont take time off for, and if they had a compromised immune system they could have sent you away. In fact, Im pretty sure Ive interviewed while I had a cold, too (although I also struggle with runny nose/watery eyes/cough on & off throughout the winter, so I cant always say for sure). Not the best interview of my life because I was kind of delirious and miserable. In the future, you could let them know you are under the weather but leave the choice to reschedule up to them: Ive caught a little cold that sounds worse than it is. Show that you're attentive by making eye contact with the interviewer, nodding and smiling as he or she describes situations or asks questions, and paraphrasing questions in your response. Workplaces such as ours take sick time seriously, because we see it as important for the health of everyone in the office. I would have done exactly what OP did come prepared with water, tissues, cough drops, hand sanitizer, and just mentioned something on the front end and touch as little as possible. Or does it sound weird like itll be the interviewers fault for not wanting to deal with someone elses germs? And if you felt fully functional and had gone to work, I probably also wouldve went to the interview if I felt up to it. update: how do I avoid mom energy with my younger employees? I think I used it maybe three times? Honestly, if theyre that concerned about catching the cold, they shouldve canceled the interview when the candidate showed up and done so without holding it against them. Instead, they thought it was a teachable moment. Ask me how *I* know! Nowdays it could cost you a keyboard or even an entire laptop, not just a page of notes. Cold calling is more efficient than writing cover letters. Honestly even just rejecting her immediately for coming in sick is over the top and bad hiring. High school football coach who lost job for praying on field after Yes, this. I had put my purse and water bottle down and when they went to shake my hand I said something like, Oh, Im just recovering from some cold/congestion and said something about apologizing if I sound off and if I cough a little. Id much rather have it contained and *not* in my face by coughing sniffling and breathing air around me without a mask. I think ONE reschedule wouldnt bother me too much, if they rescheduled quickly and accomplished within the next 2-3 days. Nothing felt off about the interview. Features of the platform include: A database of thousands of interview questions with tips . Be glad you are not working there. My undestanding is that colds are no longer contagious once full-blown symptoms have presented. Note that this is the kind of thing one says in ones head, not aloud. Didnt even bother to tell anyone- just called later to explain why. For this one I dont think the date analogy really works. More popular! I once had a similar experience except it was I hadnt changed my voice mail (so it was a generic reading of the phone number) and I received a snippy email inviting me for an interview but also saying I had created a hassle for the person who had to double check my resume to be sure the phone number was correct. The correct response is to engage the employer in a conversation. Thats my issue with it. It seems to me like most people in my office are somewhere along the spectrum of sickness most of the time, and if its a head-cold thats not too severe and OP felt well enough to proceed I wouldnt send this note about it. But for a huge, huge number of employers, cancelling an interview over a cold would read as drama queen and unprofessional. This is probably what I would have done blamed it on allergies, sanitized my hands vigorously, and used the best OTC medicine I could find to suppress my symptoms (coughing, runny nose). Coughing (even much more than would be indicated by needing water) doesnt indicate being contagious. Exactly. I get that can feel risky what if they say cant reschedule, or if they say theyll get back to you and never do? Blame the people with the power: the employers who enforce this behavior. I was a temp for several years before I got this job and I got lucky the one time I was sick badly enough to need to take time off, I was working for a very kind supervisor who was happy to fake my timesheet so that I could go home and rest without sacrificing several days worth of pay. Dont feel bad, LW I wouldnt have thought twice about it! I have to agree here. Nobody told me about this on the day of the interview, so I had no idea. No. Who is the Zhang with whom Hunter Biden allegedly made a deal? Someone who can guarantee that they will never, ever get sick or somehow prevented from coming in to work? I totally get why you went and their note was obnoxious but I think ideally youd have been able to reschedule. I dont leave the house without a pack of tissues. A mfg worker cut through the lab, as we all did, to his work area. This is life or death for a lot of people who dont have the luxury of imagining all the people it might effect, when theyre focused on putting food on the table next week or hanging onto the health insurance thats paying for their spouses cancer treatments. I agree. If money is tight and you have a family depending on your income, and that happens to you, how will you feel if one of the reasons why you didnt have enough leave was because you spent some of it on staying home when you had a cold? It sounds like you dodged a bullet, though. Im glad I dont work for you simply because Im not a mindreader. Seconding this! Much more satisfactory. I would have probably gone to the interview as well, simply because of all the experience Ive had with trying to reschedule an interview indicates that employers dont like it when you do that, and that it could be an automatic rejection that takes you out of consideration. What To Wear to a Job Interview in the Winter | Indeed.com I am immune compromised and I have two colleagues with immune issues related to medications they take. List of Indian films of 2023 - Wikipedia In confirming the interview details, you could say something like this office takes health concerns very seriously and wants to protect the health of everyone here. With an interview your viruses are a new batch so the risk to them is, or feels, higher. Even if they did have an issue with you coming in with the lingering effects of a cold, there are far less personal ways to share that information. Yes, I get colds (fewer over the last few months thanks to a lot of work on improving my immune system I have a long-term health condition which is probably at least partially auto-immune) but also allergies, and just generally you never know when you will need a tissue. If they had just rejected her immediately without the preachy passive aggressive note fine. This company expected mothers to feed their children in a toilet. The thing is, the LW would have had to know that (i.e. 1. He has worked with companies of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. But rejecting someone on the spot over this seems OTT. If you dont, youre told you dont care about your colleagues. I wouldnt be shocked for someone to interview if they had one. Its unusual to be so strict about illnesses and they cant read your mind. Colorado College Career Center is pleased to provide Big Interview, an online training system that combines expert training, and AI-based video practice (available 24/7) to prepare you for traditional and virtual interviews for all experience levels, dozens of industries, and graduate school admissions. OP was recovering from a cold, not the plague. Survival of the fittest, amirite?. Yes, its annoying to me to be around infectious people and Id rather not catch your cold if I can avoid it, but thats not enough reason to ask you to possibly place your job at risk for my personal comfort. Should you go to an interview with an active cold (or with accessories that make you appear to have an active cold)? Neither I nor the chair could dissuade her, and she started downplaying her symptoms to justify attending, so the chair gave up. Exactly. They really didnt have many interview spots available (or so, when they called to make one, they didnt give me many options). I'd simply call the interviewer and tell them "hey, I hate to do this, but can we re-schedule the interview, I'm really not feeling well and don't want to give the wrong impression nor make anyone sick.". But in my experience, if its just a cold, you need to downplay the symptoms and suck it up through the interview. I agree with this approach wholeheartedly. I always carry hand sanitizer and have a big bottle on my desk, but I try to both blow my nose and sanitize my hands discreetly. They didnt see the cough drops (I didnt use them) but they did see the tissues. I was horrified. But I dont think thats the world we live in. Does that mean with this employer Im never hire-worthy? What are the benefits of not using private military companies (PMCs) as China did. This however seems like inconsiderate behavior. I was well up into my 30s before I magically outgrew the colds from hell I would get at least a couple times a year. That being said, I find it interesting that they specifically mentioned someone recovering from cancer/compromised immune system. Any reasonable company/interviewer should gladly reschedule the interview for you; if not, from personal experience, I'd walk away. Heck, even if you have tons of sick leave at your disposal, your manager uses it against you. Not the way to arrive at an interview either cancel or fake it till you make it. Also you have a meeting that other day. Ha! It only takes a minute to sign up. If the interviewer has or cares for someone with a compromised immune system, wouldnt they cut the interview short instead of carrying on to be more exposed to the germs? But it sounds as though the OP was in the most contagious window of the cold2 to 4 days after onset of symptoms. The cough drops, eh, coughs sometimes linger for weeks, or the cough could just be an allergy. And waiting for a cold to be completely over well, that could be several days depending. I think this is where you give them the facts and let them decide. I have never seen anyone wearing one of these outside of a medical setting, its so far from the norm i doubt the interviewers would be able to remember anything else about you! I have a question about an interview experience that I was hoping you could share your thoughts on. The point is that this is NOT Japan, and people do not do that. And that is fair enough what do you do about making sure they know they can reschedule / skype in etc.? Thats not super typical, though, and they actively made it clear and didnt shame you for coming in, just occasionally sent you home or told you to work from home the next day. Could you tell me about yourself and describe your background in brief? If you pass that interview you will then do a group interview answering questions based on their core values. Like, Im literally trying not to scream in horror right now. Prepare to discuss your high school experience in an academic context. I got sick on 1/31 I still have some sniffles and a cough even though Ive felt fine otherwise for several days at this point. I would be horrified to be scolded for blowing my nose one time, and it wouldnt even occur to me to mention it upfront because to me its just a minor part of my life. I think their note as rather rude. You could wear it on public transport to the interview and in your daily life, but you are expected to take your mask off for important things like interacting with clients, and times when your voice needs to be heard clearly, like speaking on the phone. So then this way if they have a reason such as a need to protect family/neighbors then theyre given an early out to reschedule? I thought if I could go to work with this cold (which I did the day before and after), then I was okay to attend the interview. Part of the job of calling someone is making sure that you have the correct phone number. She didnt tell anyone else she thought she had strep, just that she was sitting away from me because I was afraid of her cold.. ..Say "it's nice to meet you (their name), I'm (your name). Decision about a potential candidate for the team who I knew had misbehaved once, Junior engineer initiating counselling sessions to offer unsolicited advice to senior employees. Most places I know dont reschedule. Mention your mutual connection. I have donned one to a networking event. Updated February 3, 2023 The outfit a professional wears to an interview can allow them to make a good first impression on the hiring manager. If your at the point in the sickness cycle where you are coughing and sneezing all over the place I would suggest you call the company and reschedule. I found out on my very first day of my new job that one of the interviewers had been sick, and thats where my holly, jolly Christmas by the toilet had come from. I dont know where you live but if a person showed up to interview with us wearing a mask theyd be remembered for being so bizarre and likely wouldnt get the job. She wasnt full blown. The thing about issues is thst each of us tend to see them through our own personal lens. I am not contagious however, so I would find it odd to have to perform complex procedures because someone, somewhere might have a problem with someone using tissues (and I also dont think I should have to explain my allergy problems to potential employers). Do you expect them to just say oh well, if I cant pay my rent or I get fired thats just the way it goes! Or do you just assume they dont exist? How does your office handle PTO/staffing to cover it, particularly in the winter months? But the reaction was a little much. 2 MONTHS of laryngitis last winter. But if it has only been a few days since onset, thats usually when colds are at their worst. Id say its the default culture in the U.S. to put the burden upon the one whos at risk, unfortunately. Thats how I worked my way through university (paid for it myself). (No ones ever called me maternal before, even as a sexist insult, so thats neat.) Take some day-quill or some other cold relief medication an hour or so before the interview ( assuming you are able to handle medication ) and you should be fine. Well, I have allergies so I end up having to blow my nose pretty often. If you thought you were okay, a simple hand wash before attending the interview could have given you some piece of mind. My kid was on chemo off and on for almost ten years, so I totally understand the need to keep away from actively sick/contagious people. This type of outreach can be sent through a variety of channels such as email, LinkedIn, Facebook and more. after all. for millennials here, the unplugging refers to the phone connector of the landline in the hospital room and plugging in the modem of the laptop. When you are inmunocompromised you are exposed to a lot of things by being in the office at all (germs in the office, in your commute, in your food, exhaustion). Its not a matter of wilful negligence, like refusing to vaccinate or going in with norovirus. No company is going to be fine with that, Im sorry. I have had norovirus and that stuff is no joke, and if anyone showed up at my office with it (or something similar) I would tell them to turn around and go home. But the nite suggests they are an unreasonable and read into actions inappropriately so thus probably would have read into OP calling in as not being dedicated enough. I would appreciate it if you did not put such words in my mouth. I woke up with a terrible cold, but was past the time I was allowed to cancel my appointment without penalty. There's no denying it: You've caught the flu. We were explicitly told to stay home if we were sick, because we had an open office plan. Ouch. . I think the tissues and cough drops werent good and if you cant get through the interview without them, then youre probably too sick. That being said, their rejection email was pretty callous. I figured you didnt set out the water etc on the table but kept them in your bag. Im lucky that my husband rarely gets sick because most of his office worked sick last winter. The OP made a choice to go into a workplace with the sniffles, like people are expected to do all the time, and the interviewer overreacted this really isnt that big of a deal. They were in a bag and nowhere does it say they had to blow their nose repeatedly. With an interview I think most potential employers would expect you to show up unless youre seriously unwell and/or contagious. All of my jobs have had that function, in fact. I really felt like if I called and tried to reschedule, theyd dump me. That story was told at every big meeting as a shining example of going above and beyond. Newsflash Americans would love to stay home and pamper themselves when sick. But there was some department disagreement going on and she felt she should be able to take part. A cold is usually the sort of illness one would shrug off and drag themselves to work with. I had to cough and drink water a few times, but I didnt think it was distracting. I only know that latter detail because I confessed this to my boss months later; by then, I knew her well enough to know shed find it funny. This strikes me as following that pattern people who are accustomed to yes searches are chastising the OP because they, with their solid safety net and higher level of relative power in job interview situations, would rather lose out on an opportunity than interview sick, and they expect everyone else is in the same situation. What to do? Youre either inconsiderate for exposing other people, or a flake for canceling when its just a cold. Its impossible to know in advance how either option will be received. Unless you live in a bubble, youre exposed to millions of germs every single day on door handles, on train seats, on tube poles, on desks, in the air. This feels like a damned if you do, damned if you dont situation to me. Once because I was so sick I could hardly walk, and more recently because there was an emergency at work that I absolutely HAD to take care of. Because the initial symptoms arent all that far off the common cold. I take back what I wrote above.
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