| Safety in interviews
- we're not kidding! |
| You probably think about
safety in a lot of situations, but is it really something you need
to think about in your job search? It can be. |
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Generally, when you're
interviewing on campus through our OCI Program, the interviews take
place in locations controlled by the Career Services staff. However,
interviews take place in many other ways, so consider these cautions
about your interview location and situation: |
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Location:
When an employer schedules a meeting or interview with you, make
sure it's in a public place. The lobby of a hotel is fine, but meeting
in an individual hotel room is not. Restaurants are an acceptable
location (avoiding the bar), but if an employer asks you to meet
in a parking lot or car, ask yourself why. That's just not appropriate
(or professional). |
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Private
homes: Some employers work out of their homes.
However, a private home is a questionable location for an interview
unless other employees are working there too. The employer can arrange
another location for the interview — like an appropriate restaurant
or a meeting room in a library. |
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Identity:
If you are at all unsure about an employer's or interviewer's identity
or actual business affiliation, ask for a business card. Look at
it carefully. A person may claim affiliation with a well-known organization,
yet not actually work for that organization. The person might instead
be a contractor or otherwise have a business relationship with the
organization. Make sure you know — and ask if it's unclear
— the person's true relationship to the organization with which
s/he claims affiliation. |
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Alcohol:
If an employer / interviewer is encouraging you to drink, ask yourself
why. Does s/he want you to relax your inhibitions? An interview
is not the place to do that. It is perfectly appropriate, and the
best choice, to politely decline the offer of a drink. If you choose
to accept a drink, accept only one, and make that one drink last
throughout the meal or event. |
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| Why is all this
an issue? |
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An employer or interviewer is in a role having more power than
you have in your role as job candidate. An interviewer should
never take advantage of you, make sexual advances, or suggest
a relationship or activity that is unprofessional. There's greater
risk — and greater appearance of potential unprofessionalism
on the part of the employer — when you meet alone in locations
that are not public or are not strictly professional, such as
hotel rooms and bars. |
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Dealing with a request that makes you uncomfortable: |
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An employer should never
put you in such a situation, and you should not hesitate to say,
"I would not be comfortable meeting in that location."
You can blame it on your career center if you want: Just say, "My
Career Services office recommends against meeting for interviews
in that type of location." If the employer pressures you or
gets upset with you, consider whether you really want to work for
that employer. It's perfectly okay to say, "Thank you, but I'm not able to accept your offer of an interview." |
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| What if something
uncomfortable happens to you: |
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If you ever find yourself in a difficult or confusing situation
with an employer, and/or you believe an employer or interviewer
behaved inappropriately, we strongly encourage you to discuss
the situation with the Career Services director or with any Career
Services advisor with whom you are familiar. |
