I’ve noticed that often when a coworker is out for a series of doctor’s appointments, a two week notice is often given soon after. Obviously, the doctor’s appointments were job interviews.
Anyone else as skeptical as I am about “doctor’s appointments?”
When my girlfriend was looking for another job, her standard story was doctor’s appointment. People don’t tend to ask follow-up questions when it’s a medical issue so it works pretty well.
I see your point but most of the job interviews I’ve ever been to have resulted in being sent for a medical so it’s possible that at least some of your colleague’s ‘doctor’s appointments’ were in actual fact doctor’s appointments. 
Doctors appointments are one of the few things you can say you are doing without a lot of questions or a pink slip from the boss. If I could take a couple of hours in the morning and tell my boss I was interviewing without risking my job I would do it in a heartbeat. Since I can’t do that I must say that I have a doctors/dentist appointment or that my alarm clock didn’t go off and that is why I am late or something that doesn’t make them think I am looking elsewhere for work.
For me, “Doctor’s appointment” usually means I’ll just be late as fuck for work because I was out drinking and need to sleep a bit more. A doctor’s appointment doesn’t last all day unless it’s a scheduled surgery or something. “I’m sick” is me feeling really shitty or just don’t want to work and need a break (I don’t particularly like my low paying job). “Running late” means I had to get in a quicky before coming back from lunch break.
I think it is undesirable to assume that someone claiming to have doctor’s apointments really has job interviews, if only because what does that mean for the legitimately ill? (or those wishing to have a mammogram or whatever).
On the other hand, people wishing to remaing employed while hunting for other employment may find themselves not wishing to make their search public knowledge and thus may find that “Doctor’s appointments” are a convenient way of obtaining personal time during the usual work day.
So really, some skepticism may be appropriate, but I’m not sure that there is a good way to address the issue.
No more skeptical than any other reason to be out of the office - which means some people are out ill, some are nursing hangovers. Some people are at the doctor, some are shopping for shoes. Some are refinancing their house, others are going to interviews.
Personally, I took vacation days to interview for my current job. I have a lot of doctor’s appointments due to chronic conditions, but when I say I’m out for a doctor’s appointment, that’s where I am.
Really? I would think your medical information is confidential and couldn’t be inquired into by someone considering employing you.
If I say “doctor’s appointment” then that’s what it will be. I wouldn’t want to be caught in a lie with my employer. When I’ve had interviews I’ve always used a vacation day, floating holiday or personal day that I’m entitled to. No need to explain. Plus, no need to feel bad about stealing time from my company.
I’m with Dangerosa. It’s often legit, but it’s often code for “I’m out of the office doing something I don’t really want to tell you about” - regardless of what that unnamed thing is.
Yeah, court dates are also often covered under the doctor’s appointment.
When I was in a sinking business, my colleagues came down with the “interview flu” on a frequent basis. It always lasted 24hrs.
My favorite was the coworker who took vacation to fly to France for his cousin’s wedding. We totally bought that cover story. He works in France now.
For me, doctor’s appointment means I have a doctor’s appointment or my son has a doctor’s appointment. I don’t think I’ve ever used that as an excuse to go to an interview. During my last job (well, my previous corporate job), I would just take the day or a half day off. I worked hard and took vacation so rarely, no one cared or asked. I’m betting people would get suspicious, though if I showed up in a business suit and went to a doctor’s appointment. That would be pretty obvious.
Well, I love my job and oddly enough have some of the nicest people in the world that are now my friends there. I would not want to leave, and the HR people have gone to great trouble to tailor me a job I can do with my handicap, so for me a medical appointment is always a medical appointment. I want to keep my telecommuting job so I will not lie to my employers or do anything that would jeopardize it!
It’s confidential and therefore you have to sign paperwork authorizing the doctor they send you to to release the information to them. And they’re interested because they could end up with a workers comp claim that costs them big money because of a previous injury, or with more expensive group insurance bills due to an expensive chronic condition or two. Learning that someone can’t stay clean long enough to pass the intake physical’s drug test is also of interest to an employer.
In my experience, nebulous doctor’s appointments have meant the person or their spouse was seeking infertility treatment or was newly pregnant.
I have used the excuse myself to interview. Ratio of actual doctor’s appointments to interview, uh, about 10:1.
I’ve always used a funeral as cover because I’ve always worked where casual dress was the norm and dressing for an interview drew attention. For guys it may be as easy as donning a jacket, but if I show up to my current job in nice clothes, questions get asked. I make it a habit to interview once a year even if I’m not in the job market. I feel it’s important to keep interview skills active. Besides, it could lead to something better.
Not if you want work in a job where your health impacts the safety of the operation. I’m in the rail industry and my unexpected incapacitation could get someone killed. Therefore my employer is required to make sure that I (or anyone applying for a similar job) meet certain national standards. I’m in the highest risk category of job but others in potentially less risky positions still have medical standards they have to meet.
With the system we have here (Australia) the employer doesn’t get my actual personal medical info. They contract a medical firm to do their testing to the national standard. The rent-a-docs check the individual employees over and give the employer a pass/fail or somewhere in between. The docs can put you on light duties or have you monitored more frequently than the norm or whatever.
The jobs I’ve been for, they do their testing and interviewing and if you pass that, they send you along to their tame doctor. You’re going in your own time, you’re not hired yet.
OK, it’s not the office scenario of the OP, but I’ll bet it’s not that uncommon.
Wont you risk running out of relatives soon?