How to Deal with a Family Emergency During a Job Search

How to Deal with a Family Emergency During a Job SearchHow to Deal with a Family Emergency During a Job Search1Emergencies related to child care and family issues can arise unexpectedly, which can be as stressful during a job search as when you work full-time. In fact, job candidates may have even more to lose than full-time staff when sick kids and other domestic drama derail their professional commitments.Why? Because current employees can potentially use sick leave or other benefits to manage the situation, request their companys approval for a work-from-home day, or discuss the situation with their boss to determine options.Job seekers, on the other hand, are in the position of trying to make their best impression on a potential employer to land a job they dont have yet. They cant draw on benefits or a track record of attendance and performance to help them maneuver around a need for unexpected schedule changes- and a wrong move at this stage can put off hiring managers and recru iters, making them question your reliability and leading to lost opportunities.The two tactics below can help you deal with a family emergency during a job search to avoid being taken out of the runningLine up backup care in advance.When it comes to something as important as showing up for a job interview, preparing for potential family needs in advance- before you even know if youll need them- is critical. If you leave it to chance and dont figure out a Plan B for child-care emergencies or other potential problems ahead of time, then you could easily end up surprised the morning of your scheduled meeting when you receive a call from the school nurse or principal that your kid needs to be picked up- ASAP.To avoid this panic-inducing possibility, you must think about options for backup child care or other family needs that could arise.For example, in the days before your interview (or even a week in advance if you know your meeting date by then), reach out to a family member or frien d, babysitter, or other child-care provider and ask them to be on stand-by as the go-to parent for the date and time of your interview. If its an individual you know rather than a service, you might arrange to have the school contact that person with any emergencies on the date of your interview, rather than calling you directly.The point is to know that you have someone in your corner who will titelblatt for you during the time you need for preparing for, transporting to and from, and participating in your interview- so that you arent left scrambling for help when its too late.Courtesy is key.If you find yourself needing to deal with a true family emergency despite your best efforts to avoid interruptions on the day of your interview, then prompt communication and courtesy is critical to avoid burning a bridge with the employer. Let your contact at the company know as early as possible about your need to reschedule so that others arent inconvenienced or left waiting. Calling by pho ne may be more reliable than emailing or texting to be sure that you reach someone otherwise you wont know whether your message has been received.If the hiring team is serious about potentially hiring you and wants to meet you, then they may give you the opportunity to move your meeting date. Dont assume your chance is blown- everyone has true emergencies from time to time, and the employer may understand your situation if you explain it gracefully. Be sure to reemphasize how interested you are in the opportunity so that they know you truly want the job, and offer wide availability in offering options for rescheduling.Family emergencies happen, so do what you can on the front end to be prepared for any potential curve balls before interview day. If you simply must cancel an existing appointment with a prospective employer, then be sure to use proper courtesy to make a second chance more likely.BROWSE OPEN FLEXIBLE JOBS