Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Cummerbund Belts
    • October Books
    • Janine Nabers
    • 2026 Beauty Awards
    • COS New Arrivals
    • VSFW
    1. Career advice

    10 Excuses For When You're Ducking Out Of The Office For An Interview

    It's a balancing act.

    Diana Pearl's avatar
    By Diana Pearl
    Published 13 August 2014 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    excuses to leave the office for an interview
    (Image credit: Courtesy of Company)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    It happened. You've scored the interview you've been hoping for. The job that could propel you from your current status as an assistant to a new role with exciting new and challenging responsibilities. But the biggest hurdle you're facing isn't acing the interview, but sneaking out of your current job for an hour to have the chance to do so.

    1. Family emergency. Hopefully Grandma won't mind me using "a fall on her bad hip" as a reason to skip out of the office early. (Please no bad karma, please no bad karma)

    2. Doctor's appointment. I have an urgent prescription to be filled and they just couldn't fit me in after 5. Plus, they had me waiting for 45 minutes before seeing me. Ugh, doctor's offices!

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    3. Extended lunch. Oops, did I really just take 90 minutes for lunch? I was catching up with an…old friend…from out of town…and lost track of time.

    4. Trip to the Apple store. My hard drive is this close to fried and I need to see the Genius. You know how hard it is to get those appointments.

    You may like
    • Three fall outfit ideas featuring a patchwork denim maxi skirt, a colorful floral skirt with a blue button-down, and striped wide-leg pants with a purple cardigan. 3 Two-Piece Outfit Formulas That Always Work
    • Celine runwy fall 2026 sneakers The Best Sneakers to Wear to the Office
    • collage of women wearing workwear I Want My Work Clothes to Look Expensive—These Amazon Deals Understood the Assignment

    5. Health reasons. My cramps are so bad it feels like someone is wringing out my insides. I think I need to head home early.

    6. Delivery man is on his way. I'm expecting a super important, very expensive package that I need to be there to sign for. FedEx gave me a window of 2-6 p.m., so I'm going to need to work the rest of the day from home.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    7. You're on airport pick-up duty. My boss can't honestly expect that I'm the type of daughter who wouldn't pick up her own mother from the airport, could she?

    8. Get it done early. There was traffic/train delays/an accident and that's why I'm a bit late today. Commuting can be such a pain sometimes!

    9. Take a vacation day. Something has come up and I'm going to need to unexpectedly take the day off on [fill in the day].

    10. And please, please, please, don't let the interview be scheduled at a restaurant near my current office. I don't want to pull a Rachel.

    Related:


    10 Easy Ways You Can Be More Productive at Work


    5 Ways to Work Better With Your Boss


    5 Ways to Handle a Difficult Colleague


    8 Reasons Why Work Is Sometimes Just Like High School

    Diana Pearl
    Diana Pearl
    Social Links Navigation
    Editor

    I'm an Associate Editor at the Business of Fashion, where I edit and write stories about the fashion and beauty industries. Previously, I was the brand editor at Adweek, where I was the lead editor for Adweek's brand and retail coverage. Before my switch to business journalism, I was a writer/reporter at PEOPLE.com, where I wrote news posts, galleries and articles for PEOPLE magazine's website. My work has been published on TheAtlantic.com, ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, PEOPLE.com, GoodHousekeeping.com and in Every Day with Rachael Ray. It has been syndicated by Cosmopolitan.com, TIME.com, TravelandLeisure.com and GoodHousekeeping.com, among other publications. Previously, I've worked at VOGUE.com, ELLE.com, and MarieClaire.com.

    Read more
    Three fall outfit ideas featuring a patchwork denim maxi skirt, a colorful floral skirt with a blue button-down, and striped wide-leg pants with a purple cardigan.
    Fashion 3 Two-Piece Outfit Formulas That Always Work
    By Julia Gall
    collage of women wearing workwear
    Fashion I Want My Work Clothes to Look Expensive—These Amazon Deals Understood the Assignment
    By Lauren Tappan
     
     
    Street-style collage featuring women wearing backpacks with an oversized blue button-down, relaxed city separates, and a classic beige trench coat.
    Fashion Work Backpacks That Can Actually Fit Your Laptop
    By Kristina Rutkowski
    twp models
    Fall fashion 5 Modern Workwear Outfits Inspired by TWP Spring 2027
    By Cortne Bonilla-Oliva
     
     
    Latest in Career advice
    Money Feelings graphic
    Career advice The Spectacular Collapse of My Six-Figure Life
    Stylized image of a woman at a desk holding papers, overlaid with pink, blue, and green tones.
    Money The Hidden Price Tag of Menopause
     
     
    Colleen Bordeaux smiles while seated in a red top beside a large leafy plant and sheer white curtains.
    Career advice Ask This Influencer What Your Boss Really Thinks. You May Regret It
    Graphic for Marie Claire’s “Exit Interview” series featuring a portrait of Haley Carter on a green field background, with text reading “Women in Sports.”
    Career advice Haley Carter Will Never Play It Safe
     
     
    Latest in Features
    a watery green background with a woman with gray hair and two bottles of shampoo for gray hair
    Hair I've Had Gray Hair Since My 20s—This Is the Only Shampoo I'll Use
    le labo papyrus 20 candle on a library background
    Fragrance I’ve Never Had So Many People Ask How My Apartment Smells So Good
     
     
    two collage images of cobalt blue nails and blue nails with gold detailing
    Nails I’m Officially Committing to This Unexpected Nail Color Until the New Year
    collage of purple nail designs on five different hands with bottles of nail polish with black or white tops
    Nails Fashion's Hottest Fall Color Trend Is Coming for Your Manicure
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.