Interviewing for other Firms/Positions while Already Working (AKA dentist appt, traffic court, etc...)

usually carry a messenger bag. tie and jacket goes in the bag when i go back to work.

Keep your suit in a big plastic shopping bag or in a gym bag or something. As for excuses, the dentist appointment thing works once in a while, or you can also just schedule your interviews either before or after work -- if you convey to the interviewer that you're unable to get away from your desk during normal hours but can meet with them first thing in the morning or after hours, that would be ideal sine you don't want to miss the opportunity...

First off, bring a bag and put the jacket and tie in it. So very easy, you can do it on the subway, it'll take three seconds and completely obfuscates your jacket issue. Also, just start doing a tie every day and say that you want to start "stepping it up" or whatever that way it looks natural.

With regards to other excuses, doctors, furniture delivery, allergist, optometrist, signing a lease, viewing an apartment, lunch with an old friend, drivers license renewal, dispute with a dry cleaner. Just get creative and pay attention to what other people are doing. This is generally the time of year when things slow down and you can get away with long lunches etc anyway.

dispute with the dry cleaner. lol.

Im gonna use that sometime.

Is this for buyside or lateral?

Lateral.

Im in back-office right now, interviewing at another firm for IB.

Why, want to bring me in for an interview on the buyside? ;)

What position you're interviewing for changes the attitude you take. When me and others in my analyst class were interviewing for buyside, we pretty much came and went as we pleased. Sometimes that meant showing up to work at noon or leaving for hours in the afternoon. While nobody was too blatent about it, it did make for some interesting conversations.

Very senior MD: Where's XYZ Analyst?
Me: Um, he's "out to lunch."
Very senior MD: Again? That guy is ALWAYS eating!

Obviously lateral positions at rival banks are a different story.

PowerMonkey mentions a very important point. Be cognizant of when people are coming and going, and time your own departure accordingly. For me, I had access to my boss' calendar, and my assistant was notorious for coming in late, taking long lunches, and leaving early....so I just arranged my interviews accordingly when I didn't want my boss to know. I also scheduled a couple interviews pretty early in the morning (I'm talking about 6:30-7:30AM in some instances) or during the evening (at 6:00PM or afterwards). Ultimately, I think my boss figured out that I was interviewing elsewhere, but I don't think he could ever prove it and in the end it didn't really matter what his suspicions were.

My performance didn't suffer, and if he found some way to get rid of me while in reality I wasn't actually looking for another job, he'd be seriously screwing himself over. So yeah, I totally understand how people feel paranoid about getting "caught" looking for other jobs -- I felt that way myself -- but at the end of the day, you need to do what you need to do, and chances are, it will take the other people around you much longer to figure out that you're interviewing than you might imagine.

"I have something personal to take care of".

As an analyst I admit that might appear bold considering your almost every minute is accounted for and so you feel the need to have a specific excuse for your every absence (assoc+ should less concerned), but if youve reached a point where youve exhausted those already mentioned or youre displeased about having to make excuses in the first place, or you just dont give a sh*t - by all means repeat that phrase to your direct report. I love it because it adds a hint of the game to the situation, especially in the height of free agency season (or if your direct suspects youre unhappy) and it makes them think about whether or not youre interviewing just a little bit more than saying you have a dentist appointment but its never so overt that its questioned beyond the occasional "is everything all right?", to which I cleverly reply, "it will be" or so that it has the traitorous stigma attached if they know for sure you are interviewing elsewhere (in which case you better get the job). Its also nice because in some instances, youll notice the white gloves came out and you get handled with care - tho often theres no real diff. Probably not the cleanest advice for an analyst, but, i found it as a nice way to amuse myself before a potential exit. Then again maybe Im just comically sinister, either way: dulce periculum.

I always felt like the leash that banking kept on you was pretty imaginary. As a first year I always felt like I needed to let someone know where I was or where I was going in case someone came looking for me. As a year passed by and we all got wiser (and more bitter), we realized that you can get away with just about anything if your group is big enough, especially if you've established a good reputation. If you showed up late, like 11AM (this especially holds true in the summer), people either assume you've had a really late night or that you're in a meeting with ECM/DCM/M&A/Sponsors. Same goes if you're gone for 2 or 3 hours, people assume you're in meetings, or a drafting session, or at the printers. Or if you're gone entire half days, people just assume you've been traveling.

And even when it's abundantly clear that you're interviewing, people don't really care that much (if you're an analyst, anyways).

i agree with wintonheights and GameTheory. sometimes, the more excuses you make, the worse off you are. just do what you need to do, step out for your interview at a time when things aren't so busy, and come back later. it sounds ballsy at first, and it may or may not work depending on your work environment...but assuming you have some level of autonomy, don't feel like you need to tell someone where you are every time. sometimes, trying to make excuses or to defend your whereabouts just draws more attention to yourself. act like everything's business as usual.

At least if you're interviewing for a buyside position... people kind of expect you to move on, it's obviously a different story if you're going to another bank or you're not an Analyst.

I think GameTheory makes a good point: unless you have a specific commitment or obligation, you can get away with a lot if you have a good reputation and are in a large group.

Case in point: Sometimes I show up to the office at 10-11 AM now, and while I occasionally have a late night, a lot of the time I'm admittedly just lazy/have stopped caring. :)

No one notices or cares because they assume I'm either traveling, at a drafting session, in a meeting or helping 1st years here.

In terms of interviewing, I almost think it's ridiculous to come up with doctor/dentist/plumber type excuses multiple times every week. People will know what you're doing and you look worse by lying about it.

I was actually just chatting about this very issue with a 1st year the other day and told her to be upfront and that no one would really care.

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