say I was taking a day off to see a friend. My work also allow me to work from home so I could work from home, leave the house for a few hours to take the interview, then make the time up in the evening. I wouldn't call in sick in order to attend an interview though, that's unethical to my mind. I would certainly never tell my employer I was going to attend a job interview at another company though! The choice between that and lying to them is a fairly easy one, since being able to pay the rent is more significant (to me at least) than being unscrupulously honest for the sake of it. My girlfriend had this dilemma a couple of weeks back. She told her boss the truth about the interview and has since been offered a promotion to stay. The situation needs to be judged based on the personality of the boss I suppose; some will appreciate being told the truth. I don't know about the 'bank manager' excuse -- that is such a cliche that it's a rather obvious red flag. Having a meeting with one's bank manager might have been reasonable a few decades ago, but today? Asking for a day off (or a half-day) a week in advance might not be possible -- what if the interview is scheduled for the next day? I think the BT or gas/electricity/cable/ISP excuse is probably the best; everyone knows how they won't give you