I'm sick: Should I cancel my job interview?

(MoneyWatch) A reader asks, "I'm sick and I have a job interview tomorrow. Should I cancel? I really want the job." We've all been there. You finally scored an interview for a job you covet, and then your body rebels. You don't want to risk losing the opportunity, but what's the better play -- postpone until you're better or push through on a mix of Dayquil and adrenaline?

I asked three HR experts what they suggest. Here are some things to consider if you're feeling lousy and don't want it to hurt your career:

Postpone if you look like hell. If you can't present your best self, don't present yourself at all. For instance, postpone the interview "if you have an illness with lots of visible symptoms, like heavy coughing, sneezing or a constantly dripping nose, or if you appear to have a [condition], like a skin disease, that is potentially contagious," says Heather McNab, author of "What Top Professionals Need to Know About Answering Job Interview Questions." If your interviewer is worried about catching your cold or virus, he or she won't be paying attention to what you're saying.

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And cancel if you're not coherent. Be honest with yourself -- Are you functioning at at least 80 percent? "If you do not feel that you can sit through an interview and give a 'decent' performance and really be yourself, then it would be in your best interest to call and tell the interviewer that you are ill and don't want to risk spreading your illness," says interview coach Carole Martin. If you know that medications make you loopy, that's also a reason to cancel, she adds: "You really want to be at the top-of-your-game for an interview and not doped up on medication or tired from lack of sleep." By explaining that you don't want to get other people sick, you'll sound responsible, not flaky for canceling.

But if you can pull it together, do. Especially "if the interview took a long time to schedule and the decision-maker is always traveling, make every effort to get there," says career coach David Couper. If you don't make the interview and the next guy or gal does, they might get the job. That said, you probably won't get the job anyway if you come in looking and sounding like a mess. But if you respectfully request to reschedule, and you do end up missing an opportunity, you may still get called in for a future opening.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

[Borgcubicle]

I'd call in and explain that I would prefer not to infect the interviewer or spread germs around the office. If the interviewer has common sense, they will appreciate this since many work places have problems with employees feeling like they must come in regardless of how sick they are and infecting everyone in the office.

[harvyk100]

Gee, what happened to a little bit of honesty.

If you are sick, give your potential employer a call and state that you are sick, and you would not be bringing your A game. Explain you'd rather reschedule, but would be able to still attend if required for scheduling reasons. If contagious, but the employer needs to stick to the schedule, ask if a phone interview is acceptable.

Unless your potential employer is superman, chances are they have felt under the weather at least once in their life. By putting the ball in their court, you have shown both a level of maturity, and understanding.

Long story short, playing games with your potential employer has a huge potential to back fire, and not only mean you don't get the job you are after, but you may also find it more difficult to get other jobs as well.

[tmittelstaed]

This is normally a lose - lose but I had a friend once who beat the system. He had an interview scheduled and got sick. Instead of calling in sick to the interview he called the interviewer's office 10 minutes before the interview and told them he had been in a car accident and was a little banged up, and they wanted to have him get checked out at the hospital. He asked to reschedule 2 days later and of course they said yes with the sympathy vote. When he went in he was still recovering from the cold but he passed it off as aftereffects of the car accident. Of course, they asked about the accident and he did a beautiful job describing it - based on a car accident he had had about 10 years earlier - and being real vague as to where exactly it happened and who hit him. He actually ended up doing 2 more interviews with them and got an offer, but didn't take it because he got a better offer from someone else.

[harvyk100]

Yeah, that has no scope in it to back fire really badly and completely ruin your good name...

[Dreadnut]

I say use sickness as an opportunity to make yourself stand-out. Like, when handing over your application/paperwork, sneeze in the interviewers face. Or, if you can arrange it, have diarrhea in the HR office. A waste paper basket can substitute nicely as an improvised toilet. A good, hacking cough is fine, but, while coughing, make sure to thumb through every magazine and visit the water cooler to make a lasting impression.

[rwsmith29456]

People will remember what they read in this article when they are sick before an interview.

[14FREEK]

Sounds like the article is saying it's a go to me. In that case I would suggest very slyly make as many attempts to contaminate the HR person as you think you can fake and get away with. I mean clean up and dress well, treat your symptoms so they are not obvious, but cough in your hand and rub it everywhere in the Hr's office (touch the chair the door knobs, the desk in front of you, any little personal memento available on the desk that wouldn't be threatening if you picked it up, all the paperwork they make you handle (this is a good one becuase they probably aren't paying any attention to you while you fill out there forms and you can pre-treat your resume before you even walk in; be sure to get both sides, and they will mix your papers in with everybody elses) and be sure to shake hands before and after the interview.

[14FREEK]

Oh, one more thing - How are they going to know it was you? They probably interview dozens of people for one job. You prepared and looked good. The more people they interview the more it makes them look like they have purpose being at the company, so out of all those poeple theywill never know it was you.

[EmpireGeorge______--]

That's why you wouldn't be hired.....cause you're an doosh.

The point was, you were trying to get a job, and you play these games ? get the eff out of here.

[EmpireGeorge______--]

as someone with experience in this matter, I would always give marks for someone able to suck-it-up, and come for the interview, even though they are not feeling well or 100%....unless of course, it's a contageous illness, then it will result in the opposite, bad marks.

[afriskyr]

It is a lose-lose situation if you are sick and have a job interview. If you call to reschedule the interview due to sickness, they will think you are going to call in sick to work all the time. If you come when you are sick, you will not be at 100% and they will know it.

[Jhihmoac]

Call to re-scedule interview because of illness, HR tags you as "unreliable", and round-files your application...

Come in to interview sick, HR tags you as "reckless" or "disregardful of others", and round-files your application...

...HR makes people sick...they should be round-filed...

[ballwyllo]

Like all HR answers, "yes", "no" and "maybe". Where do these folks come from?