How to Answer Can I Contact Your Current Employer

How to Answer Can I Contact Your Current EmployerIf anyone asks where you were today, you were at a dentists appointment. Right? The vague appointment, always in the middle of the day, is a classic tactic for interviewing for new jobs while youre still at your current one. You just put up your out of office message and hope no one notices that youre awfully dressed up for a Wednesday. However, your slick cover story could be blown if the interviewing company contacts your current one. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) How does one avoid this potential explosion of awkwardness?Look, everyone understands that the sneaky interview is kind of the dirty little secret of the working world. Everyone does it at some point, in hopes of trading up their current position, or pursuing a new opportunity. That doesnt mean you want your intentions broadcast across your current companyespecially if you dont get the new gig. Ideally, the interviewer will a ccept your list of non-current-boss references without question. But theres a chance he or she might ask you the dreaded question Hey, do you mind if I contact your current employer?DO understand that theyre not trying to double-cross you.No one is snitchingthe person interviewing you merely wants to get a sense of what youre like as a current employee. He or she knows its awkward, but its a valid question. After all, your current boss might know youre interviewing for a variety of reasons (like your job is ending due to a layoff, your job is temporary, etc.)so it certainly cant hurt to ask.DONT panic, and assume that everyone will soon know about your secret interview.Its definitely okay to say that youd like to keep your job search under wraps for now.DO have some current colleagues in mind that you could include as a reference.If you have a trusted coworker who has a clear sense of your abilities as an employee, but who can also be trusted with a secret (and who has been told ahe ad of time that youre on the hunt), then offer them as an alternative reference. That way, you can say to the interviewer that youre not comfortable if she talks to your current boss yet, but that you have another reference at your current company whom she could talk to in the meantime.DONT act cagey, like you have something to hide.Be up-front that youre not comfortable offering up your current boss as a reference at this time. Emphasize that your available references are well aware of your abilities as an employee, and let the interviewer know that theyre happy to talk to him or her in the meantime.DO leave the door open for the future.After you say that youre not comfortable with the interviewer talking with your current manager, make aya they know that its not a final no. Let him or her know that when the timing is right, youd be open to them contacting your current company.If all goes well, you can sneak back into your office with a spring in your step, and secure in the knowle dge that your secret is safe for now.

Im the CEO of My Own Business Here are 4 Things I Wish I Wouldve Known About Financing it

Im the CEO of My Own geschftlicher umgang Here are 4 Things I Wish I Wouldve Known About Financing it Its bedrngnis uncommon for entrepreneurs to have financial regrets after stspeciesing a small business. These can range from wishing you had created a larger emergency fund to feeling guilty that you spent too much on what would later turn out to be irrelevant expenses.While I cant turn back time on these decisions, I can round up advice for female entrepreneurs on what to do moving forward. Bookmark these tips and follow along with them before making any sudden moves in financing your business.1. Look into bootstrapping the business.In 2009, I purchased a division out from Intuit to run as a stand-alone business. The purchase was one that I could have made with the help of bank loans or investors. I chose bedrngnis to use either option. Instead, I financed the purchase by bootstrapping it. Bootstrapping, for those unfamiliar with the term, is the act of self-funding a business. Thi s is typically done by using existing money in savings (retirement accounts may be utilized), strategic budgeting and making purchases via personal credit cards.The upside to bootstrapping is that you do not get trapped in third-party debt. You can finance a business with the help of a traditional bank loan or investors, but both of these options come with strings attached the loan must be repaid with interest, while investors require an equity stake in your company.Bootstrapping allows you to gracefully sidestep these obligations. If you feel like youre more than capable of successfully doing it, go for it The only caveat is that you have to be willing to go all in. When I bootstrapped the purchase of the business, I stayed on a strict budget for a very long time. Discipline is key in bootstrapping. You must be willing to stick to a budget, make calculated, careful decisions with how your money is spent, and stay committed to the style of financing.2. Apply for relevant business gr ants.Have you thought about applying for a business grant? If your business qualifies for a grant, you may be awarded that funding and most grants typically do not require the recipient to pay anything back. Check in with grant databases like GrantsForWomen.org for a comprehensive list of available grants. Start bookmarking grants you might be eligible for, any necessary requirements needed before applying and application deadlines.3. Utilize (free) financial resources from the Small Business Administration (SBA).Did you know that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers small business funding and assistance resources beforefemale entrepreneurs get to the finance stage? Its true Even better, many of these resources are free The SBA is a federal agency that helps small businesses across the United States to get started, grow, and expand using a variety of resources. Many of these resources are free to use on the SBAs website, including these two extremely helpful resource s for starting and financing businessesBusiness Guide. This interactive guide covers the ins-and-outs of getting started with your business. It touches on everything from planning, launching, managing and growing a small business.Lender Match. This online tool connects small business owners with banks interested in providing funding.This is, of course, just the beginning of everything that the SBA has to offer female entrepreneurs check out their website for even more resources.4. Learn the art of negotiation.Katherine Schneider, owner of 7 Day Websites, has spent the last 15 years self-funding several businesses. However, it took her years to learn the art of negotiation. Not understanding how to property negotiate led to Schneiders biggest financing mistake overspending.As a woman in business, early on, I would have sales representatives talk me into products that were extremely overpriced, Schneider explains. They would use the friendly approach followed by pressure, so I would feel badeanstalt and pay for it. I would spend $10,000 on signage to find out later I could have paid $2,500Schneiders solution? Get tough She started focusing on negotiating everything and saying no when it was necessary. The thick skin she created allowed Schneider to make better financial decisions and stick to her guns.Negotiating, and not feeling bad about someones feelings, is an important skill for any female entrepreneur to develop. Schneider says. Its not personal. Its business--Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com which provides online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, startup bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered werber services, DBAs, and trademark and copyright filing services. You can find MyCorporation on Twitter at MyCorporation and Deborah at deborahsweeney.