Some good job interview advice!

There was time when I would go to extremely long lengths (or as I'm not too good a swimmer, to extremely long widths) to keep secret anything embarrassing that I might have done or been involved in - whilst obviously being as open and sharing as one could be about the exploits of others.

Not any more - I have seen the light - and am also typing one handed with one arm being twisted behind my back, by her indoors, who has, by a combination of persuasion and violence, persuaded me once again to "redress the balance".

This "tale" occurred around the end of the 1990's when I applied for a job in an HR department in a large company in London. I was lucky enough to get an interview, and whilst I had been to the building before, and also knew the interviewer, decided to get there a little early to "prepare myself".

The job itself was in "employee relations" which would mean getting involved in disciplinary & employment tribunal issues, and also investigations into the wrongdoings and misdemeanours of the company's employees.

Shortly before the allotted time for the interview I decided that I would visit the "Gents" toilet, (or Restroom for my American readers) to make myself "comfortable".

Both the Ladies and Gents toilets were situated next to each other on the first floor landing, and could be visited before (or after) entering the working floor itself via a security pass.

I went into the toilet and entered a cubicle and (I won't go into all the detail here) sat down.

As I was sat on the toilet I heard the footsteps of another person entering the toilet. Nothing particularly unusual about that you may think, and you would be right up to a point as I had noticed that there were about five cubicles...but there was something that started to feel a little bit odd.

The footsteps were somewhat different. Not the firm, heavy footsteps of a man, but the lighter, "pitter, patter" footsteps of a woman in heels. Why had a woman entered the men's toilets? Maybe it was a female cleaner, not realising that one of the cubicles was occupied.

As I sat there waiting for - amongst other things - her to leave, I looked around me.

To my left was a tallish metal "bin", with a torn label on the top, with the only words that I could make out being "...tary towells". Odd. I then started to think about the layout of the toilets. As I have said there were about five cubicles, and.....no urinals!

Arghhhhh I was sat in a cubicle in the ladies toilets waiting to go for an interview for a job in employee relations!!!!!

Instead of being interviewed for a job, I could end up being interviewed as part of a sex discrimination investigation!

Now I could lie and spin out this story, but in reality I simply waited for the woman to leave and after a few minutes made what can only be described as sharp exit! I wasn't seen by anybody else and miraculously "got away with it".

However, to this day, I pause as I enter any public toilets, to check the sign before I go in.

So my advice if you're going for an interview, particularly in HR, would be...don't drink or eat for 3 hours before the interview, don't go to the toilet, before, during or after and if that is not possible - if you need to wear glasses due to poor eyesight, MAKE SURE YOU WEAR THEM!