I’m very excited to see the new Superman film “Man of Steel”. I loved the Richard Donner films growing up and through my teens I read every Superman comic I could get my hands on (obviously I don’t read comics anymore….). I remember thundering around the neighbourhood on Halloween in my Superman pyjamas with a pair of red y-fronts and a faded red towel safety pinned to my shoulders. Good times.
The comics used to deal with the transition from Clarke Kent to Superman in inventive ways. The Donner films touched on this somewhat, but later instalments focused on other elements of the Superman Mythos. I was recently dealing with a job seeker who was attending an interview at short notice and not only had he to make a viable excuse to his manager but also get his hands on a suit! A problem for Superman indeed…
I’m not sure if the job seeker in question found a convenient phone booth to make an instant transformation into office attire; however I was able to assist with some last minute suggested excuses. If you find yourself in a situation of having to make an excuse at extremely short notice to get out for an interview – here are some failsafe options that tend not to raise suspicion:
1) Collect Family Member from Airport
Whilst public transport to and from most airports is quite readily available, there is always that elderly aunt or uncle living abroad that you are “nervous” to leave to their own devices. If their alternative arrangements just happen to fall through – this is usually a good excuse to nip out for two to three hours without raising too much suspicion.
2) Workers coming to Property / Landlord
If you own your own property or are renting, most of us will want to be present if someone is on site for whatever reason. Often times you will get some notice when work or inspections need to be done, but from time to time this can crop up very last minute. Perhaps you have a plumbing issue or your alarm is going off? Whatever the reason, this excuse is safe and common enough to sound plausible!
3) Collect Child / Niece or Nephew
For those of us with kids, having to pop out of the office to relocate them for whatever reason is common enough. But if you aren’t a parent you can still use this excuse as the responsible aunt or uncle. If a family member is delayed and someone has to pick up little Timmy, throw on your Super-Sibling outfit and march into your bosses office so you can rescue the day… or you know… go to an interview.
4) Trip to Vet
If your boss is an animal lover, hit them where they are weakest “My dog swallowed my ‘Man of Steel’ movie edition action figure and I have a vet appointment this afternoon at 4:00!” As a dog lover I’d nearly hop in the car and drive the employee to the vet myself, but with luck the excuse will stand and you will free up a few hours to get to that interview.
5) Car Trouble
This old chestnut is tried and true but one of the more difficult excuses to pull off. The best example of a job seeker using this excuse was someone I know who called their boss before work to say the car had packed it in and they were trying to get it to the garage on their way in. This allowed the job seeker to attend an early morning interview and all it required is that they maintained the facade throughout the day giving out about the unreliability of their car.
Conclusion
Whatever your excuse, delivery is the most important factor here. Believe in what you are saying and accompany your excuse with any required emotional resonance. A big part of why Clarke Kent got away with being identical to Superman without anyone noticing was his attitude and ability to pull of the bumbling reporter with such confidence (or apparent lack thereof).
So what was your best excuse or have you ever been caught out in a fib?
*Image courtesy of LA Movie Buff
