Employer found out about interview--how to handle?

A company I am intrested in interviewing with sent en email inviting me for an interview to my work email address. Since our email is being monitored, I can assume my current employer found out or will soon. How should I handle the situation if current employer brings it up? What would be the righ thing to say?

First, treat this as a lesson learned not to use your work e-mail for potential interviews. Why did you do this in the first place?

Secondly, chances are the meeting invite will go unnoticed unless they really decided to scan your box. It seems unlikely that it was flagged as thousands of e-mails probably are exchanged at your company every day, but who knows? Let me know if they end up reaching out to you.

If employer brings it up, simply say you were invited for an informational conversation that was to take place outside of normal office hours. No need to elaborate further. If it were me, I might say something like, “Yeah, sure, I get these types of invitations all the time. I think people realize what the value that I can bring to the table. But I’m happy being an employee at this firm, and more importantly if there are opportunities to move up here, I’d love to hear about them.”

Yes the email is kept and recorded, but I agree with Numi, it’s more likely to go unnoticed.

You are absolutely right–good lesson to learn. Also I appreciate your suggestion to just downplay it saying it happens quite frequently.

Think it’s almost always a good idea to signal to your employer that you’re in demand…also makes it sound like they approached you instead of you approaching them. I think this is a non-issue and will only be a concern if you seem nervous about it.

So basically I should act as if nothing has happened and if this issue is ever brought up, just say they approached me, I wanted to listen what they have to say just to be fair to myself but I am committed to my current place, correct? And be calm and relaxed about it?

That’s what I would do. I don’t know of a company that has a person specifically check and scan emails for words like “interview” to ding people and then report it

Just do as Numi says and add you’re a big swinging dick sought out regularly.