Clown antics - can they make or break your career?

It might be ok to take a clown to a redundancy meeting in the colourful world of advertising but it could be a career ender in other industries.

When Kiwi adman Josh Thompson was faced with the likelihood he could be fired he saw the lighter side of the situation and took a clown along when he met his bosses.

Melanie Ault from AWF Madison Group said exit interviews - for redundancy or otherwise - are no joke. They should be constructive.

"If people are going to make a grand gesture during an exit interview, or when looking for a job, they should think about what sort of statement they are trying to make.

"Think about what you are trying to say and what impact that will have."

Keep the door open for future employment.

A good exit interview gives the sacked employee the opportunity to share insight on how bosses may improve things in the future, Ault said.

"It can be a really constructive time where both sides can give feedback and that's very valuable."

"And, if things end well there is always a chance of employment with the same company in the future."

Himani Shah, lead human resources manager at retail store Nido, said such a stunt could affect long term employment.

His bizarre choice of support person saw Thompson - along with Joe the Clown - hit headlines worldwide.

Shah said the fact someone made news headlines because of an employment stunt could put future employers off.

"That might be the end of your time with a certain company but if you want to stay in an industry long term then you might want to rethink leaving like that."

"Being in the news because of something like that could impact finding your next job."

Shah warned others faced with redundancy or any other employment situation to take things seriously.

"Exit interviews can be traumatic - someone is losing their job, or they might be losing their job. You need support from someone you know and trust.

"The guy who did this had another job lined up so he had nothing to lose."

But if you are trying to get a job, rather than losing one, it could be a good idea to grab their attention.

"I once had someone send in a CV printed on a jig-saw puzzle and that got them an interview.

"It wasn't an overly complicated and time consuming one but it stood out."