DO NOT be late!!!!
If on the way to the interview you had to save 65 kittens from a burning building, don’t expect brownie points (lol). I was late to an interview a few months back and let’s just say I didn’t get the job. If you miss the train, bus, your Uber driver went grandmother speed, or you got stuck in traffic then you are in deep my friends. I am sorry to say, but interviewers are not looking for excuses and they want to be taken seriously. Do you blame them? I don’t.
Showing up late says to the job that you don’t actually give a damn about their time and that you have other more important things you were doing that day before the interview happened. So another words do not be late! Life happens and sometimes we make mistakes, I know I have made plenty!
So here is my secret for making sure now that I am NEVER late for any major event. I leave MORE than enough time to arrive. I know simple right???? I leave myself over an hour of extra time to get there. Leaving myself enough time also let’s me unwind before I head into the interview. I usually park the car and take a few deep breaths. If you are more than 15 minutes early go grab a coffee, don’t head into the interview (they hate that, haha). I was 5 minutes late to that interview I mentioned and that job opportunity disappeared the moment I showed up. Don’t pull a me and be on time. LEAVE EARLY people!!
Any other ideas how to make sure to be on time?
George: If that's the case,as for myself,the kittens may have a very bad day. Animal lover, Mark.
I totally agree that being late is probably THE worst way you can sabotage yourself. If you're going to be late, why even show up???
I always like to check Google maps a few days before or even the week before to see how long it will take me at that EXACT time (and day if I can) to see what the traffic is like. This is helpful if you are driving to the interview. I also check it and keep an eye out as I eat breakfast and get ready. I make sure I have my car charger ready and use the Google maps app to guide me in. Hope this helps!
Totally agree with this man right here. If you're late you might as well kiss that chance at that job goodbye. And don't even think that 2 mins is ok, you need to be there on time no matter what. Your personal life is not their problem so don't screw your chances up.
Sweet..
Well where is the job interview for?
I have never had to save kittens from a burning building Superman style or anything like that, but I WAS late before. I got a flat in two of my tires when I ran over something on the highway I couldn't avoid without getting into an accident. Even though I rushed to change em I didn't make it on time and they refused to even see me. My advice is to leave early like you said George, but also have the job's info with you in case you need to call. I know a buddy of mine who would have been 45 minutes late and called. His daughter was sick and he had to bring her to the doctor and meet his wife there. Because he called they rescheduled it for later that day. I guess it depends on the job. Keep that number handy as an emergency tho! Just write it down from their website or the email you received will often have one at the very bottom.
Hi George, great question! So first thing's first, 9 times out of 10 the interview will not go well if an applicant arrives late (unless there was a natural disaster or some crazy extenuating circumstance that got in the way of someone arriving on time). From a recruiter's perspective, this is extremely frustrating for a few reasons. 1. It reflects poorly not just on the applicant but on the recruiter as well. It shows a lack of preparation and attention to detail on both the applicant AND the recruiter. We spend a lot of time with our candidates getting to know them, learning about their backgrounds, helping to determine whether or not it's a mutual fit, and scheduling them to come in. So when they arrive late and the interview starts out sour, it kind of stinks. 2. For all of us as applicants, we're responsible for mapping out the route, taking a look into traffic patterns during that time, factoring in weather, and planning accordingly. There is really no excuse for being late these days with the advances in technology, but I digress. And regarding what happens, I've seen a few things. A. The interviewer refuses to interview the candidate and decides to not move them forward in the process B. The interviewer will go in with a heavy bias that could lead to ruling the applicant out of the process. Bottom line, I have rarely seen someone recover from this and turn it into a successful interview. So BE ON TIME!
This is awesome George, you are SO right! It's hard (or often impossible) to recover from arriving late to an interview.
You are a strange individual!!