Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Is there such a thing as being Too Early?


One of the most important things you can do in an interview is arriving on time. It makes a great first impression. If you are late even for a few minutes, it leaves a poor impression and can cost you the job. It makes the interviewer question your judgement and how you will handle clients, other employees and if you will be a team player. 

Being on time means arriving 5-10 minutes before the interview start time. If you get there too early, wait in until 10 minutes to the interview to walk in to the reception. Arriving too early can create an awkward situation for the interviewer. It is especially difficult for a coordinator if you are interviewing with multiple schedules because each of them may need to rearrange their calendars.  It may also create a conflict for an interviewer who may be scheduled for multiple interviews. 

The most important thing to remember if you decide to arrive more than 15 minutes early is to be prepared to wait and make sure to let the receptionist know that you are willing to wait. It shows that you are considerate of the schedule and takes of the burden for others who try to scramble to get you taken care of. It may be worth avoiding creating a stressful situation for your interviewer. It may not leave them with a very good impression of you. It is also important to research the company culture and find out if they are very formal or casual because this may help you know if they are able to make changes quickly with no red tape. 

1 comment:

  1. Yes. It is a major faux pas to arrive too early for your interview for the reasons Rafiki outlined above.

    However, I would suggest that you wait in your car or at the coffee shop around the corner, if you took the bus/subway.

    The office you are visiting may not be conducive to waiting and you won't know that until you go through the door.

    For example, our offices are pretty small and the reception area is in a high traffic area.

    Many times the area is unmanned which means that if you are waiting in the reception area, chances are very high that everyone walking by will be trying to help you and you will create the awkward situations that Rafiki mentioned.

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