Better Late Than Never… Not

Late for dinner, may be acceptable to your mom or your spouse. But late for an interview in this market is absolutely ludicrous. It is an interview blunder that you must take note of and adjust if timeliness is an issue for you. Being tardy is one of the character flaws that will get you fired and put you back in the unemployment line. As a job seeker, being late for your interview is a great way to ensure you are not hired.

I have heard people say that you can call the organization and notify them that you will be late. Maybe something unforeseen came up at the last minute. But I want to encourage you to disregard that advice. If you can’t be at the interview early, reschedule. Late is the wrong impression you want to leave with a hiring manager. It matters!

Time Management is an important skill to master. If you can’t get yourself to an interview on time, you probably struggle with getting to work on time and meeting deadlines. That may seem like a huge leap, but when you are in the hiring process, you don’t have the luxury of convincing a hiring manager that your tardiness to their interview with you was a blip on the screen and that you don’t have issues with time.

One recommendation I have for you if timeliness is an issue for you – make your self arrive 30 – 60 minutes prior to the interview time. I know that it might sound nuts, but if timeliness is an issue getting your self started earlier is the only hope you have of being on time. Practice this with other things. Don’t wait until you have an interview. Late people know they are late people. If you want to compete for jobs than you have to work on strengthening this area so that it doesn’t get in your way. If you walk into an interview late and the hiring manager says, “better late than never,” and they take the time to interview you, I promise you that they are extending grace to you. You can be sure they will not be extending you an offer.

My last recommendation for those of you who are habitually late. Make sure you know where you are going. Don’t rely on Mapquest or even your GPS. Take a trip to the interview site and be sure you know where you are going ahead of time so that you are set the day of the interview.

Image Credit: sxc.hu