Late for an interview?
Imagine this:
You've been applying for jobs for months and no response to your job search. Eventually you start getting some callbacks and you're excited! Most importantly, you get a call to interview for a job that you really want! You study your resume, you practice suggested responses interview questions, you plan what you’re going to wear the next day and you even Google maps the location. Look at you go! The next morning you leave your house 30 minutes in advance because you want to get there early.
Well...things happen. You get to the highway and there is awful summer construction happening for miles upon miles. To make things worse, some roads are closed. You keep checking the time and you start to panic; you’re cutting it close. Finally, you realize that you are going to officially be late. Do you pretend this isn’t happening or do you address this head on?
Here’s a nudge…
Imagine going on a date (because dating analogies are so relatable!). You are meeting Taylor (her/him/they) at Chez Richard, or some place fancy like that, for dinner at 7PM. You’re there on time. No Taylor. You start wondering if something is wrong, but it’s 7:30 and Taylor comes strolling in casually and sits down, orders a drink and asked if you looked at the menu or know what you’d like to order. Worst yet, Taylor has the nerve to ask you what the special was. No apologies, no nothing.
How would this make you feel? Still interested? I imagine you wouldn’t feel very good. You’d probably be annoyed and think that Taylor didn’t respect your time. You might want to leave, actually.
Let’s take this analogy and liken it to the interview process. When you are late for an interview and you don’t acknowledge this, this reflects very negatively on you. The recruiter/interviewer/employer who has taken time out of his or her day to meet with you will think that you are inconsiderate and they may no longer be interested? So, if you ever find yourself where you’re in that unfortunate position of being late for an interview, you might find the following sections useful.
Let’s start with the:
What Not To Do’s:
Don’t wait until it is really close to the time of the interview to call to say you’ll be late. For example, if your interview is scheduled for 11am, don’t wait until 10:55am to say you think you might be late. This doesn’t give the interviewer a lot of notice.
Never show up late for an interview and pretend that you’re not (i.e. “don’t be a Taylor”). Everyone knows you are! There is nothing more insulting to a recruiter or interviewer than having someone show up 10-15 minutes late and acting completely cavalier about it. You will definitely lose interview points and chances are the recruiter may no longer be available to meet with you because you are late.
Don’t make a joke about being late to build rapport…this may not fly over well. (i.e. don’t ask about the dinner special)
Don’t lie or use a textbook excuse for why you’re late. Tell the truth.
Now, how about we consider the:
What To Do’s:
Phone Ahead: It’s always best to phone ahead as soon as you realize that you are going to be late. General window is between 15-30 mins. Same rules apply for video calls as well. Sometimes, you may have issues connecting on a video call using a link that may have expired. However, this further reinforces the idea of logging online about 10 mins before your scheduled interview.
Apologize: When you phone apologize for the inconvenience of possibly being late and again apologize when you get there. Be genuine and professional. Again, here if it might be a good idea to explain again briefly, why you are late.
Be considerate and ask if it is still okay for you to come in because you are aware that this person may have other appointments. If you need to reschedule, make yourself available for the next available time.
Give an updated time of arrival: Don’t just phone and say you will late. You need to have a timeline as to when you think you will be able to make it. If you absolutely have no idea, then it would be a good idea to reschedule for a different day.
Breathe: After you have apologized you need to relax and get your head back into the game. It may have been a hassle to get to the interview and it might have been a situation where you experienced some distress, but you still need to remember to take a deep breath and relax.
The thread that binds everything here is the wheel of communication. If you communicate effectively and in a timely manner that you will be late or even if you think you may be late, chances are you will be okay. If for some reason, you need to reschedule due to conflicts in the other person’s calendar, this is better than having your interview canceled. Be grateful and if I were you, I’d drive to the interview route even earlier than you did on your first go to make sure that you absolutely won’t be late again. Even if you get there an hour early, find a coffee shop and grab a tea of coffee.
