This may seem obvious, but it happens way too often. No matter the reason, there is no excuse for it (besides an injury or family emergency and then kudos for you for showing up). Getting lost, bad traffic, or losing track of time doesn’t matter to an interviewer. They are taking time away from their primary duties to sit down with you to try and give you a job. It is rude and disrespectful to not show up on time.
Here are a few tips to ensure this doesn’t happen:
* Do a dry run. If you are going to a city or a part of the city you are not familiar
with drive there a few days before. Ideally you will do it during a week day at a
similar time to your interview time to gauge the amount of time it takes to get
there.
* Leave early. Not just 15 minutes early, you can plan to arrive 30-60 minutes
before your interview time. Don’t go into the building though. Get into the area,
find a coffee shop and relax while reading the paper or reviewing your resume.
Not only will this ensure that you are on time it also gives you time to relax and
calm yourself before walking into the building.
* Pay for parking. Don’t circle the block 12 times looking for cheap parking on the
street. Pay the money to park in a parking garage. You do not want to waste
valuable time looking for parking and start to stress yourself at the same time.
If you are running late (but really, you shouldn’t be), make sure you call. The
interviewer may not have time to complete the interview if you are running late and you
will save both of you the time if you let them know. You can try and salvage the faux
pas by trying to book another appointment right away. And if you are lucky enough to
get a second chance, follow the tips above to arrive not only on time, but early.