A job interview doesn’t begin with the first question asked — as soon as you walk in the door, your behavior will be judged.
Based on William VanderbloemenThe CEO of the search company that runs the Vanderbloemen Search Group, the interviewers paid particular attention to one thing: what time you were in the meeting.
Vanderbloemen, who has interviewed more than 30,000 candidates, says: “I am always amazed at how many people show up to interviews even two minutes late with a cup of freshly brewed coffee in hand.
Of course, most hiring managers sympathize with last-minute emergencies, technical difficulties and bad traffic – but Vanderbloemen says being late to a job interview without notice is a “red flag” for hiring managers with bad attitudes.
Punctuality is the first test of whether you take the job seriously and can be trusted with the responsibility of the role, he explains. “When you arrange a meeting with someone, you are making a deal, and when you choose to break that agreement, it causes people to start questioning your integrity and credibility.”
Arriving too early for a job interview can also be risky. “If I’m in the middle of another meeting or on a break between calls, it doesn’t help if someone waits for me 15-20 minutes before our scheduled call,” says Vanderbloemen. “It can make the interviewer feel uncomfortable or tired.”
He says the best time to arrive for a job interview is five minutes before the scheduled start time. Showing up at the right time – not too early and not too late – may seem like a minor detail in the overall planning of a job interview, but it can help you stand out from the competition.
“Job interviews can be stressful, but getting through it becomes a lot easier when you’re prepared,” says Vanderbloemen. “Being on time is the first step to proving your readiness.”
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