Timekeeping
The interview process offers you a number of opportunities to showcase the amazing skills and experience that you have. However, the adage of ‘first impressions count’ is 100% true.
You might be ideal for the role, but if you make a bad first impression, these thoughts can stay with the interviewers and ultimately overshadow what’s good about you. Equally, a good first impression can get the interview off to a positive start and lead to a more engaging conversation and hopefully a better outcome for you.
There are many ways that you can make a good first impression and the most simple one is in relation to your timekeeping.
Below are some simple points to keep in mind that will get your interview off on the right foot:
Arrive 5-10 Minutes Early
- Never, ever arrive late for an interview. It’s the worst first impression that you can make. There’s a number of steps you can take to avoid this from happening, which I’ll outline below.
- Conversely, don’t report to your interview too early. Appearing prompt and keen is good, but arriving too early can put pressure on the interviewers to see you early or force the receptionist to interrupt a prior meeting to let them know that you’re there.
- If you do get there too early then make the most of this time to compose yourself or go over any last minute preparations. Go and grab a coffee or have a walk around the block. This will also allow you to scope out what the office location is like and if there’s any amazing coffee shops nearby!
Location
- Know the exact location of where you’re reporting to for the interview:
- Is it a stand-alone office?
- Is it within a building where you will have to pass through security and thus taking extra time?
- Is it a site office?
- Is it within a large office building?
- With social distancing rules, do you need to allow extra time to physically get up in the lift?
It’s vital that you know this information to allow an appropriate amount of time.
Don’t start the interview by either being late or flustered because you’ve had to rush around in a panic trying to find the right place!
Test Run
- If your schedule allows, try taking a test run to at a similar time; preferably on a workday. This will give you a good indication of how heavy traffic can be or how frequent public services are.
- If this isn’t possible then consider using Google Maps (or similar) to gauge your journey time. You can set the arrival time and day of the week so it should take into account normal traffic conditions or frequency of public transport.
Parking
- If you’re driving, be sure to find out where the closest parking is and how easy it is to snag a spot.
- If it’s street parking then it would be worth allowing some extra time in case there’s no slots available close by and you end up having to scout out a spot.
- The best thing to do is phone through the office mainline and ask the receptionist – they’re a fountain of knowledge and will be more than happy to assist. It will also give you an opportunity to thank them when you arrive – another brownie point in your first impressions armoury!
Running Late!!!
So, despite your best preparations and efforts, disaster has struck and you’re running late. Although not good, you can do something to try to turn this negative into a positive, and it’s really very simple; phone ahead and let them know!
This may sound like the most obvious advice that I’ve given, but it’s amazing the amount of people that don’t do it and just arrive late.
Even if you’re going to only be 1-2 minutes late, or will walk in bang on time, make sure that you do this. It will show that timekeeping is important to you and that you value the time that they are giving up to meet with you.
Now that you’ve got there on-time, check out some further hints and tips that will give you the best chances of being successful.
