Observations on being too early for an interview or an employer being late to the interview (average, application)
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I'd like to share my observation with you all. Feel free to strike it down any way you wish. I won't change my mind because I have had too many experiences with this.
For me to get to an interview on time, I have to leave several hours before the interview to make it on time due to my location.
I have repeated this experiment over and over inadvertently.
It can take me 3 hours to get to my interview depending on traffic, so I always prepare for the worst case scenario.
This often gets me there about 45 minutes early on average. I have only ONCE gotten a position that I was substantially early for.
Every other time, the interviewers beat the crap out of me with technical questions until I could not answer one...and then it was OVER.
After experiencing this so many times, for the position I actually did get, I asked the recruiter over and over whether or not it was ok for me to go in early based upon my past experiences. The recruiter said I would be fine (recruiter might have ok'd this with the interviewer) and I proceeded.
I also notice that if the interviewer is late to an interview, you are hosed. You'd expect some sympathy being that you had to sit there for an hour but I have found it has had the opposite effect.
I was once held up for about an hour at a military base and couldn't get on because the interviewer wouldn't answer their phone/show up etc.
Finally I got in there and the interviewer pounded the heck out of me with questions to the degree that I could not answer one....didn't get the job!
I may get to the interviewers building a half hour early, but I'll sit in my car for at least 15 minutes. Or if I'm downtown, I'll find some place else to wait. I don't want to put anyone "one the spot" and show up too early. But showing up for a meeting 45 minutes early? Why??
It's not like the "old" days, when you went to an interview and had to fill out the application in the lobby -- that's already been done online.
You have the cause and effect in the wrong direction.
When the interview style is rapid fire technical questions, they are interviewing a large number of people and screening them (after all, they are using recruiters to find you, and recruiters lie). Because of the large number of people, they inevitably get completely behind schedule and you are left waiting. In all the interviews I have done so far, I don't even have a clue if the candidate got their early or not. I do know if they get there late, and to be honest, if they are late we just skip them if they have not called yet.
I think you are right about the interviewer being late (as opposed to previous interviews running over). That means their day is going badly, and that is going to affect the interview.
I'd like to share my observation with you all. Feel free to strike it down any way you wish. I won't change my mind because I have had too many experiences with this.
For me to get to an interview on time, I have to leave several hours before the interview to make it on time due to my location.
I have repeated this experiment over and over inadvertently.
It can take me 3 hours to get to my interview depending on traffic, so I always prepare for the worst case scenario.
This often gets me there about 45 minutes early on average. I have only ONCE gotten a position that I was substantially early for.
Every other time, the interviewers beat the crap out of me with technical questions until I could not answer one...and then it was OVER.
After experiencing this so many times, for the position I actually did get, I asked the recruiter over and over whether or not it was ok for me to go in early based upon my past experiences. The recruiter said I would be fine (recruiter might have ok'd this with the interviewer) and I proceeded.
I also notice that if the interviewer is late to an interview, you are hosed. You'd expect some sympathy being that you had to sit there for an hour but I have found it has had the opposite effect.
I was once held up for about an hour at a military base and couldn't get on because the interviewer wouldn't answer their phone/show up etc.
Finally I got in there and the interviewer pounded the heck out of me with questions to the degree that I could not answer one....didn't get the job!
Just sharing my experiences.
The person arriving early annoys me. If I set an interview for 11;30, I set it at that time because I have time then. If the person shows up at 10:45, I am busy doing the same thing that kept me from scheduling a 10:45 interview in the first place. And the interruptions make my even more annoyed. Someone has to tell me that candidate is there. 1 interruption. The same person, about 5 minutes later, reminds me the candidates is there, likely because they are tired of having the candidate in their area waiting. 2 interruptions. At this point, I am not getting anything done, so I put aside what I was doing to take the interview early. Hoe is that not annoying.
As for being late myself? I TRY to not do this, but as I am in HR now and retail management before this, both are positions in which fires appear that need to be put out prior to the interview, as much as I wish this was never the case.
I may get to the interviewers building a half hour early, but I'll sit in my car for at least 15 minutes. Or if I'm downtown, I'll find some place else to wait. I don't want to put anyone "one the spot" and show up too early. But showing up for a meeting 45 minutes early? Why??
It's not like the "old" days, when you went to an interview and had to fill out the application in the lobby -- that's already been done online.
^^THIS^^
I always make plans to arrive at the location an hour before the scheduled time (traffic here is awful and unpredictable), but I always sit in my car. I only "announce" my arrival to the receptionist ten minutes before the appointment time. This is for interviews and any important meeting.
As a hiring manager, it is annoying when I get a call saying someone is in the lobby more than 10 minutes before a meeting.
I also notice that if the interviewer is late to an interview, you are hosed. You'd expect some sympathy being that you had to sit there for an hour but I have found it has had the opposite effect.
If they can't at least offer an apology for being late, then it does not bode well as to how they treat others. Respect goes both ways.
This actually makes me wonder about something from the perspective of an HR person.
Say as a candidate you show up at the expected time, and clearly the interview is not going to happen on time, but you do have the flexibility to come back later in the day (maybe you took the day off from work).
Is it okay to offer to come back at a later time that day? Would it even be a good idea to make that offer? I know as an interviewer a few times, our interview group has had moments when it would have been great if a candidate was willing to move their time with no notice, but we don't ask them to.
Hey I thought it would beat being 45 minutes late. I mean they did make me wait until AFTER my interview time....they sure punished me well afterwards though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blinx
I may get to the interviewers building a half hour early, but I'll sit in my car for at least 15 minutes. Or if I'm downtown, I'll find some place else to wait. I don't want to put anyone "one the spot" and show up too early. But showing up for a meeting 45 minutes early? Why??
It's not like the "old" days, when you went to an interview and had to fill out the application in the lobby -- that's already been done online.
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