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Every career services person in college is going to tell you to show up to an interview 5-10 minutes early, but no more. Maybe I'm young and dumb but I follow that standard. I do go ahead and tell the receptionist I'm here. If being 5 minutes early is that big of deal then there are problems to begin with. When setting up an interview I leave it up to the hiring manager to schedule the time. I only reschedule or change their time if it's a problem on my end. So, with that logic, they should be ready for me, however I realize stuff happens; you're not at your desk, there's an emergency, you're in the bathroom, you're on the phone and it's running long, that's fine. I get it. No biggie.
For my first interview for a "big kid" job out of college I was a little early, no more than 5-10 minutes. The hiring manager wasn't ready for me, fine. I took a seat. 5 minutes pass. 10 minutes pass. The receptionist tells me the person I'm interviewing with is tied up, etc. The co-owner of the company just happened to be roaming around and talked to me, asked me who I was, what I was interviewing for, did I need anything, etc. Finally the person who I was interviewing with came down...just to shake my hand and tell me he's too busy to do my interview and that I would be interviewing with somebody else. OK, fine. They too are running behind. I think the group can understand where it goes from here. The interview was short and not sweet and I didn't get the job.
A couple months later I got an interview for a job I was hardly qualified for other than the fact I was proficient in the particular software that was required. I had to reschedule my interview to earlier in the day because my job at the time was second shift. Let's say the interview was 9:30 a.m. Same deal. I get there five or so minutes before, told the receptionist I was here. I actually had to fill out a paper application in the lobby while the receptionist couldn't find the hiring manager. She wasn't sure if he had gotten work yet. She even asked if I had his phone number so I could call him to let him know I was there. I said no and that I'd wait for him in the lobby. When the hiring manager did come out to greet me and during the tour of the station he thought I was somebody else and then after I jogged his memory he was like "Oh yeah, I brought you in because you had Avid experience". Beyond that I thought the interview went pretty well but I still didn't get the job.
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.
^^ This reads like a comedy of errors lol
I use this rule: Don't go in more than 15 mins or less than 10 mins before your interview's stated time. You want to look punctual but not psychotic.
I use this rule: Don't go in more than 15 mins or less than 10 mins before your interview's stated time. You want to look punctual but not psychotic.
I'm always ten minutes early. I want to have time in their lobby looking around and seeing what the corporate culture is like. I want to see if people look happy to be there or grumpy. I also want to read any literature or propaganda in the lobby about the company.
However, I went in for an interview 10 minutes early last week. I told the receptionist to please hold off calling the interviewer. She ignored me and did it anyway.
When I met with the interviewer, I apologized for the inconvenience and told him that I had asked for the receptionist not to bother him and that I wanted to have a few minutes to gather my thoughts after a busy morning of 'meetings'
But in general, always better to be early than late.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being ten minutes early and the receptionist calling. I would expect that to happen. I also wouldn't start talking about it and apologizing. Way too much focus on something that is perfectly normal.
good story, blowing off an applicant like that is beyond the pale. i've had that happen to me with a skype interview (i had to bring in my laptop, arrange for an office to use, arrange for something time sensitive to be covered, wear makeup, etc). they cancelled at 10:59 for an 11am interview. nothing good came of it though, we just rescheduled. it was a recruiter or i don't think i would have continued the process after that.
I once had a Skype interview set up. I got dressed up in a shirt and tie, brushed my hair, and the interviewer never even logged onto Skype. I emailed her saying I was there, then later emailed her saying I was no longer interested. Still never heard back from her. This was a for a job in another state.
When I moved to the state and applied to the same position, the same woman asked to do a Skype interview. This time she showed up and told me to attend the workshop the company was having for candidates (it was a staffing agency). She showed up late to that. Speaks volumes about her.
I once showed up about 45 minutes early because I didn't think the bus would get me to the place so fast. And it was a rehab facility, so it was basically a house and it wasn't like I could hang out in a building lobby. I didn't want to look weird just standing on the street in a residential area.
When the woman doing the interview showed up and we were heading to the office, she told me not to come so early for interviews.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being ten minutes early and the receptionist calling. I would expect that to happen. I also wouldn't start talking about it and apologizing. Way too much focus on something that is perfectly normal.
Not when you can hear the interviewer being perturbed.
Not when you can hear the interviewer being perturbed.
If I knew the person interviewing me was upset about me being ten minutes early that would be a good sign it wasn't someone I wanted to work for. Interviews work both ways.
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