Your job search efforts have paid off and you have got the interview. You have been working hard on your preparation for days and despite some nerves you feel ready. So now it comes to making a good first impression to help you start the interview on a good note. One thing that can help with making a good impression is getting your timing right……..by turning up…….15mins before your interview.
When you attend an interview, the interviewer will look to see what time you arrived as it can tell them some information about you, giving them a first impression of you. If you arrive too early it can give the impression that you’re too desperate to impress. Arriving early or late can also show the interviewer that either you have not researched your travel time properly or that you have poor time management skills. Any of these can give the wrong impression about you and you have to start against a slight negative.
Be smart and research the time it will take you to arrive for 15-10 minutes before your interview. Do a practice run and always allow yourself some time in case of any unexpected delay e.g. traffic accident, road works etc. If you do arrive way too early then go for a walk or for a coffee till it closer to the time. If you’re delayed because of events out of your control, always make sure you have the phone number for the contact of the interview to inform them. Delays do happen that no one can control and it means that your interview will have to be either moved time slot or rescheduled.
You may be wondering why arriving 15-10 minutes before your interview is the acceptable time to turn up for your interview. It allows the interviewer/company to either to things ready for your interview (especially if you doing a presentation/assessment), the interviewer may have scheduled time in between interviews to sort out notes from last interview or review notes on their next interviewee.
One last thing about timing, you may have arrived at your interview at the magical time spot but be warned that your interview may not start exactly on time and it may start late. The reason is the previous interview has run a bit longer for a number of reasons. Be prepared for this, as the last thing you want to do is to sulk or be angry. If the interview seems either expression on you, it will probably count against you. It is know that some interviewers start their interviews late to gage your reaction.
When you attend an interview, the interviewer will look to see what time you arrived as it can tell them some information about you, giving them a first impression of you. If you arrive too early it can give the impression that you’re too desperate to impress. Arriving early or late can also show the interviewer that either you have not researched your travel time properly or that you have poor time management skills. Any of these can give the wrong impression about you and you have to start against a slight negative.
Be smart and research the time it will take you to arrive for 15-10 minutes before your interview. Do a practice run and always allow yourself some time in case of any unexpected delay e.g. traffic accident, road works etc. If you do arrive way too early then go for a walk or for a coffee till it closer to the time. If you’re delayed because of events out of your control, always make sure you have the phone number for the contact of the interview to inform them. Delays do happen that no one can control and it means that your interview will have to be either moved time slot or rescheduled.
You may be wondering why arriving 15-10 minutes before your interview is the acceptable time to turn up for your interview. It allows the interviewer/company to either to things ready for your interview (especially if you doing a presentation/assessment), the interviewer may have scheduled time in between interviews to sort out notes from last interview or review notes on their next interviewee.
One last thing about timing, you may have arrived at your interview at the magical time spot but be warned that your interview may not start exactly on time and it may start late. The reason is the previous interview has run a bit longer for a number of reasons. Be prepared for this, as the last thing you want to do is to sulk or be angry. If the interview seems either expression on you, it will probably count against you. It is know that some interviewers start their interviews late to gage your reaction.