Be on Time for your Job Interview

Plan Ahead for the Drive - After you’ve spent countless hours working on your resume, searching job boards, networking and writing cover letters it would be a big disappointment to be late for an interview. This is something you can prepare for by researching the directions and potential traffic or construction delays ahead of time to know where you’re going and how long it will take.

Arrive 5-10 Minutes Early – You want to demonstrate that you can arrive on time, but you also don’t want it to be awkward for the employer or build up your nerves by arriving too early. This will help the employer know that you’re accountable to be where you say you’ll be on time, without making them think you may have confused your interview time.

What if You Arrive Too Early?

- Spend some time getting to know what else is around the building if you have a few extra minutes before going inside to the employer, where there may be nowhere to sit.

- Stay calm with deep breathing. This will help you continue to feel confident and reflect on your practiced interview responses.

- Give yourself a quick check over by looking in your car or a bathroom mirror if possible. Do you have any food in your teeth? Can you smell your coffee breath? Simple things like this can go a long way in creating a good first impression.

- Think happy thoughts so that you can stay in the right frame of mind to feel good about who you are and what you would bring to this company.

Test Your Connection - With the growth of virtual interviews, it’s extremely important to make sure you plan a few extra minutes in advance to navigate any technical and/or lighting concerns that you may have for a video interview. To properly navigate this you may want to set up a practice session with a friend to make sure that you have limited background noise, a clear picture without shadowing, are in an area that looks free of clutter, and receive strong internet connection for the video feed.