Interview Blunder #7 - Late To The Interview

This should go without saying, but………..DON’T BE LATE TO AN INTERVIEW! If anything, schedule your time to be on or near the premises at least 10 minutes early.  This should ensure that unusually heavy traffic or anything else out of the ordinary will not cause you to be late. But don’t fall into the annoyance of arriving way too early either; that may come across as too desperate or a bit creepy.

This is not set in stone by any means, but some of the general rules of thumb for time are as follows:

-        A couple of minutes can be forgiven, but a quick apology is nice

-        More than a few minutes definitely needs an apology

-        10 minutes is on the borderline, so there better be something pretty dire that held you back

-        Over 15 minutes will normally warrant a cancellation, especially when the interviewer is on a tight schedule of consecutive interviews

It is a shame when interviewees arbitrarily disqualify themselves based on simply not making it to an interview on time. The big issue of course is that by being late, you are not relaying any confidence to the interviewer that promptness is a strong point. If you can’t make the interview on time, how can you be relied on to make it to work when you are supposed to if hired?

There are of course exceptions to every rule, so don’t despair completely. I will admit that if I have on paper someone who looks to be an exceptional candidate, I will give some leeway to rescheduling the interview or starting it once they show up. However this may not always be the case with others, so don’t assume you are the exceptional candidate or that it is okay to be late. Try to avoid any of these issues by making it a point to be on time.

Cover Letter Tip: Address The Hiring Manager By Name

While it is true that your cover letter may not be more than glanced at due to the significant influx of resumes being submitted across the board, you still want to be prepared in case it does. If you do not show that you were concerned enough to find out the name of the person with the hiring power, you won’t be making a very strong impression.

Addressing the letter to

“Dear Human Resources”

“To Whom It May Concern”

“Dear Sir / Madam”

Contrast these generic titles with one that personally addresses the hiring manager:

“Dear Mr. Johnson”

It may seem irrelevant to some, but that little personal touch can make a world of difference. I feel more flattered when somebody addresses me by name versus “Dear Recruiter.”

Now ideally if you are following the 80/10/10 rule (80% of your time should be spent networking, 10% working with recruiters, and 10% applying for positions posted online), the need for a cover letter at all will only apply to 20% or less of your time. There are competing schools of thought regarding the importance of cover letters, or why cover letters are overrated. In any case, the question of course arises – what do I do if I don’t know thename of the hiring manager? In a previous post, I address that issue specifically (highlighted above). Suffice it to say, with a little legwork and creativity, you can find the name of pretty much about anyone.

Before I end this post, let me share a tip that extends beyond personally addressing the hiring manager in a cover letter: Find ways to personally make contact and network with that hiring manager over simply including his/her name in print on a piece of paper. Being able to network like this will skyrocket your chances landing for the position, and reduce the need for a cover letter at all.