First impressions matter. You want to blow a potential employer away with your experience and professionalism. But going above and beyond can sometimes be detrimental. Being too eager can sometimes hurt your case. Take, for example, arriving early. Punctuality is important, but arriving 20, 30, even 40 minutes before your interview (it happens!) is a mistake. Here’s why:
A Poorly Timed Run In
One consequence of showing up too early to an interview is running into the interviewee before you. This is awkward for everyone involved, and may rattle you going into your interview session. You spent time preparing for your meeting, you don’t want to be caught off-guard by running into someone else.
Interviewers Need Prep Time
If you arrive more than fifteen minutes early to your interview, you’ll catch the interviewers off-guard too. They need time to review your materials and get set up. Most hiring managers don’t want to keep you waiting, but there’s a certain amount of prep involved on their end before an interview too. They can offer you water or coffee, but they’d rather focus on knowing your qualifications and preparing their questions.
Prevent Being Too Early
So you may be asking, “What can I do?” It’s important to be punctual and you don’t want to fall victim to lateness due to poor directions or not finding the location. If you find yourself overestimating the amount of travel and prep time you’ll need, simply wait in a nearby coffee shop or public place so you’re not crowding the office’s waiting area. Instead of being stuck in the company’s lobby, you’ll have a different space to perfect your interview prep and avoid seeming too eager.
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