You finally got that big job interview. The one with the huge salary and cushy perks--the job you’ve been telling your friends about. Your interview is today--and YOU’RE LATE! What to do?
First off, barring a flood, earthquake, snowstorm, act of terrorism or UFO abduction, there’s really no good excuse for being late. You should have taken the necessary precautions to be on time—more about that later. Right now, you need to do everything humanly possible to salvage the situation.
Some suggestions to CYA during those first humiliating two minutes of your interview:
Proper Poise and Posture. Stand up straight, speak confidently, face your interviewer and use an apologetic tone (you can smile, but don’t smirk). Don’t stutter or engage in awkward pauses. Maintain eye contact and keep a straight face. Don’t fidget with your purse, hair, clothes or anything on the interviewer’s desk.
KISS. Don’t go for the convoluted excuse. State it plainly and simply. The key point here is to plan your excuse in advance. Don’t try to think of one while you’re facing your interviewer.
Use time-tested excuses. If you don’t have a good excuse or you can’t think of one, try these: Someone spilled coffee all over me in the subway, so I had to go back and change; someone stole my purse with my cell phone in it and I tried to catch him; a woman was hit by a car in front of me and I stopped to help her; The taxi driver barely spoke English and took me to the wrong address. If your excuse is challenged, be ready with a quick reply.
Call the interviewer. Tell him or her you’ll be late and see if you can re-schedule. This should be done before your scheduled interview time.
If you end up not getting the job, learn from your mistake. Make sure you’re never late for another job interview.
Some suggestions:
Allow plenty of time. Traffic is always unpredictable. Accidents happen. So do police chases that shut down entire streets/freeways for hours. Prepare alternate routes, alternate means of transportation—bus vs. taxi vs subway vs. your own car. Try to schedule your interview during the non-peak traffic am/pm rush hours.
Arrive early. So what if you’re a half hour or even an hour early. At least you won’t be late. Use the time to prepare for the interview. Go over your resume, your accomplishments, your goals. Go to a nearby restroom and double check your appearance.
Do a practice run the day before. Map out the location and do a test arrival at the same time of day as your scheduled interview. See what the traffic and parking situation are like that time of day. If you have a smart phone with GPS, use it to map out several alternate routes.
The job is yours to lose so don’t blow it by being late. Yes, there are ways to halfway extricate yourself with an excuse. But the best excuse is to be on time.
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