Late, Late for a Very Important Date
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 I finally got an interview for the perfect position for me, and with THE company I want to work for. Agh...this is so hard for me to even write, as I literally lose sleep over this. My interview was at 10:30AM on Monday, less than 5 minutes from my house. Somehow, over the course of the weekend I "told" myself I must LEAVE at 10:30, when in fact, the interview was at 10:30. I am guessing what happened is that since I didn't "require" a 30 minute drive time that I must usually account for (I kept saying "oh, it's right around the corner...less than 5 minutes..), my "appointment" time became my "leave by" time. As I walked out my door (at 10:35, giving me 5 minutes to get there, and putting me there 5 minutes EARLY!), I decided to double check the name of the lady I was to meet with, when, there it was, in my handwriting...Interview 10:30AM. That moment was like a heart attack, I stood there for a second just numb, trying to figure out what made me think it was at 10:45?? I get nauseous in my stomach re-living that moment. I called her on the cell as I was jumping in the car, telling her I am on my way, I apologize for for getting my time mixed up...
I was frantic, mad, almost in tears for my stupidity the whole way there, and while waiting to see her. Here's the sad part...I am known by family/friends for having little tolerance for tardiness, I find it rude, selfish and most inconsiderate. Two weeks have past, they are still advertising for the position, and I feel I am right for the job and want to send a letter keeping me fresh in her mind as a candidate, and mostly, to (again) express my sincere apology for perhaps inconveniencing her, and letting her know this is NOT characteristic of me. I feel I need to do this for my own satisfaction at this point, otherwise, how will I know if she is not hiring due to my tardiness, or that she feels I am not right for this position?
What should I do? I of course apologized at the interview, yet didn't want to "dwell" on it. I can't get this job off my mind, nor the fact that I was late, how could I let this happen? I am so disappointed in myself, I continue to beat myself up over this. Should I write her a "thank you" letter for her time, and mention my tardiness (let her know this is out of character for me), or not even mention it?
First of all, you should take a deep breath and BREATHE.
An interview is once chance you have to be prepared, to be your best. You were not at your best, you were late. Is this the end of the world? It definitely is not something I encourage or condone but for me, it is not an automatic no. Life happens and how we deal with it speaks volumes.
So, how were you in the interview? Were you secretly kicking yourself under the table? Were you flustered? Or were you able still to put your best face forward? They are continuing to advertise for this position; you were not selected. Was something missing in your skill set or experiences? Was tardiness a "do not pass go" for this interviewer? I don't know and neither will you unless you contact them.
Send a thank you note to the person who interviewed you. A thank you is an absolute must. In it, I would not dwell on the tardiness. You say that this is the perfect position for you but how are you the perfect applicant for them? Tell them. And say something like, "I'm really excited about this job and would welcome another opportunity to show you that I am serious about the position." Plan a follow-up call and in it ask for feedback. If the interviewer is willing to oblige, consider yourself one of the lucky ones and listen.
Regardless of the outcome, you are beating yourself up and you should stop that, really.
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Reader Comments (6)
I imagine you just didn't have what they wanted. Or maybe there's something else going on that has nothing to do with you. Not every hiring manager is always eager to fill a position right away. Some want to wait for the right person.
You can follow up but I would limit it to one phone call or letter. You don't want to keep annoying her.
Funnily enough we had the same situation this week. The person was running late but called ahead. Good. When they were 30 minutes late I called to see if he was okay. His wife answered the phone and said he was just dropping her off at work as it was raining. He was still another 10 minutes away (making him at least 40 minutes late!)
We cancelled the appointment!
Rachel, you make a great point about one phone call or letter. It is easy to move from being an interested applicant to annoying one.
Family emergency, car break-down, even a call saying that you are "lost trying to find us, can I help with the directions again", all these I can overlook. Simply not noting the correct time of the meeting and being late because of it...hmm...I'm not so keen on that.
That being said, I hope that you were able to get over your situation and do well in the interview. Depending on your background and experience and what the job entails, it is possible that it could be overlooked.
If it's something preying on your mind, I would simply call or send a note (once only) asking if a decision has been made as of yet and re-affirming your interest in the job. I wouldn't mention the lateness, they know you were late, you know you were late, and you already apologized.
At the very least you'll find out if the job has been filled, and you have learned a valuable lesson...I don't think you'll ever repeat being late for an interview again. We all make mistakes, just don't do it twice.