What's the best time to arrive for an interview / meeting / appointment?

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

For every interview or a meeting, I surf the internet and refresh my mind on "what to do in an interview". Almost every resource I read, stated that I need to arrive ~15 mins before the interview time.

I have noticed in most of the cases that I arrived earlier, the hiring committee stated that my appointment was at X:XX and not 15 minutes earlier; sometimes by the receptionist and sometimes later by the interviewer; Sometimes by both. They are like:

"Mr. Interviewer said your appointment is at X:XX, and he will be right with you."

Or something like:

"Hey you are here already!"

"Hey I did not expect you arriving now!"

I am asking because I believe it is the right thing to do. But what am I missing here? And what is the best time to arrive at an interview?

manpreet 2 years ago

The reason for planning to arrive 15 minutes early is so you can have 15 minutes of delay and still be on time. It's so you can take a quick detour into a coffee shop to use the bathroom if you're struck by a sudden urge. It's so you have time, outside the building or in the lobby if it's large and anonymous, to set aside the "getting to the interview on time" mindset and give yourself a pep talk and switch gears into interview mode.

It's not so you can talk to the receptionist 15 minutes before you need to and then sit getting nervous in a plastic chair for 15 minutes or more. Present yourself to the company about 5 minutes before your appointment, and I typically say something like "I'm Kate Gregory, I have a 10:15 appointment with FirstName LastName" - this will eliminate any chance of people telling you what time your appointment is, as though you don't know.

I don't think the answers you're talking about show people considering your behavior offensive. They just don't quite understand it. Neither do I. Once you're in the building in plenty of time, retain control of your actions by waiting in private until just a few minutes before the meeting. Don't burst through the door in a sweaty mess at the exact time of your interview, but don't spend your 15 minutes of "just in case" time cooling your heels where they can see you, either.