Making a good first impression during a job interview is essential; part of it is how you present yourself. Presenting yourself professionally can take many forms.
For example, you wouldn’t want to show up in flip flops and a t-shirt or thirty minutes late. Well, for a candidate it didn’t matter. The recruiter didn’t even give him a chance.
The job seeker dropped $350 on a new suit just to be turned down for being a minute late.
A man, who posts under the username @care4people on TikTok, shared a post from Reddit’s “r/antiwork”, a subreddit described as a place “for those who want to end their work… and want personal help with their own work/work-related struggles.
The poster had an interview for a tech startup with about 15 employees. He decided to look stylish for the occasion, so he bought a brand new suit for $350. The interview time was 10:30 a.m. and he showed up exactly on time. However, he had to wait for an employee to open the door as it was locked.
“The person took about 30 seconds to come and greet me,” he wrote.
Unfortunately, when the person opened the door, it was 10:31. So even though he showed up on time, his efforts were in vain. The employee let him know that he was ‘very strict with his time’ because he ‘didn’t want any of (their) future candidates to be late’.
They fired him, refusing to grant him the interview. He believed he had “dodged a bullet” because he “would hate to work for a company” that penalizes people for showing up a minute late. The TikToker who shared the post believed that both sides were wrong. The candidate should have come earlier and the company acted too harshly.
“You always have to show up 10 minutes early, and the second you enter the property is the second the interview starts,” he said. “But if they’re so strict then it’s a red flag. It’s not like you have five minutes, which I could understand.
The harsh ruling also baffled commentators who felt the company failed to account for the many extenuating circumstances that can set someone back.
So does showing up late for an interview affect your chances of getting hired? A SimplyHired survey found that a whopping 93% of employers felt delays were unacceptable in the interview process.
The situation of this candidate is different since he technically arrived on time at the property. But as the saying goes, “If you’re five minutes early, you’re already ten minutes late.” If waiting a few more minutes in the lobby means you’ll have a better chance of getting the job, it’s probably worth it.
Ethan Cotler is a writer living in Boston. He writes about entertainment and current affairs.