The phone interview went well, and now you’re moving to the next step. Human Resources set up an interview with the Sales Manager for Friday afternoon, right after the weekly sales review meeting. You are thrilled to get an interview, but are you walking into a disaster?
Consider these Friday interview disasters:
1. The sales meeting runs late and your interview is delayed. It’s already late in the day, and there isn’t much time for an in-depth interview.
2. The sales meeting is a disaster, sales are down, and the sales manager is in a foul mood. The last thing he wants to do is spend an hour interviewing another sales assistant.
3. The sales manager is going out of town for the weekend and has to leave early to get ahead of the weekend traffic. The sales meeting is delayed, so he cancels the interview or gets someone else to do the interview but who doesn't have the authority to make a decision So, you’re basically wasting your time.
4. When Friday rolls around, the sales manager is still out of town at a conference and no interview. Everyone was notified except you, who drove an hour through pre-weekend traffic to get there on time.
So, what about Monday? Here are some problems with Mondays:
1. There was a crisis over the weekend, and everyone is busy trying to put out fires and no one is interested in conducting an interview.
2. The hiring manager’s plane was delayed due to weather in Chicago and she’s still waiting for a flight back. Interview cancelled.
3. No one from HR got the paperwork together and the HR assistant is out sick today. Have to reschedule, since no one else knows how to access the online applicant testing.
4. There were so many emails in the hiring manager’s inbox on Monday morning that he missed the appointment notice and scheduled another meeting at the same time and is now out of the office.
5. The hiring manager partied too much over the weekend and is so hung over that she can barely open her eyes during the interview.
So, what are the best days and times to interview? Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best, and early in the morning, before 10 a.m. Why? You avoid the disasters listed above that come with Mondays and Fridays. Hiring managers and HR have had a chance to work out the schedule mishaps of Monday and are on track by Tuesday and Wednesday. Crises that appeared over the weekend have been solved and the alcohol has worn off from the weekend parties. Another reason is you are at your best, especially if you’ve partied all weekend or was the victim of a delayed flight or freak snowstorm that cancelled your return flight home.
So, when you get the call to schedule your interview, shoot for Tuesday or Wednesday morning before 10 a.m. That way, you will have at least two hours before everyone starts thinking about where they’re going to lunch and stops focusing on why you’re the best person for the job.
What’s your best time of day for interviewing? Share your tips for success in the Comments section below.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for communicationsjobs.net. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at communicationsjobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
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