Catching That Early-Bird Worm

Arriving early will give you a chance to get caught up

One of the big advantages that older job candidates tend to have over their younger counterparts is punctuality. Numerous studies and surveys show that mature workers typically have a greater appreciation of the importance of being on time.

[Let’s be real here. Hold back on your vitriol. We’re not saying that all younger candidates are incapable of arriving on time. But, on the whole, older candidates are more likely not to be late. Back to the game…]

Regardless of the circumstances

While this is true for actual job interviews, we’ve found that it’s just as important for informational interviews, or one-on-one networking meetings. Professionally, it’s just plain rude to keep someone waiting.

Yes, we realize that sometimes it’s unavoidable. Extraordinary traffic jams. Weather issues. Those are valid reasons for being late. All other things being equal, being even five minutes late can be an imposition. That’s why we have smart phones. If you see you’re going to be late, CALL. Let the person with whom you’re meeting know.

Many people employ many and varied techniques to prevent arriving late. We’ve found one such tactic that works (almost) without fail. And that is to arrive “super” early. By “super” early, we mean 20-30 minutes. (Obviously this works best if you’re meeting at a coffee shop or other such venue.)

The rationale is this: When you arrive that early, you have other things to do. You can check your email; review some jobs boards; work on correspondence, etc. There is always something to do to pass those few extra minutes so that you’re not just sitting there twiddling your thumbs.

In this way, you’re assured of arriving before your guest and you can use that extra time productively. Also, even if you encounter some legitimate obstacle(s) in your commute, you may still arrive early or you’ll minimize the time being late.

One more thing. Make certain that you have the mobile number of the person with whom you’re meeting. In this way, even if you are unavoidably detained, you can always call and let them know your predicament. It’s the professional thing to do.

When going up against younger competition, you need to play all your cards to your advantage and promptness always impresses.

More tips.