By: Erik Latkow
Okay so I get there at 8:30 and the interview as at 9:00. This will show that I am eager and they’re going to love me!
Not exactly true. As arriving 30 minutes early may seem like a good idea, it actually isn’t. Employers schedule interviews at a certain time because that is when they are available and plan their day around the time of the interview. The interviewer may be planning on finishing something up until the scheduled start of the interview and arriving that early may put the person in a rushed state. It is just fine if you arrive 5-10 minutes early because arriving more than 20 minutes before the planned time can be just as bad as arriving a little late.
It is extremely important that you share experiences or bring hard evidence of previous work that is relevant to the department or position you are applying to. For example, if you are interviewing for a creative position at an agency, it is very important that you bring a variety of pieces of work that show that you have the ability to display quality creative work. You can try to talk up your talent but that isn’t going to go as far as it would if you had the work to support your spiel.
It is also incredibly necessary to go into the interview having a lot of knowledge about the agency’s clients, both their current and past work, and even the history of the agency. The more you know about the company, the better you look. Discussing their work makes you seem very interested in their business, that you actually want to be a part of their team and how well you may fit in.
Of course there are other things that go along with interview etiquette but the majority of you already know that so I’ll spare your time. The most important thing is to be an active listener during the interview, and at the end make sure you really show your appreciation for the time and consideration the interviewer has given you.
