When you're in a rush, you become flustered, forget what your goals are and make silly mistakes. That's always true, but it's even more relevant when you have a job interview scheduled. While your default option may be to pack your schedule right up to and immediately following your interview, in reality, a little personal time before and after the interview might make all the difference in the world.
Arrive Early
If you have to rush to a job interview, you're likely to walk into the room frazzled and agitated. When that happens the interviewer might intuit you aren't ready for work, aren't easy to work with and aren't in control of your life. To avoid that always plan to arrive for your job interview with time to spare. Giving yourself an extra 30 minutes means you won't have to make excuses about traffic. Spend the extra time composing yourself and your thoughts, mentally rehearsing what you plan to highlight in the job interview. If you arrive very early, don't go into the building right away. Instead, check out the surroundings and the attitudes of the employees coming and going. Take a minute to calm your breathing before stepping into the room.
Check Your Appearance and Self-Confidence
Arriving early for your job interview also gives you a chance to make sure you look your best. Step into a restroom and look over your appearance. Try running some cold water over your hands and wrists to make sure you've cooled down from the commute to the interview, then check yourself in a mirror. Are your clothes or hair disheveled? Is there food caught between your teeth? Do you look professional in every way? Confirming you look great gives you that extra boost of self-confidence. Put a confident smile on your face before you step out to face the interviewer.
Assess How Your Interview Went
After your job interview is over, it's also important to take a little personal time rather than racing right back to your current job. Stop immediately to jot down any notes for possible follow-up with the interviewer. If you discussed an interest you have in common, make a note to send her an article about it as part of your follow-up. If you learned you know the same people, jot that down before you forget, so you can recruit references to put in a good word for you. If something went wrong during the interview, assess exactly what happened, and determine whether there's a way to make a correction with a follow-up email or phone call. Take a few minutes and let what happened before and after the interview slide away, turning your mind back to the rest of your day. Don't allow the interview to haunt you, but simply move on to whatever is next.
If you need to leave your current job for a short time to attend an interview for another job, you may not want to let your employer know what you're doing. Consider taking enough personal time to not only cover the job interview but also for a little personal time after it.
(Photo courtesy of Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net)
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