Well, you’re not one to sleep in, you’re so organised that your outfit for the next day is set neatly out on the end of your bed before lights out, and whenever you go somewhere new you check out how to get there and how long it will take. You don’t sound like someone who runs late for important appointments, yet you always are!
Factors for running late can be numerous but the effects boil down to one, solid truth: running late kills your reputation, even if you are organised, hard-working, and thorough.
Unavoidable instances aside, running late has the effect of presenting you in a terribly unflattering way, and that’s not just because the exertion of your final dash has you sweating all over your interviewer’s outstretched hand. Potential and existing employers perceive late-comers as disorganised, unreliable, uninterested, lazy, lacking initiative, incompetent, and so on.
Ultimately, you’re deemed unemployable.
You may have considered how being late for an interview is the ultimate mistake to make. By the same token, glowing references are as big a part of the job-seeking process as filling in applications and attending interviews, so it’s critical that your best qualities and skills shine through in all activities you undertake.
So you know to plan ahead, leave plenty of time to arrive at or complete activities, be organised, but you’re still so often late. There are lots of tips for what to do when you are, inevitably and legitimately, running late. The best way to counter negative impressions is to call ahead straightaway and explain the situation (briefly). This shows you care about tardiness and could ensure you don’t murder your reputation.
