The Life of a Job Seeker: Episode 14
Episode 14: The Interview Venue
Following his ill gambling luck, Kobi travelled with the 3-month-old infant to Lagos to reside with his best friend Faruq while he hustled for a job. His girlfriend, Sophia was overjoyed when she learnt that Kobi had moved to Lagos. Her residence was close to Faruq’s and so she visited often and helped with the baby’s care.
Faruq was also on the search for job but sustained a living by conducting private lessons for some kids in his neighbourhood. When the 3 friends meet, they discuss about their lives, share job adverts, and apply for jobs with fate. Fortunately for Kobi, he was invited for an interview at one of the companies they all applied for.
The interview was scheduled for two days later at 10am in the company. However, none of the 3 friends was familiar with the interview location, but since it was within the same city, they assumed it would be easy to locate. Faruq advised Kobi to leave for the interview as early as 6am, but as he was speaking, their next-door neighbour, Sabinus interjected; “Haba! Why would you tell him to leave by 6am? That’s too early. Don’t you know arriving too early for an interview will give the company the impression that he is too jobless and very desperate for the job?”
They reasoned with Sabinus, and on the D-day, Kobi left the house around 9am for the interview, while Sophia babysat Favour at home.
The Experience
Kobi’s peril began when he was trapped in traffic for over 30 Minutes. At some point, alighted from the vehicle and started trekking. It was almost 10am and he wasn’t anyway near the venue. He became very tensed and was sweating profusely. After trekking for about 35 minutes, he made it through the jam and quickly hopped in another car.
Eventually, he got to the specified area, but locating the office in the area became another problem. Nobody seemed to know the office. After much suffering and spending, he finally located the office.
By the time he arrived the office, it was 10:59am and he was drained in sweat; and just after introducing himself at the reception, he was sent back. The receptionist didn’t wait to hear his explanation for coming late. She said to him; “we do not tolerate tardiness here. Therefore, I regret to inform you that you failed your interview even without doing it”
Lesson 9: Never be late for an interview.
Always research and be acquainted with your interview venue before your interview.
Exhibiting professionalism through recruitment exercise is pertinent to succeeding, and punctuality is an important aspect of professionalism. Arriving late for an interview is very impolite and shows you don’t have respect for employer’s time, and also indicates that you do not have time management skills. In addition, arriving late makes you uneasy and makes it hard for you to focus on the matter at hand.
If you are running late for an interview for any reason, it is best you inform the company as soon as possible and politely seek an extension in time.
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