What should you do if you miss your job interview?

Published by Espresso-Jobs, June 29th, 2017

Sometimes, the universe seems to be conspiring against you for reasons unknown and makes you miss your job interviews. What now?

We’ve probably all had that same nightmare, the one where you wake up terribly late when you have a very important appointment. And despite desperately trying to run and make it in time, our legs just won’t budge.

Joe Issid has had dozens of nightmares like that. In his article on Monster he states that sometimes the universe seems to be conspiring against you for reasons unknown and makes you miss your job interviews. But he has given us tips to recover from these setbacks!

Recovery

Before calling the person you were supposed to meet, in a panic and breathless, relax for a few moments and think about your options.

Of course, missing a job interview doesn’t give the best impression. So don’t make a second mistake with an emotional and erratic phone call. Do your best to figure out a plan of attack which includes a reasonable excuse for your absence. But don’t wait too long, the longer you wait, the less credible you become.

Show remorse

Be clear: it is entirely your fault that you missed the interview, so take responsibility. You need to sincerely apologize and explain that it is out of character and that you wouldn’t usually arrive late to an important appointment. Trying to pretend it isn’t your fault will just exacerbate the situation and make the interviewer have a low opinion of you.

Be proactive

Instead of passively hoping that the interviewer will forgive you and reschedule the appointment, be proactive to try to remain a potential candidate. For example, show how conscientious you are by providing additional references or suggest taking part in additional interviews. Let’s be honest, you will have to go above and beyond the other candidates to convince the recruiter that you are the right person for the job.

Work on your excuse

It is hard for a recruiter to forgive a candidate for not showing up for their interview. Of course, if you justify your absence with an emergency or an accident, most recruiters would be sympathetic and reschedule.

But accidents and emergencies don’t happen often it must be said, and so your excuse could be weak. And if the recruiter asks you to explain, which they most certainly will, you will need to be compelling.

If you missed your appointment because you overslept or because you forget to note it in your schedule, try to find something a little better.

Stay professional

The recruiter may not forgive your absence and take you off the list of candidates. That would be a shame but it’s understandable. If that happens, move on.

You definitely should not get angry at them nor vent your anger on social media. You never know when another opportunity may arise, so keep your feelings to yourself.