The Best And The Worst Time To Schedule A Job Interview

You get a lot of advice on what to wear to a job interview and how to carry yourself. However, very few people talk about when you should ideally schedule a job interview.

Considering the part the right timing plays in getting you the job, it would be a smarter move to know which is the best and the worst time to schedule a job interview.

In your excitement, you might choose the earliest slot for the interview. Or if you are too nervous, then you might end up pushing the interview to the last.

However, both of these moves might not serve you well.

The worst time to schedule a job interview

Early morning

It goes without saying that you should not schedule your job interview early in the morning and you definitely don’t have to be the first one.

No one is really in the mood to work first thing in the morning and need some time to settle down and the same can be said about your interviewer.

Also, the interviewer might get late or the interview can be pushed back a bit, thus increasing your nervousness. But that is not all, we rarely select something good if we get on the first time around.

It is almost like when you go shopping. You might find the perfect dress the first time around but you would still be tempted to look around more.

In short, having something and, in this case, someone to place in your comparison can help your cause. If you are the first one for the interview, the interviewer won’t have anyone to compare and judge you alongside with.

Late in the afternoon

Scheduling your job interview late in the afternoon is not such a great idea either. Though not a particularly bad slot, most interviewers have already seen a lot of candidates by this time and they might already be considering a few of them for the job.

Also, around this time people start focusing more on what they need to achieve for the day and may have less attention to give to you during the interview process.

The last or later slots

You might know from experience that the last slot or the later slots are generally the worse.

Why so?

Because the quality of decision making goes down around this time and as such people grow more conscious of their reviews. As decision fatigue sets in, the chances of you getting rejected grow higher.

According to a study, it is evident that judges were most likely to rule in favor of the prisoner at the beginning of the session than at the end of it.

This phenomenon continues to be true in everyday activities too, including job interviews.

Also Read: How To Prepare For Job Interview – 5 Things In 10 Minutes

The best time to schedule a job interview

Mid-morning or Early afternoon

Now you might be wondering that is there actually any good time to schedule a job interview at all?! And, to that, our answer is that yes, there is, and the time is somewhere in the early afternoon or mid-morning.

You don’t want to be the first one for the interview but going third or fourth can be a great option. Interviewers are more focused and open to a ‘conversation’ during this time than later in the day when they might have other things fighting for their attention.

Also, it will give the interviewers some point of reference and where you stand in competition and they will be able to make a more informed and clear-headed decision.

During an interview, you need to be especially careful with your first impression. While timing is important, if you don’t have the right communication skills to make the best of the opportunity, then it won’t do you a lot of a good.

And, by communication skills, we mean both verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

How you communicate and carry yourself during a job interview holds a lot of water. To ensure that you are up to the mark, you can practice with your friends or in front of the mirror. However, the best way to perfect your interview giving skills would be to test yourself in a simulated environment.

Mock-AI, a mock interview application, can provide you with the right environment and a detailed analysis of your overall performance to help you do better next time around.

Also, with the study material provided at the end of the test, you can really work on improving your communication skills and tap the key to success.