What is a good time to schedule your job interview?

What is a good time to schedule your job interview?

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job interview scheduling

job interview scheduling

 

Every job interview is an opportunity, and you cannot take any chances to waste this opportunity. Right from the preparation of the interview to the actual interview, there are many factors which influence the outcome of the job interview.

One of the factors that make an impact on the interview is the time and day of the interview. No, we are not talking about referring to astrology and figuring out the right time and date for your interview!

The interview schedule is often not discussed as much as it should because, in India, most interviews are conducted at the will and wish of the interviewer.

However, things are changing and most companies, being MNCs, are asking their job applicants a choice of interview timings. When you start getting interview calls, you might be asked for your preference for a time for the job interview.

Here is a guide for you to decide on a good time to schedule your job interview –

 

Check on the interview window – The interviewer will often have a specific set number of days to fill a position, and they try to finish their interviews before that. You can talk to the interviewer and ask politely how long you have to schedule an interview.

You can tell them that you are busy with a project or have an exam and would appreciate some flexibility. If you are lucky, the interviewer will tell you a date range between which you can appear for the interview.

Once you get the range, pick a job interview day in between the range, a bit closer to the final date. This way you will be one of the last persons for the interview and will be fresh on their mind for the job.

Also, they will have time to fine tune their requirement and hence will be in a position to ask you updated questions which will put you in a better position for the job.

Ask the recruiter if they have any specific schedule – You might assume that most offices work 9 to 5 but a lot of MNCs today have different time schedules. They can work from 10 to 7, 11 to 8, or even much later shifts when they might conduct the job interview. Hence, its best to ask what is the interview schedule the interviewer is likely to follow.

Fix a time away from the busy or dull hours of the day – A job interview will require both you and the interviewer to be active and mentally present during the interview. First hours of the morning or any shift (If later shift like 11 to 8) are always busy preparing for the day, while the last one or two hours of the day are occupied in closing the activities and preparing for the next day.

You should pick a time between the lunch hour and both these ends of the day.

In the morning half 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM is a good time to fix a job interview, or in the afternoon half 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM is a good time to set the interview schedule.

Pick a day in the middle of the week – By now you would have understood that the law of averages tends to work out for job interview success! The same goes for picking up the day for the job interview. You should pick up either a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday for a job interview. This is the most productive part of the week where the interviewer is focused on meeting and finishing the work.

 

Now that you know the best time to schedule a job interview, here are the things that you also need to avoid while fixing an interview schedule –

Days before and after long weekends or holidays – People are always catching up on work or simply not in the mood to work. This also happens for the New Year days especially! You will really have to show enthusiasm to make it work for you during these days.

Early morning and late evenings on Mondays and Fridays – These could possibly be the worst times for you to schedule a job interview. These are also the days you might find a lot of rescheduling and cancellations.

 

 

Now you have a ready answer for the next time a recruiter asks you to pick a favorable time for your job interview. Complete your interview preparation by signing up for Mock AI, a tool for taking mock interviews to increase interview confidence. The tool helps you assess your body language, voice modulation, and communication skills. And for more interview tips follow our blog here.

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