Question:

I recently applied for a job and was asked to come in for a 10:00 a.m. interview. I arrived at 9:20 a.m. The interviewer was informed of my arrival. I was given an application form to fill out until my appointed time. The receptionist told me that the interviewer was in a meeting and would be with me shortly. The receptionist then gave me a copy of the newspaper to help me pass the time. I did not get to meet with the interviewer until 10:45 a.m. I had been very interested in working for the company until they made me wait so long as I felt that they must not respect people's time. The interviewer did apologize, but not until about five minutes into the interview. I responded by saying that I understood that they have busy schedules given their growth and during the wait I took the opportunity to observe the work attitude of the employees, how they interacted with each other and I got a general feeling for the company's culture. Was this an appropriate response? And how long should I have to wait to be seen by the interviewer?

First Answer:

You did and said the appropriate things in this situation, unless a hostile tone crept into your response and contradicted your words, but let's look at several possible interpretations of this scenario:

One, when scheduling a 10:00 interview, the employer's intention may have been to have you fill out the application from 10-10:30 and meet with the interviewer at 10:30, so the employer may have felt his level of apology for a 15-minute delay was appropriate.

Or, this organization runs a tight ship and is usually right on schedule, and something extraordinary happened to cause your wait, perhaps something like an employee passing out or an overseas telephone conference running long, that management did not wish to share with you.

Or, this organization is lackadaisical about time, or has become abusive of candidates' time in a buyer's market, and that is such a cultural misfit with you that you will not be comfortable working under such these conditions. In this job market, and even in better ones, I have heard of interviews actually postponed to the next day after candidates have waited for more than an hour. Your tolerance for such treatment may be partly driven by your preference to keep to planned schedules and partly by how much you need or want this job.

One visit may not be sufficient to determine what caused your having to wait. If you are called back for a second interview, observe how the schedule is followed or abandoned and then try to draw a conclusion about your comfort level in working with this organization.

-- Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City

Second Answer:

Why did you arrive 40 minutes early for your interview? That strikes me as a bit rude, expecting your hosts to entertain you well before your scheduled appointment.

If you feel you must arrive early for a scheduled appointment of any kind, please make it no more than 10 minutes early, and even then do not expect to be seen until the scheduled time.

I am guessing that the interviewer was factoring in the time needed to complete the application. And perhaps the meeting that made the interviewer tardy was really important and unavoidable? Hiring processes are usually an extra assignment above and beyond a full work schedule, so it's not surprising that the process can be bumpy and drawn out.

How long do you wait? I suppose it depends on what else you have scheduled and how badly you want the job. It's always a good idea, when scheduling an interview, how long the interview will be, and then adding 1 hour plus travel time to that number for subsequent appointments. But be careful in making rash judgments about companies based on one experience. Remember that stuff happens, and that no one really owes you anything, not even "common courtesy."

And finally, I don't think that telling the interviewer that you were "observing" their environment for worker attitude would necessarily endear you to them - it makes you seem like even more of an outsider. Next time, just be gracious and focus on how you can contribute to the organization.

-- Tracy Laswell Williams, certified job and career transition coach, accredited resume writer and founder of CAREER-Magic.com

Third Answer:

Good for you! That was a great response and if the company didn't appreciate it then maybe you should take that as an early warning that you wouldn't be happy working there. Your response showed that you are interested in more than just the tasks you'll be asked to perform and that you have an appreciation of the huge part that shared values and cultural alignment play in a successful employee-employer relationship.

As far as your second question is concerned, let me put this into context. Sadly many employers now consider themselves to be in the power broker position - as opposed to a few years ago when job candidates called the shots and often acted badly because of that. Indeed, I remember speaking with a number of HR managers in Silicon Valley during the dot.com heyday who told me that job candidates would be quite rude during interviews, and that one even took off a shoe and started banging the desk with it, presumably to underscore what they had just said - that they wanted a much bigger salary than the company was prepared to offer. Now the shoe is on the other foot (excuse the pun), some employers are engaging in the same kind of bad behavior - and making you wait 45 minutes is one of them.

Having said that, it's never a good idea to make universal judgements on experiences like this. Maybe there was a last minute panic in the office, maybe the interviewer wasn't actually informed of your early arrival - maybe their assistant was told and didn't pass the message on... You just don't know what goes on behind the scenes. What you do know, however, is how you feel about working for a company where bad manners appear to be acceptable (like the interviewer not apologizing to you straight away - and not being kept informed of how long you might be asked to wait) and where the values of the employees are out of sync with your own. That, at the end of the day, is the only way to make a good call - how do you feel about the way you were treated? And, if the roles were reversed, how differently would you have acted? If there's a major chasm between what seems acceptable in this company and what you consider to be so - don't take that job!

Good luck in the future - some employer is going to appreciate you.

-- Liz Simpson, motivational speaker, workshop leader, author, journalist, and forum panelist

Fourth Answer:

Congratulations on an insightful response to the interviewer's apology! Your answer showed you look for opportunities rather than wait for the ideal situation. What's more, you were able to show that you care about the company culture. Was this an appropriate response? You bet.

Now let's move on to your next question. How long should I have to wait to be seen by the interviewer? There are few "shoulds" and "should nots" in this situation. As you pointed out, you were able to observe company culture during your wait. The next logical step is to decide if this culture fits with your own. Clearly you were offended to have to wait so long. Others might observe the interviewer being late as a sign that the company has no rigid rules. Neither interpretation is right or wrong. But the real question to answer is, can you deal with a boss that might be late to meetings often. Only you know the answer.

Best of luck to you!

-- Holly Lentz, Lentz Productions

Fifth Answer:

A couple of things strike me. I always believe in arriving to my destination early - this gives me the time to compose myself, not feel rushed, and a chance to prepare (review documents, resume, ideas, etc.). I do not show up at the appointment though until 5 minutes prior to the scheduled time - this goes along with what you said regarding respecting people's time. Most interviews are conducted at the appointed hour but in the business world anything can occur. If your work style cannot accommodate this type of behavior, perhaps you would be best suited for a company or position with a more steady/predictable workflow.

The comment that you made regarding observing the company culture was appropriate, perhaps you could also have indicated that you understood that the matter the interviewer had to tend to had a higher priority that meeting with you. You can use your follow-up letter as a place to show not only your interest in this position (if you still have any) but also as a place to show your compassion for the situation the interviewer was faced with.

Regarding how long to wait - how much do you want the job? If you have another appointment, then you will have to either cancel it or tell the receptionist your situation. Scheduling interviews can take time, I would advice you to do all that you can to stick with the given appointment - you may not be given a second chance.

If you are still wondering, work with a professional coach who can guide you through the process easier and faster. I am offering a 20% discount on one month of coaching to anyone who mentions this article.

-- Janine A. Schindler, Professional Coach and owner of the Jas Coaching Company

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