This might sound like pretty basic advice, but I keep hearing about candidates who kill their chances in interviews by making this mistake.  What do they do?  They show up late.

This is a cardinal sin in interviewing.  Why is it so serious?  Three things win the job interview:  clear communications, good human relations, and enthusiasm for the job.  When you come late, you show none of those.

we're all pretty consistent with time.  Some are nearly always early; some always late.  If you have a tendency to be late, get a handle on this before it damages your career.  

I recommend arriving in the area of your interview an hour ahead of time so there is almost no chance of being late.  Don't go to the interview right away, though.  It's not a good idea to arrive too early.  Find a coffee shop or just wait in your car, then relax, go over your notes, and walk into the interview site ten to fifteen minutes early.



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Some people I know take the extra step of scouting the location a day or two early so they know exactly where they are going, where to find parking, etc.

After you're hired, keep this up.  Some feel that punctuality is highly overrated.  Maybe so, but that's the culture we live in.  

One man worked in an office near his CEO.  He was working his tail off on a big project, often staying an hour or two after everyone else had gone home.  The CEO never noticed that, but if he arrived ten minutes late, the CEO became irate.  

Unreasonable?  Perhaps.  But he was the CEO.  So this man adjusted his schedule so he would arrive a half hour early.  Then, if he was five or ten minutes behind schedule, he was still OK.
Don't let lateness kill your chances for landing a great job.