Being late for job interviews: Automatically disqualified? Yes or no?

Misskitty said:

I would say yes. It may be harsh but the fact is, if someone cant show up to their job interview on time, what makes you think they will show up on time everyday? If someone cant take the extra effort to show up on time for a job interview, they dont deserve any job.

I was at a job interview this past Friday (which I always show up 10mins early), that was originally scheduled for 1PM and the other candidate was for 2:30.

At 2:15, the other candidate calls the interviewer who is sitting with me in the room to tell him hes going to be late. Interviewer said it was fine and that he will be finishing up a bit late as well. Well we got out at 2:51 and I expected to see the other candidate sitting in the waiting room, but he wasnt! Haha. First thing the boss does as him and I part ways is pick up his phone to see where this goofball is. I immediately thought, if this guy doesnt automatically get disqualified for the position, or even worse gets picked over me, I would be super pissed, and I think rightfully so as anyone would be! Calling to say you will be 15 mins late is one thing, but having the boss having to call you after to see where you are is another.

Unfortunately, Im not getting my hopes up because from talking with this boss...he said hes a very forgiving person and knows everyone makes mistakes.

So what you say. Yes or no for you? Ive never been late to a job interview ever.

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While it would be a major mark against an individual for me, I'm not sure it should "automatically" disqualify an applicant, especially if that applicant was significantly more qualified for the position than other applicants.

I would, however, make clear that punctuality is not optional.

Shrink said:

While it would be a major mark against an individual for me, I'm not sure it should "automatically" disqualify an applicant, especially if that applicant was significantly more qualified for the position than other applicants.

I would, however, make clear that punctuality is not optional.

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I agree. Plus, it would depend on the reason why they're late. If there's unexpected traffic due to a car accident, that's not exactly in their control. Flat tires happen to all of us too, it would be hard to hold that against someone. If they're late because they overslept or didn't get ready in time, that would be a major mark against them.

And then of course if they're being flown out for the interview and their flight is late, I definitely couldn't hold that against them.

yg17 said:

I agree. Plus, it would depend on the reason why they're late. If there's unexpected traffic due to a car accident, that's not exactly in their control. Flat tires happen to all of us too, it would be hard to hold that against someone. If they're late because they overslept or didn't get ready in time, that would be a major mark against them.

And then of course if they're being flown out for the interview and their flight is late, I definitely couldn't hold that against them.

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I suppose one could argue that if the circumstances mentioned above occurred, the applicant could have called, and then the issue would be less the tardiness, than the thoughtlessness of not alerting the employer of one's problem.

Certainly, however, there could well be reasons that doesn't work, and I go back to my original opinion that the qualification of the applicant would be the deterring factor for me.

Generally speaking, I'd say yes. From my experience over the years, my bosses basically ignored anyone who showed up late.

Being late for job interviews: Automatically disqualified? Yes or no?

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Yes, absolutely.

I've disqualified several people who showed up late to testing and interviews.

Stuff happens. I'd give them the benefit of the doubt, if it was only a few minutes. But they would have to perform A+ during the interview.

Shrink said:

While it would be a major mark against an individual for me, I'm not sure it should "automatically" disqualify an applicant, especially if that applicant was significantly more qualified for the position than other applicants.

I would, however, make clear that punctuality is not optional.

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I agree. I don't think it would automatically disqualify them, but it would represent a significant hurdle they would have to overcome in order to get the job.

IF the individual has a valid reason for the delay (car accident, water main break, etc) no, IF they have the thought to call and let the interviewer know. If there's no reason and they make no effort to call to let the interviewer know, DQ.

Obviously not a lot of hiring managers here. Good people are very hard to find. Good people can be late for things. If you disqualify someone for being late, you're probably not a very good manager, at least when to comes to hiring.

Automatically disqualify someone? In general, no. Especially if they're an all star candidate.

Most hiring processes - even if you're a home run candidate - aren't one time interviews. There's almost certainly going to be a second, even if it's just to meet team members/management team/receive an in person offer.

If there's an issue then or some other red flag pops up? Sure, that might be the sign of a negative trend.

my current job i was 15 minutes late for the interview. maybe a little more

i was on the subway and it just stopped in the tunnel for no reason for a while

What really chaps me is when I'm 10 min early to make sure I'm on time to an interview and the interviewer is late and doesn't have the courtesy to apologize and then rushes through the interview process.

I feel now a days companies and hiring managers treat candidates like pieces of garbage. It's very unfortunate both sides interviewee and interviewer deserve the same common courtesy.

They were still brave enough to show up put on their best face even when people most people (see above comments) would lean toward writing them off. They also were thoughtful enough to call ahead and indicate they would be late.

It shows they are human and I like that and I would be more likely to higher them because it it means when something goes wrong they aren't just gonna collapse and give up or make sweeping generalizations based on one occurrence.

Being late is almost a strategy for getting hired in my book.


nobody is on time 100% of the time.

BigPrince said:

nobody is on time 100% of the time.

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Agreed. However, for something as important as a job interview you plan to be much earlier than normal in case of the unusual happening. When I worked as a reserve deputy many years ago, I had a lieutenant once tell me, Early is on time, and on time is late.

def not , rule of thumb i go by: 5 mins early is 5 mins late. I always show up 10-15 mins early.

absolutely disqualified. you should be planning on 15-20 minutes early so that even if you are late you are still on time. It gives a bad impression and where i work, if an applicant is late for their final interview they are told to go home. no excuses.

It depends on the interviewer and the general atmosphere of the company. Me personally, if the person called and said they were running late then it would not be a strike against them. Being more than 10 minutes late without calling would be an automatic disqualification.

Yep, as a small business owner who runs 3 machine shops, 1 prototyping shop, an HR department, with a total of around 32 people working for me these days.

I do all the interviews, and if you don't call ahead with a real excuse like a traffic jam or car problem? I call you and say I am not interested.

Anyone who shows up late for an interview won't be working for me.

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Shrink said:

While it would be a major mark against an individual for me, I'm not sure it should "automatically" disqualify an applicant, especially if that applicant was significantly more qualified for the position than other applicants.

I would, however, make clear that punctuality is not optional.

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See, I used to think like that, but now I dont think its good enough. If they dont show up on time to be interviewed, then how good of a worker will they be? Answer? A ****** one.

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maflynn said:

Generally speaking, I'd say yes. From my experience over the years, my bosses basically ignored anyone who showed up late.

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As they should, someone who doesn't take their interview seriously deserves no job.

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SandboxGeneral said:

Yes, absolutely.

I've disqualified several people who showed up late to testing and interviews.

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Good man, I have done the same dozens of times.

Now if there actually was a traffic accident, or a huge delay and they call about it, that is fine.

But just showing up when they feel like? No job.

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ucfgrad93 said:

I agree. I don't think it would automatically disqualify them, but it would represent a significant hurdle they would have to overcome in order to get the job.

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Why should it not? If they don't show up for an interview on time, it means they will be a terrible worker.

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hallux said:

IF the individual has a valid reason for the delay (car accident, water main break, etc) no, IF they have the thought to call and let the interviewer know. If there's no reason and they make no effort to call to let the interviewer know, DQ.

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Yes, if something actually happened, that is fine. But if they are lazy and dont show up on time? Have fun at McDonalds.

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rdowns said:

Obviously not a lot of hiring managers here. Good people are very hard to find. Good people can be late for things. If you disqualify someone for being late, you're probably not a very good manager, at least when to comes to hiring.

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Depends who you work for.

If you work for an awful company with low standards for its workers? That viewpoint probably holds true.

The business I run, I pay nearly 25% higher than big and small business in the industry I am in, with better benefits, and a standard 40 hour workweek unless we are crushed with a major contract.

People line up to work for me, a company that tolerates someone who is late to his first interview probably also makes a bad product. I don't have to seek out good workers, they come to me.

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malman89 said:

Automatically disqualify someone? In general, no. Especially if they're an all star candidate.

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If they are " all star ", they show up on time for their first interview. If they show up late? Not worth hiring.

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BigPrince said:

They were still brave enough to show up put on their best face even when people most people (see above comments) would lean toward writing them off. They also were thoughtful enough to call ahead and indicate they would be late.

It shows they are human and I like that and I would be more likely to higher them because it it means when something goes wrong they aren't just gonna collapse and give up or make sweeping generalizations based on one occurrence.

Being late is almost a strategy for getting hired in my book.


nobody is on time 100% of the time.

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Really? I had a guy show up half an hour late in my office, no phone calls, no nothing, big smirk on his facing, thinking he was so good he would be hired, I called him a ****ing loser, get out of my office, and learn how to be a good worker.

ucfgrad93 said:

Agreed. However, for something as important as a job interview you plan to be much earlier than normal in case of the unusual happening. When I worked as a reserve deputy many years ago, I had a lieutenant once tell me, Early is on time, and on time is late.

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Yes, if someone shows up to my business 15 minutes early, in a suit, with all his paper work, SS card, ID card, and his college and internship paperwork organized and ready for my viewing, that is a massive plus in my book and gives that person good marks to be hired.

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carjakester said:

absolutely disqualified. you should be planning on 15-20 minutes early so that even if you are late you are still on time. It gives a bad impression and where i work, if an applicant is late for their final interview they are told to go home. no excuses.

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Yep, I do the same. But then again, I have people lining up every time I want to bring someone else on. So the lazy people are kicked out first interview.

Maybe a big dumpster business can pick and choose people, I can only afford to choose the best.

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iBlazed said:

It depends on the interviewer and the general atmosphere of the company. Me personally, if the person called and said they were running late then it would not be a strike against them. Being more than 10 minutes late without calling would be an automatic disqualification.

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I think companies that allow people to be late to their interviews without a real excuse, like a car crash, train problem, or late flight. Probably also produce terrible products and have lazy workers.

I am an amazing boss, I give my workers lots of leeway to think creatively, I pay much more than anyone else does in this part of the country with better benefits, awesome healthcare, good hours, and 4 weeks of vacation to start, I try to be as European as I can. And I have a low turnover rate.

But if someone has no real reason to be late to an interview? It means they don't care, and are not being hired, for every lazy bastard like that, I have 15 more people wanting the same job.

Shrink said:

While it would be a major mark against an individual for me, I'm not sure it should "automatically" disqualify an applicant, especially if that applicant was significantly more qualified for the position than other applicants.

I would, however, make clear that punctuality is not optional.

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I agree with this quite a bit and the reason is ...

rdowns said:

Obviously not a lot of hiring managers here. Good people are very hard to find. Good people can be late for things. If you disqualify someone for being late, you're probably not a very good manager, at least when to comes to hiring.

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because of this. If you completely disqualify someone because they were late then you could really be ignoring someone who would have been a great employee. I'm a great employee and I've been late for things before.

Misskitty said:

I have a silly question.

I had an interview 3 weeks ago and they called me back wanting me to go in for a full day to shadow and just to see if its a good fit. They called it a trial. It was obviously not paid for. But they said to park underground and that they would pay my parking (which was $10).

Anyways, I was set to be there for a good full day (again no pay), but it was dead and they told me to go home 2.5 hrs into the shift. They didnt bother reimbursing me my $10 for parking. I wasnt the least bit happy. Not just from the parking but cause they wasted my time on a Sat morning, waking up early and going down there for 8:30AM on my day off, only to send me home 2.5hrs in. Like wtf? Do I not have a right to be upset?

Anyways, I cant get this $10 off my mind and still feel entitled to get it back. They obviously lied and have no intentions of keeping thier word. I dont give a damn about the job anymore and Ive been debating on and off for the past couple weeks if I could call or email them and ask to me reimbursed.

I know some of you will say, geez $10, just let it go. But for me, its the fact they wasted my time was what made me upset and them not keeping their word and paying my parking was just icing on top. I just cant stand companies who try to weasel their way out of little things like this.

What do you think?

EDIT: I just emailed the owner to let me know, reimburse me ASAP. I dont care if i look like a cheapass doing this over $10, but I really cant stand when people do this. Hopefully she has some dignity and morals to follow through with it.

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The mere fact that you have allowed this to consume you for this long says a lot about your character. I try not to judge people based on their behavior on these forums; I would be the pot calling the kettle black at that point. However, there has been some consistent behavior you have displayed which starts and stops with your sense of entitlement. Your original post suggested you were entitled to the job especially over the "goofball" who was late. Then you feel entitled to be exempt from a company "wasting your time" by having you shadow someone early on a Saturday morning. Did it ever occur to you that they did not anticipate being slow and when they sent you home 2.5 hours later, they were making an effort NOT to waste your time? Did it occur to you that they merely forgot to pay you for the parking and your BS note to them 3 weeks later suggests that you weren't a right fit after all? Why didn't you just speak up on your way out? Did you forget? I bet you did because my theory is they did as well. Reimbursing you for $10 probably was not nor is it high on their list of to-do's.

This isn't a question of morals, it is definitely a question entitlement. It's $10 and yes, you are absolutely in the wrong for coming at them in the manner that you say you have. It is aggressive and unnecessary. Based on some previous posts, I would have thought $10 wasn't a big deal. You can call it principle, but I truly think it is the $10 and the fact that you clearly did not get the job. I think that's commonly referred to as bitterness. If anyone says they've never showed signs of bitterness or even entitlement then they're likely lying or they simply didn't realize it; however, it is my opinion that these are the reasons you want your money, not because you have some moral ground that you want to stand on.


So no, I would never disqualify a candidate for being late unless the reason seriously suggested there would be future issues and no, I would not ask about the $10. I would simply move on and continue to focus that energy on finding a job that is suitable for you.

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G51989 said:

I think companies that allow people to be late to their interviews without a real excuse, like a car crash, train problem, or late flight. Probably also produce terrible products and have lazy workers.

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I vehemently disagree with you here. I've been late, I've allowed others to be late, and the company I work for does not put out terrible products nor does that make or other workers lazy. You can't just assume people who are late are just lazy. Well, you can, but I would hope that I would never work for a person who suddenly deems me lazy if I am late for good reason.

Misskitty said:

EDIT: I just emailed the owner to let me know, reimburse me ASAP. I dont care if i look like a cheapass doing this over $10, but I really cant stand when people do this. Hopefully she has some dignity and morals to follow through with it.

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You just burned any remaining bridges you had with that company.

Amazing the number of people looking for jobs these days that are late to interviews, and then miss getting simple documentation together for orientation -- or cannot follow simple directions to our main office with a map included.

Seen way too many of the one that were late to the interview, slugs in getting their documentation together, or "cannot find the main office" -- only showing up for a couple few days of the job and never again.

Waste of time to even process these people who cannot show up for interviews and orientation on time.

Considering these are basically your first 2 days on the job, if you cannot make it on time for these ... you don't deserve a 3rd strike.